Strangers Holiday Park

The clang of rigging from the nearby marina carries across the saltmarsh on the breeze, and you're close enough to the Blackwater Estuary to taste the sea air from your pitch.

This is proper Essex coast territory, suited to anyone who wants a straightforward base for exploring the sailing villages and tidal creeks of this quietly beautiful stretch of shoreline. Tent pitchers, caravanners and campervan tourers are all welcome, and the year-round opening means you can visit when the summer crowds have cleared and the estuary birds move in for winter. It's a working holiday park rather than a wilderness hideaway, so expect other families and fellow tourers nearby.

You've got toilets and showers onsite — the essentials covered without frills. Ask about campfires when you arrive, as policies can shift depending on conditions and time of year. The vibe is practical and unpretentious, the sort of place where people return because it does what it says and gets you out to the coast without fuss.