Cliff House Holiday Park

At first glance Cliff House camping might not look like a typical Campr site, but once you're past the holiday park style entrance the site opens up into meandering wooded areas leading right onto the Suffolk Heritage Coast. The layout means even at busy times you can find your own corner away from it all, and alongside camping pitches the accommodation includes touring pitches, self catering lodges and static caravans, making Cliff House a fine place for an all ages gathering.

Whilst our heart will always lie with compost toilets and something of a lack of facilities being a plus, Cliff House boasts the '12 Lost Churches' bar and restaurant that could pass for a contemporary city centre venue. With local Adnams on tap, good food and a guaranteed stagger back to your tent, it's fun to have big park style facilities on a site that still manages to feel small and intimate. The wardens are a real part of the charm here; guests single them out by name for going out of their way, and there's a play area that keeps the kids busy.

The National Trust's Dunwich Heath Coastal Centre is a short walk away, with the beach home to many rare species of bird. The nearby RSPB Minsmere reserve is one of the finest birding sites in the country, so you may well spot some celebrities amongst the warblers, nightjars and woodlarks. From the site you're within reach of Walberswick (venue for the British Crabbing Championships) and Southwold. Even closer is Dunwich, which was once the capital of East Anglia until its port status was lost in a dramatic storm during the reign of Henry III that changed the very shape of the coastline (and inspired the name of the 12 Lost Churches). One honest note: it is a fair walk down steep steps to reach the sand, and the nearest proper shop is a long way off, so stock up before you arrive. In all there's a lot more to Cliff House than first impressions suggest.