Lee Valley Almost Wild Campsite — Hotel in Broxbourne

The woodland pitches are a hidden gem, perfectly done with much more space than the marketing would let you know.

Each woodland pitch is different, and here's a guide.

Pitch 13 is tucked away and has lots of hammock trees. We used 4 trees to put 5 hammocks up. If you really wanted, you could probably get a dozen hammocks. You could probably get 3-4 small tents and in photos is the one with the big awning. In pictures, it's the one we didn't use.

Pitch 14 is the closest to the river and the riverside pitches. It's also closest to the tap. The ground is soft and flat, but with lots of holes. Again, several small tents could fit here, but a big tent couldn't avoid holes. It's the most exposed, being next to both main paths which lead from the riverside pitches to the car park.

Pitch 15 is the second smallest, but is flat and the trees are perfectly placed for hammocks. It's not on the main path, but isn't tucked away. In the pictures it's the one with the green hammocks.

Pitch 16 is in the middle and is by far the smallest. It's tucked away and distinguishes itself because it has a flat grassy area that could hold a 3-4 man tent. In pictures, it has the blue yet.

Pitch 17 is huge and the furthest away from the river. We used it as the kitchen and campfire are because we were a large group. It's slightly sloping but 7-8 two or three man tents could be pitched if you had good sleep mats and many hammocks could fit, even without using the main campfire area.

I don't know if the site rules would allow so many people, and the sizing notes I made are to give a sense...

We had a fantastic weekend stay at Lea Valley Almost Wild Campsite. The campsite is very tranquil and relaxing. There is a lot of room between the woodland pitches. By the river, all pitches are separated by bushes giving you some privacy. The pitches were huge and it was lovely to have a fire right next to the river. The amenities are basic, with a running water tap and compost loos. We loved online check-in and being able to purchase online additional fire logs during our stay. These were delivered to our pitch first thing the next morning.

The only criticism would be that the site is not manned by staff. There is a ranger there in the afternoon for an hour or so and that's it. Some people didn't quite get the ''almost wild'' and "quiet" memo, so on Friday, there was a group of teenagers partying on one of the woodlands pitches until the early hours of the morning. Also, quite a few groups ignored the sign by the gate and drove their car straight to the pitch to pack and pack their belongings. When choosing an almost wild campsite, the last thing I want is breathing car fumes parked with the engine on a few meters away from my blanket. Maybe it's worth putting a permanent padlock on...

Please note anyone who would like to book that this is a slightly different campsite in the sense of the type of clientele it attracts. By that I mean because the pitches are so large and spacious that this means that it attracts large groups which equals a lot of drunk people making a lot of noise! On the night we stayed there were parties and music and general loud everything until the early hours of the morning. Having camped in Canada the focus of camping is usually to relax in the peace and quiet of nature. In England or at least at this campsite it is to go with a large group of friends and play music and party and get drunk until the early hours of the morning. Noted. And this is no reflection on the campsite itself which is absolutely beautiful in a stunning spot with the nicest ranger and the nicest pitches!! Also pitches are auto selected - this means some people get much nicer pitches than others- but overall all are nice. I should add this wasn’t a one off group having a party - there were at least 6 or 7 parties going on that night all very loud some with music. 11pm cut off quiet hours not...