Know the difference between a brimstone butterfly and a common holy blue? Recognise a chaffinch from a blue tit? Well, as the name suggests at this wild, car-free campsite in Eastern Suffolk, cohabiting with the birds, butterflies, bugs and bees is what life is all about. You needn’t be able to name all the species – indeed there are probably so many here you never could – but if you want to immerse yourself in the native wildlife of Suffolk’s wild grass meadows, there’s no better place to be.
Conscientiously mown into the long, green-blonde grass, Birds & Bees Campsite is comprised of 15 individual tent pitches, connected via weaving pathways that meander across the field. Abundant hedgerows divide the entire campsite up into three separate meadows, with a facilities block and reception building – affectionately known as ‘The Beehive’ – inside an old dairy barn by the campsite entrance. The result is a perfect choice between convenient proximity to the showers (pluck for Clover’s Corner), the best views (the Meadow Rise field) or complete seclusion in the campsite’s furthest pitches (Nature’s Way meadow). For added convenience, there is also an extra composting toilet and freshwater point where the three meadows converge.
There truly is something to suit campers of all persuasions at Birds & Bees. Children lose themselves among the thick flora, hiding and seeking in the deepest patches of grass, while family groups gather around their evening campfires. Older couples and nature lovers pop out for the day to nearby RSPB Minsmere and Dunwhich Dunes – well-known for the appearances on BBC Springwatch – while cyclists assemble two-man tents as they stop off from the nearby national cycle route. Whatever your tenting tastes, campers here can't fail to appreciate the campsite's thoroughly laid back feel and traditional, back-to-basics ambience. Throw in a collection of East Anglia’s best beaches, less than half an hour away, and it’s easy to see how Birds & Bees Campsite is much more than just a very, very grassy field.