Suffolk camping: Three Rivers Pitch and Paddle Campsite review

Three Rivers Pitch and Paddle Campsite review

Fancy paddling from your camping pitch to the local pub? The location of Three Rivers campsite is impressive – a short paddle from a country pub. We spent August bank holiday weekend at this serene riverfront campsite with a group of three other families. Small, quiet and family-friendly, it’s perfect for paddling enthusiasts and families as well as those who fancy a refreshing swim when they step out of their tent.

If you fancy a weekend car-free escape, there are also three rooms available to rent at Three Rivers so you can have all the joy of the riverfront campsite without any of the tent-packing palaver.

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Considering buying a paddle board? Check out my review of the Bestway Hydroforce Oceana

Three Rivers campsite location

Midway between Bungay and Beccles, on the Suffolk-Norfolk border, Three Rivers Pitch and Paddle campsite is strung out along a stretch of the River Waveney.

Travelling to Three Rivers by train is a journey of under three hours via Ipswich from London Liverpool Street and then a taxi ride of around 10 minutes.

Paddle sports

If you’re bringing your own kayaks or SUP, you can launch your vessel at the far end of the campsite. If you’re hiring – there’s a choice of SUPs, mega SUPs, kayaks, canoes and rowing boats – this is done at reception and vessels can be collected from the boat shed which adjoins the campsite washblock.

The boat hire business is open to the public as well as to campers so it’s worth booking in advance during busy periods.

We brought our own paddle boards and our friends brought their kayaks bur we also hired a mega SUP (lots of fun) and some Canadian canoes to get our whole group to the pub.

What’s the river like at Three Rivers campsite?

The boat yard is at the end of a dyke which joins the river. From there, there’s a further waterway taking boats to a private marina. In the other direction paddlers can do an easy 40 minute paddle to the local pub – the Locks Inn Community Pub or for more of a workout, Beccles is about an hour and a half.

The river is for the most part wide and gently flowing. It was incredibly clear during our trip – we saw lots of fish and one of our group spotted a snake slipping in for a dip.

What is the campsite like at Three Rivers?

Three Rivers campsite is a long, narrow site set alongside the River Waveney. It’s not a big site – there are 20 single pitches plus six larger pitches for groups.

Some of the pitches are right on the waterfront while others are set slightly back or obscured from the river by hedges. The larger pitches, called bays, are at the far end of the site, closer to the self-launch part of the river. The final bay has a section of open riverfront whereas the other bay pitches do not have a river view due to the hedge.

Although the bays attract groups of campers, the campsite is very quiet., even in August We stayed at Rushbanks riverfront campsite the year before and it felt more lively (but still great).

Note, it’s a walk of around four to five minutes from the furthest pitches to the wash block.

Three Rivers is a dog-friendly campsite.

Facilities at Three Rivers campsite

Wash block

There are four spacious unisex bathrooms at Three Rivers campsite plus two additional toilets and two additional showers. Each bathroom has a shower, toilet and sink. They’re ideal for families and have plenty of space to hang up clothes. There’s a mop and bucket outside each bathroom so visitors can give the floor a quick clean after they’ve used the shower – this is a great idea which other campsites should consider introducing.

There was never a queue for the bathrooms and everything always felt clean and well looked after.

Reception and shop

The reception also doubles as the booking area for the boat hire business. There’s a small shop next door which, like the boat hire, is open to non-guests. There are a few camping essentials for sale – breakfast cereal, locally produced alcohol and ice cream, plus there’s a small coffee machine.

The reception building is also where the three en-suite rooms are located. One is on the ground floor and two are on the first floor.

Other facilities

There’s a small play area handily located between the shop and the wash block so little kids can play while other members of the family are doing the washing up.

During our August bank holiday stay, there were different food trucks each evening, great if you fancy a night off cooking.

Paddling to the pub from Three Rivers campsite

It takes under an hour to paddle from Three Rivers to the community-run pub Locks Inn. During our August bank holiday visit the pub had live music and a sausage and cider festival so the garden was packed with happy customers. 

There’s a bridge over the river next to the pub which kids enjoyed jumping off into the river below. The section of the river was sufficiently deep for plenty of leaping fun.

Pros and cons of Three Rivers Pitch and Paddle campsite

The good bits

Three Rivers is a quiet, family-friendly and family-run campsite with an emphasis on tranquility and wildlife. There are pitches right on the waterfront. The river is beautiful and a real joy to paddle on.

I quite fancy returning without the kids for a stay in one of the en-suite rooms.

Worth bearing in mind 

The only aspect which some campers might take issue with is the distance to walk to the wash block if you’re staying at the far end of the campsite. But the setting of these further pitches is lovely – well worth the longer walk.

Some of the pitches at the reception end of the campsite are right next to the gravel track (you can see which these are on the campsite’s map on their website). Although there isn’t a great deal of coming and going on the campsite, I think I’d prefer to avoid camping right next to the track where the cars drive up and down.

Things to do near Three Rivers campsite

From the campsite, you can walk into the little village of Geldeston which has two pubs, a church and a farm shop.

We stayed three nights at Three Rivers and we didn’t use our car (except for a quick trip to the shops in Beccles for provisions). The weather was good so we spent all our time on the river or at the campsite playing games. For longer stays, it’s around 30 minutes to the coast including pretty Southwold and lively Great Yarmouth. Norwich is 40 minutes’ drive away.

You can find out more about Three Rivers and book direct with them here.

Final thoughts on Three Rivers campsite

We all loved Three Rivers Pitch and Paddle Campsite. It’s small and peaceful and the river is perfect for paddling. It’s definitely a campsite we’d like to return to.

For more camping ideas, check out my guide to waterfront campsites.