I think we’ve now found one of our absolute favourite campsites for both camping and glamping – Purple Badger in Leicestershire.

Read on to find out why…

Location

Surrounded by 5 acres of woodland, Purple Badger Camping & Fishing Lakes is situated in Beeby, Leicestershire, close to Leicester as well as the retail area of Thurmaston, while still remaining in its own beautiful countryside location.

The family-run site is an absolute gem, with its own beautiful woodlands as well as two lovely fishing lakes.

It is so small and peaceful, with everything you need for your stay, making it one of the most perfect campsites for us.

Camping & Glamping

There are just seven camping pitches for tents on this gorgeous site, all which are 10 metres wide and come with their own campfire area. Each pitch is named after a fictional badger and is car-free, with wheelbarrows provided to carry your things from the short distance to the car park.

Follow the path along past the pitched and you come to the two amazing bell tents – Val and Millie, named after the owners’ two eldest children.

We stayed in Val, which is unfurnished, but it was an incredible treat for one night not to have to put up the tent and be able to just roll out our Bundle beds in the tent for the night and relax.

We brought along our usual camping essentials, including stove, kettle, utensils and washing up items, but it was one of the most affordable glamping options we have come across, so it was just perfect for the night – particularly being autumn time, so we would have had to put away a damp tent the next morning.

There was so much space in Val and there were mats on the floor so we felt cosy all night, even in autumn.

I usually camp solo with Lily, and we felt so safe the whole weekend. There were only four other pitches being used that night and all were parents camping solo with a child. The gates are closed from 10pm to 7am, and the campsite is in its own fenced-off area, meaning you felt so safe at all times.

Alongside the top lake, they also have two Shepherds Huts that are open all year round, however we didn’t check these out!

Facilities

The owners, Mark and Helen, could not have thought of anything else you could need for a camping trip – everything was just perfect.

There were showers and a sink in a stunning converted horsebox, two individual separate toilets with sinks, a covered-over games area with football tables and washing up sinks, a fridge/freezer, and also a separate covered-over seating area so you can relax together even in the rain.

The cherry on top for me was the coffee trailer, open each morning and some afternoon/evenings to serve hot drinks, as well as selling a few snacks (marshmallows included!), and breakfast cobs/toast/porridge too.

What’s more, they’re also building a stonebaked pizza oven for weekend pizzas! It really is a place where you don’t really need to bring much aside from your beds, toiletries and clothes, as everything else is available to you.

Things to do

On site, there really is so much to do. You have the fishing lakes if you enjoy fishing, but we just loved the woodland walk around the lakes, exploring the grounds and checking out the wildlife. It was so peaceful.

One of Lily’s highlights was the mud kitchen, where she spent hours making mud ‘soup’, while I relaxed with a delicious coffee from the trailer on the picnic area.

We also enjoyed playing on the football tables together before heading back to the tent to set up the campfire. Wood is available on arrival and you can order more if needed on site too.

For those visiting Leicestershire, you really are in a perfect location to be able to enjoy the countryside, while also being just 20 minutes away from Leicester city centre as well as attractions like the National Space Centre.

Conclusion

I cannot recommend Purple Badger camping enough and it really is somewhere we will head back to. Even being so close to home, we felt so relaxed and even though the campsite had so many amazing facilities, they had been built in keeping with the surrounding nature, so everything felt so natural as well as super clean.

The site was beautifully small, with pitches well spread out, nestled by the trees and woodlands, as well as some lovely countryside views. We also felt even safer thanks to the sanitiser stations around the site too.

Mark was so friendly and the additions of the coffee and breakfast were just brilliant. Booking was really easy online and even though we only booked two days before hand, we had all the information we needed and it was one of the best spontaneous camping trips we’ve had!

If you’re looking for a family-friendly, safe and peaceful campsite near Leicester, we really do recommend Purple Badger, so thank you for such a lovely weekend and making our last camping trip of 2021 such a special one.

Find out more about Purple Badger campsite here

Related Links

For our family camping essentials & checklist, click here

For our tips for camping with the family, click here

For our family camping hacks, click here

For our 10 campsite & nature activities with the kids, click here