Waveney River Centre Reviews

Norfolk/Suffolk adventure

The site was very scenic and well maintained being set alongside the marina and the River Waveney. Only the hard standing pitches were being used while we were there, although there were plenty of grass pitches too. The hardstanding pitches were very tightly packed in and a squeeze to move around the side of our van and tent which also meant that you could hear everything too - despite a hedge being between us. The pitches didn't allow for cars to park alongside a tent/caravan set up so again we had other peoples cars on grass in front of our pitch blocking the view of the marina. On a positive note, the whole site was well maintained, children's play area looked good (although we didn't have any children with us). We did use the swimming pool which was very welcome. The Waveney Inn was on site, which would save driving miles to the nearest alternative. All staff we met were very friendly and helpful. The site is accessed via very narrow and long roads and I'd hate to drive anything bigger than a VW camper down them. To go anywhere from the site, there is a long detour round, especially if heading easterly towards Lowestoft or Great Yarmouth as the River Waveney cuts you off from the coast side. It was fine for us as we were only there 3 nights, but probably a bit annoying if staying longer.

Lovely site

The site is beautiful, by a river, but a little remote. Use of pool, electric and wet rooms included in pitch fee. Staff all friendly and helpful. Swimming pool (have to book a slot) with small games room (large connect-4 and more) pub and restaurant with lovely outside seating area and good food. Big TVs. Also another games room with pool and pinball machines. Small shop with essentials. Play-park for younger children. Wet rooms are a good size and great idea, but only every other one was open (probably to save on cleaning) never queued to get in though. They could've been cleaner, make sure you take shoes to shower in (which I would advise on any camping holiday!) Site itself was lovely and clean and very peaceful. Nice for a quiet peaceful break away. We want as 2 families with older children and just enjoyed some quiet time. Nice for little ones, but obviously near lots of water.

Relaxing away from it all

Welcome was lovely. Swam every day, sometimes had the pool to myself, included in the price. Inn on site served good food and reasonably priced, even put on entertainment on Saturday evening. Watching the world / boats go by from the Marina was relaxing. Beautiful dark sky for star gazing. Only downsides were the wind (but then it is East Anglia!) and the magical mystery tour of a single track road with passing places to get there. Our highlight was meeting a fellow Bedford Rascal/Bambi Owner, so few on the road and who would have thought that 2 would turn up at the same place? Magical!

Something for everybody

Lovely setting. Needs updating in areas. More care needed on appearance for example the flower boxes were empty.

Nice site, but toilets and showers let it down

Nice location, pitches were well positioned and in a good maintained state. The cleanliness and condition of the toilets and shower facilities really let the site down. They didn't seem to be well maintained with broken toilet seats, visible mould and badly ventilated in parts, causing it to smell bad. They didn't seem to be cleaned regularly and discarded items, such as nappies and rubbish, were still there the next day. Location was beautiful, right on the river but roads to get there were single track with passing places, so not good for the nervous camper. This site is lovely but we really felt the conditions of the ablutions facilities let it down on this occasion.

Revamp needed

Lovely setting but in need of a revamp and a deep clean. Toilets and showers really poor cleanliness. Hardstanding caravan pitch was over grown with hedge, needing cutting and weeds coming through the gravel.

Long weekend away

Toilets fairly clean. Fully serviced pitch hedges need cutting back. Pitches' grey waste water had to flow uphill, so drained uphill. Then, the lane is a single track road which is very tight with bushes over hanging and scratches the caravan.

Perfect holiday

We had a brilliant holiday here for 10 days. The weather was fantastic, the staff were lovely and the facilities were excellent. The views from our caravan watching the boats go past and just relaxation. Thank you.

Site's response

Dear Sophie Many thanks for your review, we are so pleased you had a lovely stay with us! :) We look forward to hopefully welcoming you again soon. Warm Regards, The Waveney Team

Lovely quiet site, small and friendly

Great swimming pool. We have been twice now and will definitely be back. Only criticism is cobwebs and spiders in ladies' loo block, okay if you like spiders, granddaughter doesn't. Timer for lights needs to be longer before going off as in loo at night, it kept going out while in the loo. Men's and women's entrance door into loo's by caravans were rotten and need replacing. Not really complaining as we love the site, just a bit of tweaking to be done.

Site's response

Dear Shirley, many thanks for your review, we are so pleased you had a lovely stay with us! :) We are sorry to hear about the cobwebs, however unfortunately those spiders absolutely love the country side, and build their homes as quick as we remove them. We do try our best! :) We look forward to hopefully welcoming you again soon. Warm regards - The Waveney Team.

Ok but could be better

Pitches are too small for a campervan and awning. Location is remote. The access roads are really narrow so prohibit 'safe' use of a bike or a walk. There no access for a walk along the river. Says access for kayaks/canoes, which isn't really true because there's no suitable launch point. Shower block has only a couple in use at a time and most taps and shower controls leak. Also, there's no squeegees, so you end up in the previous occupants water. It's dated and needs a really good revamp.

Site's response

Many thanks for your review, Peter. We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with some aspects of your stay, we welcome all feedback to help us make improvements going forward. This is the first feedback we have received relating to the pitches being too small, therefore we are sorry you found the pitches too small, however we welcome caravans, motorhomes and campervans and guests often put up their awning too. With regards to Kayaks & Canoes, we do in fact have our own slip way for this purpose, this is located next to the ferry stop that takes guests to the other side of the river, which has a beautiful walk along the river through Carlton Marshes nature reserve, taking you into the beautiful village of Oulton Broad. We hope that we can welcome you back again, so that you can experience everything we have to offer at Waveney River Centre. Warm regards, The Waveney Team.

Caravan

Views were beautiful all round. Getting there down very very narrow country lanes with a caravan was hair-raising. No way could two large vehicles pass as there were only two ways in, maybe it could be advised at each entrance. The staff in the reception and bar were very helpful. If you take teenagers, let them know there's no internet coverage for miles but it can be paid for on site. I had a lovely few days.

Site's response

Hi Laura Many thanks for your review, we are so pleased you had a lovely stay with us! :) We look forward to hopefully welcoming you again soon. Warm Regards, The Waveney Team

Our two night stay

We stayed for two nights and was a little disappointed. Our pitch was Heron 4. Quite a heavy slope, I had to use all the ramps I had. Very dark amongst the trees, with lots of unattended pitches free but unavailable when we asked to move, without a good reason why. The electric ferry that takes you 50 yards across the river was £4 return each, but for lodge dwellers it was free.Why? And finally the showers had quite a heavy damp smell to them. This was strange for what looked like new facilities. Sorry, we won't be back.

Site's response

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Mark. We are sorry that you were disappointed with some aspects of your stay, although thank you for your feedback, this helps us to make improvements going forward. We are sorry you were unable to move to a Bittern pitch, we understand that these just look like unused empty pitches, however, we are welcoming these very soon. We do have to complete safety checks before being able to open up a pitch, so these have been underway. The safety of guests is of paramount important, therefore it would not be safe to allow guests to use an electric hook-up without the vital tests. However, we are sorry this caused disappointment. Warm regards - The Waveney Team.

Lovely site

We stayed this weekend and loved it! Such a lovely site would come back again.

Great time

We had a great time. Couldn't fault it. Everywhere was clean and well kept. Staff very helpful. Lovely setting. Thank you for all the help that was given to us setting up the internet.

Brilliant

Fantastic site, I grew up in Aldeby and spent all my time there as a kid. Now have kids of my own, so took them there for the weekend. Brilliant clean site, can't wait to come back.

Site's response

Dear David Many thanks for your review, we are so pleased you had a lovely stay with us! :) We look forward to hopefully welcoming you again soon. Warm Regards, The Waveney Team

Great weekend stay!

We have just had a lovely weekend at Waveney River Centre with stunning views of the valley. Shower blocks & toilets were exceptionally clean and tidy at all times. The club house/bar was reasonably priced and the staff were warm & welcoming. The swimming pool was an excellent addition for all the family. A superb location and would definitely stay here again.

Peaceful

Very peaceful with great views of the Waveney River. With access for paddle boarding and kayaking. Lovely meal at the Waveney Inn. Would book again.

View to the river

A wonderful quiet site with great views. Driving to the site as we are quite large was made with caution. Shame that the site seems to want to sell cabins more than take tourers. Swimming pool was a bonus.

Two night get-away

An ideal place to unwind set in beautiful surroundings. We enjoyed just sitting and watch the boats cruise by. A well maintained, clean and tidy site with good facilities. Staff friendly and helpful. Swimming pool a plus for a small fee. On-site pub serving good food. Our peaceful break was spoiled slightly by noisy late arrivals unpacking their car requiring numerous opening and closing of doors and boot and talking too loudly for 2am in the morning. Unthoughtful or just inconsiderate? A failing of some humans, not the site staff. Look forward to additional pitches re-opening as the Herons have overhanging trees and are on quite a slope. We have book-marked this site as one to return to, though maybe not in high season owing to its single track access road.

Very pleasant stay but also disappointing

We first stayed at the Waveney River Centre in June 2021, and had one of our best ever holidays. We were very much looking forward to returning and were in great anticipation of our stay there in June 2024. Unfortunately, due to a takeover, we were very disappointed, and initially wished that we hadn't returned. In 2021, the site was busy and buzzing with campers, caravanners and boat people. We hired one of the day boats that were available at the Waveney River Centre and had a truly magical day out cruising the broads with friends. It was lovely to see so many people enjoying themselves and there was a really happy, friendly atmosphere. It has beautiful views across the river and the marshes and it was a treat to watch the wildlife and also the boats coming in and out of the marina. In 2024, we couldn't hire a day boat and go out on the broads, as they have been removed. The busy marina has become a yard with boats for sale and is very quiet. Now, tents are banned, and the yurts have gone. The site is very quiet, and at one point, there was only one other touring unit on the site, which is odd. There are apparently plans to put lodges where the yurts were. That would block any views from the touring sites of the river and the landscape beyond, basically ruining the touring pitches. The men's toilets are not good - they periodically smelt unpleasant, one toilet was out of order, another toilet pan kept tipping over and in the disabled toilets, the washbasin was propped up by a plank of wood. The lights in the Ladies turned off almost immediately on entering, leaving users in the dark. It all looked very tired and run down. Previously, in the booking details was a clear instruction to use organic toilet fluid, as the septic tank relies on bacteria and is close to the waterways of the broads. Now, the only mention is a small faded sign over the actual emptying point. There were regularly traces of standard blue toilet fluid being used, which is potentially damaging. The emptying area was again very run-down and quite squalid, although there was a hand wash basin there. We had to complain about a car repeatedly being parked in front of us and blocking our view. On the plus side, the staff are pleasant and helpful, the site is kept tidy and well mown, and the pitch facilities work well. The views are still spectacular for now, and the Waveney Inn is okay, although the menu is a bit limited. We love the location, and the road to the site is okay if you have a little patience and are able to reverse your vehicle. We would love to return, but we aren't confident that touring caravans and motorhomes feature in the priorities of the new owners, although staff have assured us that they are there to stay. Sadly, we looked extensively around the area and currently this is the nicest site offering super-pitches.

Lovely view of river

The park is set on river Waveney and has picturesque views. The roads coming in to the park are very narrow and only wide enough for car and caravan. Which is the main reason that we won't be returning. Plus the gas guns that go off at 7am! However the park is in a quiet location with lovely views.

Family stay

We had an enjoyable stay at Waveney River Centre. Staff were very attentive and friendly. Food was fresh and tasty. Site was clean and tidy.

Left early

We left early due to weather, no fault of site. Nice clean site. Unfortunately there was nothing in vicinity to have run out too. The single track road is horrendous, I'm surprised other reviews haven't mentioned as the hedgerow over grown.

Our first time at the Waveney River Centre

Our first time at the Waveney River Centre on recommendation from our daughter who stays in a lodge. Lovely, cared for site. Everything you need on a touring site. Large showers, toilets, washing up room, laundry, freezer, in good order and spotless. A beautiful swimming pool. All the necessary cleaning facilities for disposing of toilet waste, rubbish and water replenishment. Perfect. The weather was terrible, still had a restful time though. Hope to return when the weather improves.

Site's response

Dear Michael, Many thanks for your review, we are so pleased you had a lovely stay with us! :) We look forward to hopefully welcoming you again soon, hopefully with better weather! Warm Regards, The Waveney Team

Beautiful site

Once found, we loved this site. Beautiful surroundings, very friendly helpful staff. Fascinating church just up the road. Convenient for where we wanted to be. Great having restaurant and bar on site. Will definitely be back.