Bishop's Stortford Golf Club

The golf course sits just outside Sawbridgeworth, a proper inland layout that's been around since the 1890s. This is a members' club, so you won't just roll up and play unless you know someone inside - worth checking their website or ringing ahead if you're keen to join or fancy a guest round.

What you get here is a well-maintained 18-hole course that doesn't shout about itself. The parkland setting is pleasant rather than spectacular, with enough trees to keep things interesting without turning it into a woodland maze. Par 70, around 6,300 yards - nothing brutal but it'll test your shot-making if the wind's up.

For golfers staying in the area, it's worth investigating. The Sawbridgeworth location means it's accessible from Essex's north without a punishing drive. If you're based at Dairymeade Farm Glamping nearby, you're within striking distance for a round.

Non-golfers won't find much here beyond a pleasant walk around the perimeter on a lucky day. This is very much a club experience - clubhouse, members' socials, that sort of thing. Allow three and a half to four hours for a full round if you do get on.

The real question is membership or guest access. Neither is guaranteed, and that's the honest truth of private clubs. Ring them first. Don't show up expecting to play.