Choosing UK campsites

[DarcyP]

Hi - I’ve just started touring around the UK in my Cali and would love to know how you all choose campsites - any good websites or forums? I tend to pick an area then move around every couple of nights so last minute booking essential for me! Finding a lot of campsites are caravans and would love to meet up with all your other Cali drivers I see on the roads but haven’t yet found on a site.
Thanks in advance

 

[Meoncoast]

since COVID we changed our head off and find somewhere on a trip to book before we go given the Great British staycation & fully booked sites.

 

[The Pox]

Hi - I’ve just started touring around the UK in my Cali and would love to know how you all choose campsites - any good websites or forums? I tend to pick an area then move around every couple of nights so last minute booking essential for me! Finding a lot of campsites are caravans and would love to meet up with all your other Cali drivers I see on the roads but haven’t yet found on a site.
Thanks in advance

Join the Camping and Caravan Club or the Caravan and Motorhome Club or even better both. Check out Pitchup.com. That is a good start. Eventually you will have your own list of favourites.

 

[Ladymuck]

I'm struggling with finding camp sites I like, the club ones are very civilised which I like but expensive, the ones I booked were £40 a night, even with being a member ! and I don't like camping on the gravel amongst a sea of caravans and motorhomes. On the other hand cheaper sites like those attached to pubs have no or limited facilities. It's hard to find a happy medium but pitch.com is a good place to start...

 

[The Pox]

I'm struggling with finding camp sites I like, the club ones are very civilised which I like but expensive, the ones I booked were £40 a night, even with being a member ! and I don't like camping on the gravel amongst a sea of caravans and motorhomes. On the other hand cheaper sites like those attached to pubs have no or limited facilities. It's hard to find a happy medium but pitch.com is a good place to start...

Don't forget the CL and CS sites, there are some very good ones.

 

[TheDoc]

I’m slightly biased, being buddies with the owner, but Pitchup.com is a great resource.

 

[Baldrick]

When it was really busy in the summer we struggled to find a pitch from SearchForSites at short notice, but found lots of extra options from

The UK Camp Site for Tent and Caravan Campers in the UK with over 250,000 campsite reviews

12,000 UK campsites and caravan sites with over 250,000 campsite reviews in the UK and France and Europe on the Camping and Caravanning Website. Plus For sale adverts, forums, weather forecast, camping articles and loads more

www.ukcampsite.co.uk

which will investigate some more going forward. There’s a lot of reading to be done to get what you’re after on each new area travelled but word of mouth and reading recommendations & ratings has worked for us so far. The only thing we’ve not found is ‘great places to walk a dog from the door’ though appreciate I’m straying off topic - best of luck with those extra options, hope you find sites you like

 

[Marc Oldman]

The app Searchforsites is the most comprehensive I’ve used. I’ve never stayed anywhere in the UK or Europe that’s not had a listing. It’s perfect for last minute / location based searches to see what’s in the vicinity before using other resources to home in on what’s available / best suits your needs. There’s a small charge for the full app, but it’s well worth it.

 

[GrannyJen]

Agree with @Marc that searchforsites is really as comprehensive as it gets.

I also have the rather expensive but essential Britstops book in my van. Not all Britstops are on SfS. Apart from anything else it's good reading material and the FB page can be good for inspiration on where to just head off to on the spur of the moment.

 

[66tim99]

CL and CS?

 

[GrannyJen]

CL and CS?

Both are sites certified by the two clubs, CL = CAMC and CS = CCC. Limited to five units and must offer a minimum of fresh water supply, chemical disposal point and grey water disposal.

Some offer as much as fully serviced campsites. A huge selection, around 2,400 CL's and 2,000 CS's.

 

[Tapnstrum]

Hi - I’ve just started touring around the UK in my Cali and would love to know how you all choose campsites - any good websites or forums? I tend to pick an area then move around every couple of nights so last minute booking essential for me! Finding a lot of campsites are caravans and would love to meet up with all your other Cali drivers I see on the roads but haven’t yet found on a site.
Thanks in advance

 

[Jonney]

We really struggle with the formality of the club sites when we are in the UK. Cool camping website always seems to have some really nice places to camp. You can filter on allowing camper vans.

we also just use Google maps, pick a place you want to go zoom in a bit, and search campsite.

I tend to use this method to get away from camping away from busy roads or next to rivers, or if we fancy camping in walking distance from a nice town.

 

[Tapnstrum]

I have just discovered “nearly wild camping” it looks like a good alternative for those who don’t like the regimented look of some larger campsites. https://nearlywildcamping.org/

 

[Mr B]

Try Pitchup - https://www.pitchup.com/

You can literally filter for anything thats in your preference. Found some great sites through this site and really good value ones too.

Can't stomach the 'clubs'... Too many great whites. Oh and don't forget officious Wa*****.... yep you guessed it Wardens

 

[Elly Swanson]

Uk campsites.co.uk Always go there to read the reviews and get an idea about a site. Has a text and map search and lots of filters.

 

[trev0rk]

https://park4night.com/ - offers a range of options (free and payable).
I find it a good site to narrow down the options in an area.

 

[BeeBee]

We just Google an area and then look at nearby camp sites.and reviews. Pitch up is a pretty useful site, but we mostly know the ‘kind of site’ we’re looking for … small, not lots of kids, so family sites are normally ‘out’ during school holidays. We made the mistake this year of going to Glenmore ( Loch Morlich) in August whilst English schools were still on break…. Never again !
I guess though the Pandemic has compounded the numbers this year so hopefully soon they will be back to ‘reasonable’.

 

[pjm-84]

Just come back from CC&C site in Sandringham. Very nice break and 4 nights with electric was £106

 

[The Merle]

I'm struggling with finding camp sites I like, the club ones are very civilised which I like but expensive, the ones I booked were £40 a night, even with being a member ! and I don't like camping on the gravel amongst a sea of caravans and motorhomes. On the other hand cheaper sites like those attached to pubs have no or limited facilities. It's hard to find a happy medium but pitch.com is a good place to start...

I’m not a massive fan of campsite in the uk, but the camping in the forest ones are good. New forest ones are very basic, but Glenmore in Scotland is very nice has open fields for the caravans or you can park in the forest area to escape that and feels like you are stealth camping.

 

[The Merle]

We just Google an area and then look at nearby camp sites.and reviews. Pitch up is a pretty useful site, but we mostly know the ‘kind of site’ we’re looking for … small, not lots of kids, so family sites are normally ‘out’ during school holidays. We made the mistake this year of going to Glenmore ( Loch Morlich) in August whilst English schools were still on break…. Never again !
I guess though the Pandemic has compounded the numbers this year so hopefully soon they will be back to ‘reasonable’.

Was the forest area full as that part is normally a lot quieter.

 

[briwy]

Archies is a good resource as well and you can downlaod the POIs for a satnav.

This domain name is registered with Netim

 

[willwander]

Pitchup is ok, but sites seem expensive.
Searchforsites, has been good.
We don’t really like formal ‘club’ sites either, for us the perfect site is an empty farmers field, although booking online can be really convenient, but we have found some of our favourite sites the old fashioned way by phoning lots and lots of the smaller ones.