Caravan Parks In County Londonderry | MOTORHOMEingLife

The best bases sit on the Causeway Coast and the rivers. The Benone Tourist Complex is right beside the Blue Flag Benone Strand near Limavady, a council-run park with electric-hook-up pitches and a splash park, a favourite family beach base. Juniper Hill Caravan Park on the edge of Portstewart is within walking distance of the town and the strand. In Coleraine, the Marina Caravan Park beside the River Bann gives a central base for the whole coast, and Drumaheglis Marina and Caravan Park on the Lower Bann adds a green, riverside alternative with watersports. Which suits you depends on whether you want to camp right on the Atlantic strands or prefer a quieter riverside setting with the coast a short drive away.

Yes. The main parks offer touring pitches with electric hook-up on a mix of hardstanding and grass. The Benone Tourist Complex and Juniper Hill Caravan Park have hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up near the beaches, and the Marina Caravan Park in Coleraine and Drumaheglis on the Lower Bann have riverside pitches with electric hook-up. All the main sites have a motorhome service point and chemical disposal for emptying and refilling. Several are council-run, which keeps facilities consistent. If you want a hardstanding electric pitch, useful for a larger outfit or in the wet Atlantic weather, ask when you book, as they are the most popular and go first in peak season, especially at the beach-side sites in July and August.

Camping here is mostly at private and council-run parks rather than free wild camping. Several of the best sites, including the Benone Tourist Complex, Juniper Hill and Drumaheglis, are run by the local council, which is the nearest thing to a public option and keeps standards and prices fair. Beach car-park overnighting is discouraged and often signed against along the Causeway Coast, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so free wild camping on the coast is not really an option. The practical and legal route is to use the cluster of caravan parks around Coleraine, Portstewart, Benone and the River Bann. The Sperrin Mountains inland have their own open-country access if you want to walk in and explore the uplands.

Late May through September gives the mildest weather and the best beach conditions, but July and August are the busiest, so book electric-hook-up pitches ahead at Benone and Portstewart and expect the strands to fill on hot weekends. June and September are quieter and often just as bright, with warm sea into early autumn and long northern daylight, making them the sweet spot. Spring is fresh and good for the Causeway Coast and the Sperrins before the crowds. Winter is cool, wet and windy with Atlantic weather, and many touring parks close, so ring ahead. Whenever you come, the Derry city walls and museums give a good wet-weather day, so the county works even when the coast turns blustery.

Yes, and it is fairly easy touring. The upgraded A6 links Derry, Dungiven and Belfast with dual-carriageway sections that any large outfit handles, and the A2 and A37 tie the coast together for good big-rig access to Coleraine, Portstewart and Benone. Parks like the Benone Tourist Complex and the Marina Caravan Park have hardstanding pitches suited to larger rigs. The catch is the narrow lanes down to the Benone and Downhill strands and the climbing roads up into the Sperrin Mountains, so keep a big outfit on the main roads and scout the final approach to any park. Sort fuel and LPG in Derry, Coleraine or Limavady, and if you are coming from Britain, plan the ferry and the drive so you arrive in daylight.

Use the caravan parks. Sites like the Benone Tourist Complex, Juniper Hill Caravan Park, the Marina Caravan Park in Coleraine and Drumaheglis on the Lower Bann have motorhome service points with chemical disposal for your toilet cassette, grey-water disposal and fresh-water taps. Empty and refill there rather than at beach or town car parks, which are not designed for it and where overnighting and servicing are discouraged to protect the Causeway Coast AONB. Derry, Coleraine and Limavady are your main resupply hubs for fresh water, fuel and food before touring the quieter Sperrin roads and coast lanes. Travel with reasonable tank capacity, service whenever you are on a park with facilities, and never tip waste near the dunes, the strands or the rivers.

Plenty, split between coast, city and mountains. The Causeway Coast gives huge Atlantic strands at Benone, Downhill and Portstewart, dunes, cliffs and the National Trust's Mussenden Temple perched above the sea, with the Giant's Causeway a short drive east. The walled city of Derry adds a full circuit of 17th-century walls, the Bogside murals, the Peace Bridge and its museums, an easy day out along the A6. Inland, the Sperrin Mountains offer quiet upland walking, cycling and gold-mining heritage away from the crowds. Between them you get golf, surfing, coast-path walking and long light evenings on the beach in summer. It is a proper mixed break, with beaches, history and hills all within reach of one pitch.

For July, August and the school holidays, book electric-hook-up pitches several weeks ahead, because the Causeway Coast parks near Benone and Portstewart fill quickly and are the first to sell out. The Benone Tourist Complex and Juniper Hill Caravan Park are especially popular in summer, as are the hardstanding pitches. June and September are easier, and you can sometimes get a few days' notice midweek, but ringing ahead always saves a wasted drive, particularly if you have taken a ferry to get here. The river sites like Drumaheglis and the Marina Caravan Park are a little easier to get into than the busiest beach-side parks. If a specific site or pitch type matters, reserve early and mention your needs when you book.

Very much so, and they are a big reason families choose the county. The Benone Strand near Limavady is a seven-mile Blue Flag beach with clean sand and a splash park at the adjacent tourist complex, and Portstewart Strand is another huge sandy beach within walking distance of Juniper Hill Caravan Park. There is space to build sandcastles, walk the dunes, surf and paddle, with long northern daylight giving late beach evenings in summer. Do watch the tides and Atlantic currents, which can be strong, keep an eye on children near the water, and check for lifeguard cover in the main season, as not every stretch is patrolled. The clifftop Mussenden Temple and the National Trust coast add great, safe family walks away from the surf.

The county has a mild, breezy maritime climate cooled by the north Atlantic. Summer highs sit around 18°C with cool nights near 11°C, fresher on the coast than inland but with long northern daylight giving late, bright evenings on the strands. Spring and autumn are fresh, in the low teens by day, with warm sea lingering into early autumn. Winter is cool at about 8°C, wet and windy, with Atlantic weather off the north coast the main feature rather than hard frost. The constant is wind on the exposed strands, where pitches can be gusty and storms roll in off the ocean, so choose hardstanding and sheltered pitches when weather threatens, peg awnings firmly, and pack proper waterproofs whatever the season.

Yes, and it is one of the highlights. The walled city of Derry sits in the west of the county on the River Foyle, an easy day out along the upgraded A6 from the coastal and river parks. It has a complete circuit of 17th-century city walls you can walk, the famous Bogside murals, the Peace Bridge across the Foyle, and museums that tell the city's long and often difficult history. Rather than drive a big outfit into the centre, leave it on the park and drive in a smaller vehicle, or base near Coleraine and take the train part of the way. The city makes an excellent wet-weather day when the coast turns blustery, combining history, culture and good places to eat within the old walls.

If you are travelling from Great Britain, yes. County Londonderry is in Northern Ireland, so you bring the outfit over on a car ferry, typically into Belfast or Larne from Cairnryan in Scotland, or into Belfast from Liverpool, then drive north-west on the A6 and A2 to the county, around one and a half to two hours from Belfast. Alternatively you can sail to the Republic of Ireland and drive up. The ferry is the biggest single cost and the main thing to plan, so book it ahead, especially in summer, and time the crossing and drive so you arrive at your park in daylight. Once you are in Northern Ireland there is no further sea crossing, and the roads to the Causeway Coast are good.

Generally yes, and it is a dog-friendly county. Most touring parks welcome well-behaved dogs kept on leads, and the Causeway Coast strands, the National Trust coast and the Sperrin walks are all great for dog walking, though some popular beaches have seasonal dog restrictions between roughly May and September, so check the signs. The council-run parks like Benone and Juniper Hill are used to visitors arriving with dogs. Always confirm the policy and any limit on numbers when you book, keep dogs under close control near ground-nesting birds on the dunes and livestock in the hills, watch the strong Atlantic tides, and bring waste bags. With a little planning it is an easy and rewarding region to tour with a dog.

The best bases sit on the Causeway Coast and the rivers. The Benone Tourist Complex is right beside the Blue Flag Benone Strand near Limavady, a council-run park with electric-hook-up pitches and a splash park, a favourite family beach base. Juniper Hill Caravan Park on the edge of Portstewart is within walking distance of the town and the strand. In Coleraine, the Marina Caravan Park beside the River Bann gives a central base for the whole coast, and Drumaheglis Marina and Caravan Park on the Lower Bann adds a green, riverside alternative with watersports. Which suits you depends on whether you want to camp right on the Atlantic strands or prefer a quieter riverside setting with the coast a short drive away.

Yes. The main parks offer touring pitches with electric hook-up on a mix of hardstanding and grass. The Benone Tourist Complex and Juniper Hill Caravan Park have hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up near the beaches, and the Marina Caravan Park in Coleraine and Drumaheglis on the Lower Bann have riverside pitches with electric hook-up. All the main sites have a motorhome service point and chemical disposal for emptying and refilling. Several are council-run, which keeps facilities consistent. If you want a hardstanding electric pitch, useful for a larger outfit or in the wet Atlantic weather, ask when you book, as they are the most popular and go first in peak season, especially at the beach-side sites in July and August.

Camping here is mostly at private and council-run parks rather than free wild camping. Several of the best sites, including the Benone Tourist Complex, Juniper Hill and Drumaheglis, are run by the local council, which is the nearest thing to a public option and keeps standards and prices fair. Beach car-park overnighting is discouraged and often signed against along the Causeway Coast, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so free wild camping on the coast is not really an option. The practical and legal route is to use the cluster of caravan parks around Coleraine, Portstewart, Benone and the River Bann. The Sperrin Mountains inland have their own open-country access if you want to walk in and explore the uplands.

Late May through September gives the mildest weather and the best beach conditions, but July and August are the busiest, so book electric-hook-up pitches ahead at Benone and Portstewart and expect the strands to fill on hot weekends. June and September are quieter and often just as bright, with warm sea into early autumn and long northern daylight, making them the sweet spot. Spring is fresh and good for the Causeway Coast and the Sperrins before the crowds. Winter is cool, wet and windy with Atlantic weather, and many touring parks close, so ring ahead. Whenever you come, the Derry city walls and museums give a good wet-weather day, so the county works even when the coast turns blustery.

Yes, and it is fairly easy touring. The upgraded A6 links Derry, Dungiven and Belfast with dual-carriageway sections that any large outfit handles, and the A2 and A37 tie the coast together for good big-rig access to Coleraine, Portstewart and Benone. Parks like the Benone Tourist Complex and the Marina Caravan Park have hardstanding pitches suited to larger rigs. The catch is the narrow lanes down to the Benone and Downhill strands and the climbing roads up into the Sperrin Mountains, so keep a big outfit on the main roads and scout the final approach to any park. Sort fuel and LPG in Derry, Coleraine or Limavady, and if you are coming from Britain, plan the ferry and the drive so you arrive in daylight.

Use the caravan parks. Sites like the Benone Tourist Complex, Juniper Hill Caravan Park, the Marina Caravan Park in Coleraine and Drumaheglis on the Lower Bann have motorhome service points with chemical disposal for your toilet cassette, grey-water disposal and fresh-water taps. Empty and refill there rather than at beach or town car parks, which are not designed for it and where overnighting and servicing are discouraged to protect the Causeway Coast AONB. Derry, Coleraine and Limavady are your main resupply hubs for fresh water, fuel and food before touring the quieter Sperrin roads and coast lanes. Travel with reasonable tank capacity, service whenever you are on a park with facilities, and never tip waste near the dunes, the strands or the rivers.

Plenty, split between coast, city and mountains. The Causeway Coast gives huge Atlantic strands at Benone, Downhill and Portstewart, dunes, cliffs and the National Trust's Mussenden Temple perched above the sea, with the Giant's Causeway a short drive east. The walled city of Derry adds a full circuit of 17th-century walls, the Bogside murals, the Peace Bridge and its museums, an easy day out along the A6. Inland, the Sperrin Mountains offer quiet upland walking, cycling and gold-mining heritage away from the crowds. Between them you get golf, surfing, coast-path walking and long light evenings on the beach in summer. It is a proper mixed break, with beaches, history and hills all within reach of one pitch.

For July, August and the school holidays, book electric-hook-up pitches several weeks ahead, because the Causeway Coast parks near Benone and Portstewart fill quickly and are the first to sell out. The Benone Tourist Complex and Juniper Hill Caravan Park are especially popular in summer, as are the hardstanding pitches. June and September are easier, and you can sometimes get a few days' notice midweek, but ringing ahead always saves a wasted drive, particularly if you have taken a ferry to get here. The river sites like Drumaheglis and the Marina Caravan Park are a little easier to get into than the busiest beach-side parks. If a specific site or pitch type matters, reserve early and mention your needs when you book.

Very much so, and they are a big reason families choose the county. The Benone Strand near Limavady is a seven-mile Blue Flag beach with clean sand and a splash park at the adjacent tourist complex, and Portstewart Strand is another huge sandy beach within walking distance of Juniper Hill Caravan Park. There is space to build sandcastles, walk the dunes, surf and paddle, with long northern daylight giving late beach evenings in summer. Do watch the tides and Atlantic currents, which can be strong, keep an eye on children near the water, and check for lifeguard cover in the main season, as not every stretch is patrolled. The clifftop Mussenden Temple and the National Trust coast add great, safe family walks away from the surf.

The county has a mild, breezy maritime climate cooled by the north Atlantic. Summer highs sit around 18°C with cool nights near 11°C, fresher on the coast than inland but with long northern daylight giving late, bright evenings on the strands. Spring and autumn are fresh, in the low teens by day, with warm sea lingering into early autumn. Winter is cool at about 8°C, wet and windy, with Atlantic weather off the north coast the main feature rather than hard frost. The constant is wind on the exposed strands, where pitches can be gusty and storms roll in off the ocean, so choose hardstanding and sheltered pitches when weather threatens, peg awnings firmly, and pack proper waterproofs whatever the season.

Yes, and it is one of the highlights. The walled city of Derry sits in the west of the county on the River Foyle, an easy day out along the upgraded A6 from the coastal and river parks. It has a complete circuit of 17th-century city walls you can walk, the famous Bogside murals, the Peace Bridge across the Foyle, and museums that tell the city's long and often difficult history. Rather than drive a big outfit into the centre, leave it on the park and drive in a smaller vehicle, or base near Coleraine and take the train part of the way. The city makes an excellent wet-weather day when the coast turns blustery, combining history, culture and good places to eat within the old walls.

If you are travelling from Great Britain, yes. County Londonderry is in Northern Ireland, so you bring the outfit over on a car ferry, typically into Belfast or Larne from Cairnryan in Scotland, or into Belfast from Liverpool, then drive north-west on the A6 and A2 to the county, around one and a half to two hours from Belfast. Alternatively you can sail to the Republic of Ireland and drive up. The ferry is the biggest single cost and the main thing to plan, so book it ahead, especially in summer, and time the crossing and drive so you arrive at your park in daylight. Once you are in Northern Ireland there is no further sea crossing, and the roads to the Causeway Coast are good.

Generally yes, and it is a dog-friendly county. Most touring parks welcome well-behaved dogs kept on leads, and the Causeway Coast strands, the National Trust coast and the Sperrin walks are all great for dog walking, though some popular beaches have seasonal dog restrictions between roughly May and September, so check the signs. The council-run parks like Benone and Juniper Hill are used to visitors arriving with dogs. Always confirm the policy and any limit on numbers when you book, keep dogs under close control near ground-nesting birds on the dunes and livestock in the hills, watch the strong Atlantic tides, and bring waste bags. With a little planning it is an easy and rewarding region to tour with a dog.