🇬🇧 Caravan Parks In The United Kingdom | MOTORHOMEingLife

It depends on where you want to be, but a few stand out. In Cornwall, Polmanter Touring Park near St Ives is a top five-pennant site within walking distance of the beach. In the Lake District, Skelwith Fold near Ambleside sits on a wooded estate close to Windermere. On the Scottish North Coast 500, Sango Sands Oasis perches on a clifftop above a white-sand beach. Beyond individual parks, the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club run hundreds of reliable sites, and Camping in the Forest offers woodland pitches in the New Forest.

Most touring parks offer electric hook-up, usually a 10 or 16 amp connection, and many now have fully serviced pitches that add fresh water and waste drainage right at the pitch. Hardstanding pitches are common alongside grass. Full sewer hookup at the pitch is far less usual than in North America, so you will normally empty your toilet cassette at a chemical disposal point and grey water at a designated drain. Club sites and modern private parks are well equipped; smaller farm sites and Certificated Locations may offer electric only or no hookup at all.

Expect roughly £15 to £30 a night for a basic pitch, and around £30 to £45 for a fully serviced pitch with electric hook-up, showers and laundry. Premium waterside or high-demand coastal pitches can reach £50 or more, and a coastal premium of 20 to 40 percent is common in summer. Electric hook-up is sometimes included and sometimes metered at £5 to £10 a day. Members-only Certificated Locations are usually the cheapest option, often £10 to £20 a night for a quiet five-van site.

For the honeypot regions in summer, book early. Cornwall, the Lake District and the North Coast 500 routinely sell out for the late-July-to-August school holidays and for bank-holiday weekends, so reserve months ahead for those. Outside the peak, you have far more freedom: midweek pitches and shoulder-season stays in spring and September are often available at short notice. Many independent parks and Certificated Locations take first-come arrivals off-peak. Popular sites with sea views or near major attractions are the ones to lock in first.

September is the sweet spot for many caravanners: the weather is still reasonable, the crowds have gone home, prices drop, and the coast and hills look their best in golden light. Late spring, in May and early June, is the other strong window, with long days and parks freshly open after Easter. July and August bring the warmest weather but also the highest prices and the busiest sites. Winter touring is possible at open-all-year sites, but cold, wet and dark days make it a niche choice.

Yes, though it pays to check first. Caravan and Motorhome Club sites and modern private parks are built for big rigs, with hardstanding pitches, generous spacing and easy access roads, and they handle large motorhomes and twin-axle caravans comfortably. The cautions are the journey rather than the site: many rural parks sit down narrow lanes with tight gateways, low bridges and weight limits, which suit smaller outfits better. Read each park access notes, plan your route on main roads where you can, and use a caravan-aware sat nav to avoid unsuitable lanes.

Mostly no, with one important exception. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there is no general right to wild camp or to park a motorhome overnight on the road without the landowner permission, and many coastal and town car parks ban overnight stays. Scotland is different: the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives a right of responsible access that allows lightweight, non-motorised wild camping. That right does not extend to parking a motorhome anywhere overnight, so on the NC500 use proper sites, aires and laybys where permitted, and never block passing places.

A Certificated Location, or CL, is a small, privately owned site for up to five caravans or motorhomes, exclusive to members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club. The Camping and Caravanning Club runs an equivalent called a Certificated Site, or CS. There are well over two thousand CLs across the UK, often on farms, in orchards or behind country pubs, and more than eight in ten have electric hook-up. They trade big-site facilities for peace, space and a rural setting, usually at a lower nightly price, which makes them a favourite for travellers who want quiet over swimming pools.

You do not need to, but most regular tourers join at least one. The two big clubs, the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club, run hundreds of their own well-maintained sites and unlock thousands of members-only Certificated Locations and Certificated Sites that you cannot otherwise book. Membership also brings discounts, touring advice and overseas booking services, and the savings usually outweigh the annual fee within a season. Plenty of independent parks and holiday-park groups like Haven and Parkdean welcome non-members too, so you can tour without a card if you prefer.

Many close, but a useful number stay open. The bulk of touring parks shut from around the end of October to March because demand is low and the weather is poor. However, the Caravan and Motorhome Club maintains a network of open-all-year sites, a good many independent parks stay open, and holiday-park groups run festive and winter breaks. If you tour in winter, expect frost, the occasional snow spell in the north, short daylight and the need for proper cold-weather kit, including a heater and steps that cope with mud. Always confirm opening dates before you travel.

Generally yes. The UK is a nation of dog lovers, and most touring parks welcome dogs, often with on-site walking areas and easy access to footpaths, beaches and the countryside. Rules still vary: some parks limit the number of dogs per pitch, ask that they are kept on a lead, or restrict certain breeds, and a few holiday parks keep dog-free areas. Many beaches have seasonal dog bans in summer. Check each park policy when you book, carry waste bags, and never leave a dog alone in a caravan or motorhome in warm weather.

The motorway and main A-road network is good and well suited to towing and to motorhomes: the M5 and A30 funnel down to the South West, the M6 and A9 head north to the Lakes and Highlands, and the M4 runs into Wales. The cautions are local. Country lanes can be very narrow with tight bends, low railway and stone bridges, and weight limits, so use a caravan-aware sat nav and plan routes on bigger roads. In London, the ULEZ charges older diesel motorhomes, and some city centres restrict access, so check before you drive in.

It depends on where you want to be, but a few stand out. In Cornwall, Polmanter Touring Park near St Ives is a top five-pennant site within walking distance of the beach. In the Lake District, Skelwith Fold near Ambleside sits on a wooded estate close to Windermere. On the Scottish North Coast 500, Sango Sands Oasis perches on a clifftop above a white-sand beach. Beyond individual parks, the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club run hundreds of reliable sites, and Camping in the Forest offers woodland pitches in the New Forest.

Most touring parks offer electric hook-up, usually a 10 or 16 amp connection, and many now have fully serviced pitches that add fresh water and waste drainage right at the pitch. Hardstanding pitches are common alongside grass. Full sewer hookup at the pitch is far less usual than in North America, so you will normally empty your toilet cassette at a chemical disposal point and grey water at a designated drain. Club sites and modern private parks are well equipped; smaller farm sites and Certificated Locations may offer electric only or no hookup at all.

Expect roughly £15 to £30 a night for a basic pitch, and around £30 to £45 for a fully serviced pitch with electric hook-up, showers and laundry. Premium waterside or high-demand coastal pitches can reach £50 or more, and a coastal premium of 20 to 40 percent is common in summer. Electric hook-up is sometimes included and sometimes metered at £5 to £10 a day. Members-only Certificated Locations are usually the cheapest option, often £10 to £20 a night for a quiet five-van site.

For the honeypot regions in summer, book early. Cornwall, the Lake District and the North Coast 500 routinely sell out for the late-July-to-August school holidays and for bank-holiday weekends, so reserve months ahead for those. Outside the peak, you have far more freedom: midweek pitches and shoulder-season stays in spring and September are often available at short notice. Many independent parks and Certificated Locations take first-come arrivals off-peak. Popular sites with sea views or near major attractions are the ones to lock in first.

September is the sweet spot for many caravanners: the weather is still reasonable, the crowds have gone home, prices drop, and the coast and hills look their best in golden light. Late spring, in May and early June, is the other strong window, with long days and parks freshly open after Easter. July and August bring the warmest weather but also the highest prices and the busiest sites. Winter touring is possible at open-all-year sites, but cold, wet and dark days make it a niche choice.

Yes, though it pays to check first. Caravan and Motorhome Club sites and modern private parks are built for big rigs, with hardstanding pitches, generous spacing and easy access roads, and they handle large motorhomes and twin-axle caravans comfortably. The cautions are the journey rather than the site: many rural parks sit down narrow lanes with tight gateways, low bridges and weight limits, which suit smaller outfits better. Read each park access notes, plan your route on main roads where you can, and use a caravan-aware sat nav to avoid unsuitable lanes.

Mostly no, with one important exception. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there is no general right to wild camp or to park a motorhome overnight on the road without the landowner permission, and many coastal and town car parks ban overnight stays. Scotland is different: the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives a right of responsible access that allows lightweight, non-motorised wild camping. That right does not extend to parking a motorhome anywhere overnight, so on the NC500 use proper sites, aires and laybys where permitted, and never block passing places.

A Certificated Location, or CL, is a small, privately owned site for up to five caravans or motorhomes, exclusive to members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club. The Camping and Caravanning Club runs an equivalent called a Certificated Site, or CS. There are well over two thousand CLs across the UK, often on farms, in orchards or behind country pubs, and more than eight in ten have electric hook-up. They trade big-site facilities for peace, space and a rural setting, usually at a lower nightly price, which makes them a favourite for travellers who want quiet over swimming pools.

You do not need to, but most regular tourers join at least one. The two big clubs, the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club, run hundreds of their own well-maintained sites and unlock thousands of members-only Certificated Locations and Certificated Sites that you cannot otherwise book. Membership also brings discounts, touring advice and overseas booking services, and the savings usually outweigh the annual fee within a season. Plenty of independent parks and holiday-park groups like Haven and Parkdean welcome non-members too, so you can tour without a card if you prefer.

Many close, but a useful number stay open. The bulk of touring parks shut from around the end of October to March because demand is low and the weather is poor. However, the Caravan and Motorhome Club maintains a network of open-all-year sites, a good many independent parks stay open, and holiday-park groups run festive and winter breaks. If you tour in winter, expect frost, the occasional snow spell in the north, short daylight and the need for proper cold-weather kit, including a heater and steps that cope with mud. Always confirm opening dates before you travel.

Generally yes. The UK is a nation of dog lovers, and most touring parks welcome dogs, often with on-site walking areas and easy access to footpaths, beaches and the countryside. Rules still vary: some parks limit the number of dogs per pitch, ask that they are kept on a lead, or restrict certain breeds, and a few holiday parks keep dog-free areas. Many beaches have seasonal dog bans in summer. Check each park policy when you book, carry waste bags, and never leave a dog alone in a caravan or motorhome in warm weather.

The motorway and main A-road network is good and well suited to towing and to motorhomes: the M5 and A30 funnel down to the South West, the M6 and A9 head north to the Lakes and Highlands, and the M4 runs into Wales. The cautions are local. Country lanes can be very narrow with tight bends, low railway and stone bridges, and weight limits, so use a caravan-aware sat nav and plan routes on bigger roads. In London, the ULEZ charges older diesel motorhomes, and some city centres restrict access, so check before you drive in.

The highest-rated is AV Boats CDP and Water with a rating of 5.0/5 stars.