Spring is only around the corner now, with many families and couples sure to usher in the new season by going camping in order to get away from their busy lifestyles. To make sure you enjoy a staycation to remember for all the right reasons, camping gas bottles stockist Flogas has compiled their list of the best campsites to visit in the UK in 2018:
Aberafon
Open from: Between Easter and September
Address: Gyrn Goch, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL54 5PN
Phone number: 01286 660295
You can’t complain with the fascinating location that Aberafon is based within. This is because you will find a scenic, private sandy beach on one side of the site and the mountains of the Llyn Peninsula in the other direction.
If you like extreme sports, also take note that canoeing downstream and paragliding can both be enjoyed around Aberafon campsite’s surroundings. The nearby Glas Fryn Park sports facility even accommodates wakeboarding lessons too!
Eye-catching amenities:
Campervans permitted | Children’s playground on site | Dog friendly | Waterside campsite
Size of the campsite: Pitches for 65 tens and tourers.
For more information: http://www.maelor.demon.co.uk/aberafon.html
Baysbrown Farm
Open from: Between March and October
Address: Great Langdale, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 9JZ
Phone number: 01539 437150
In the middle of an 800-acre farm, you’ll find the Baysbrown Farm campsite. It also lies underneath the rocks which make up Bowfell, Crinkle Crags and the Langdale Pikes — three sights which should already be making up your list of places to visit whilst here.
Don’t worry about booking a designated pitch at Baysbrown Farm. Instead, you get to choose the spot that appeals most to you and then visit the nearby farmhouse to let them know about your arrival.
Eye-catching amenities:
Caravans & campervans permitted | Remote location | Forests & mountains nearby
Size of the campsite: Around 200 pitches, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information: http://www.baysbrownfarmcampsite.co.uk/
Cleadale Campsite
Open from: Between March and October
Address: Cleadale Campsite, 13 Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Scotland PH42 4RL
Phone number: 01687482480
Let’s begin by pointing out that well-loved author JRR Tolkien spent some of his holidays at the Cleadale Campsite. Inspiration for the fantasy landscapes that he created in such well-loved series as The Lord of the Rings can certainly be seen all around the site, from the imposing mountains of Rum that serves as a stunning backdrop, to its grassy vantage point that looks out towards the sea.
There’s more amazing sights waiting to be seen when journeying to reach the Isle of Eigg which the Cleadale Campsite is based on. In fact, it’s not uncommon for dolphins, minke whales and an orca to all be spotted during the ferry crossing.
Eye-catching amenities:
Dog friendly | Wi-Fi available on site | Remote location
Size of the campsite: Pitches for 10 tents.
For more information: http://www.eiggorganics.co.uk/index.html
Deepdale Backpackers & Camping
Open from: All year round
Address: Deepdale Farm, Burnham Deepdale, North Norfolk Coast, PE31 8DD
Phone number: 01485 210256
You will be wanting to keep your fingers crossed that you get to stay in one of the tipis based at the Deepdale Backpackers & Camping campsite. As well as being well-maintained, each tipi comes with a stove — perfect for heating — as well as comfy faux fur-clad mattresses, a barbecue and a lantern.
There’s so much more to enjoy once you’ve got your sleeping arrangements sorted too. Why not take up one of the cookery classes which sees meals being prepared using local produce? Or enjoy some stargazing once the sun goes down.
Eye-catching amenities:
Campfires permitted | Campervans permitted | Short walk to a nearby pub
Size of the campsite: 75 grass camping pitches, as well as 7 hard-standing, fully serviced pitches.
For more information: https://www.deepdalebackpackers.co.uk/
Gimme Shelter
Open from: All year round
Address: 2 Dales Farm Cottage, Duloch, Nr Dunfermline, Fife KY11 7HR
Phone number: 01383 417 681
One of the main appealing factors with the Gimme Shelter campsite is how environmentally friendly its design is. You won’t find any showers or access to hot water at this site, while the toilets are of a sawdust-composting style.
It’s not like you’re being invited into an experience akin to I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here though. Everything at this campsite — based in the meadows and hills, just a few miles away from the Forth Bridge — is self built and sublimely improvised. Just wait until you’re feeling at your calmest around a campfire that is set amid rich woodland and playing host to fantastically designed hand-carved wooden furniture.
Eye-catching amenities:
Campfires permitted | Woodland camping | Forests nearby
Size of the campsite: No size given, as the site consists of a campsite and a holiday cottage.
For more information: https://coolcamping.com/campsites/uk/scotland/near-edinburgh/fife/1094-gimme-shelter-campsite-and-holiday-cottage
Hooks House Farm
Open from: Between March and October
Address: Whitby Road, Robin Hoods Bay, North Yorkshire YO22 4PE
Phone number: 01947 880283
Thanks to it being based on a hill away from the town near to Robin Hood’s Bay, you’re guaranteed amazing views from the moment you arrive at Hooks House Farm. Therefore, you will be able to relax on a grassy field and choose to look out to sea, along the neighbouring fields, woods, rolling hills or moors.
Feeling adventurous and wanting to explore once you’ve set up camp? It is advised that you take up the challenge of the coast-to-coast walk that will take in the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and parts of the Lake District.
Eye-catching amenities:
Caravans & campervans permitted | Dog friendly | Electrical hook-ups
Size of the campsite: Pitches for 50 tents and 20 caravans or campervans.
For more information: https://www.hookshousefarm.co.uk/
Lee Valley Almost Wild Campsite
Open from: Infrequent dates, though mainly weekends between March and September
Address: Nazeing New Road, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire EN10 6TD
Phone number: 03000 030 632
As the name of the campsite hints at, the Lee Valley Almost Wild Campsite can be found just off the River Lee. However, it is hidden within a collection of ash and birch trees.
After finding the campsite, what you decide to do next is up to you. You can choose to take a walk or cycle along from Stratford to the Olympic Park, for instance, try your hand at some canoeing or simply relax on hammocks that swing from the trees at the site.
Eye-catching amenities:
Campfires permitted | Dog friendly | Waterside campsite | Woodland camping
Size of the campsite: 17 pitches altogether, which includes 12 riverside and 5 woodland glades.
For more information: https://www.visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/where-to-stay-and-short-breaks/lee-valley-almost-wild-campsit/
Ninham Country Holidays
Open from: Between May and September (though ‘Willow Brook’ camping area is only open between July and August).
Address: Ninham Farm, Shanklin, Isle of Wight
Phone number: 01983 864243
Where better to start explaining the Ninham Country Holidays campsite than to point out that it’s located in the ‘Garden Isle’ part of Isle of Wight, to the south-east of the island?
How will you set up camp here though? Do you choose to pitch up in the ‘Orchard’ fields with its ultra-modern eco-facilities and both solar and rainwater-harvesting tech, or select a spot on the ‘Willow Brook’ field with its more basic facilities but which are still very functional and well kept? Whichever option you go with, you’re guaranteed to make so many wonderful memories at this family-run and award-winning campsite.
Eye-catching amenities:
Caravans & campervans permitted | Children’s playground on site | Disabled facilities | Dog friendly | Swimming pool on site
Size of the campsite: Pitches for 140 tents in the ‘Orchard’ camping area, as well as pitches for 80 tents in the ‘Willow Brook’ camping area (though only between July and August).
For more information: https://www.ninham-holidays.co.uk/
Pleasant Streams Farm
Open from: Between Easter and September
Address: Pleasant Stream Barn, Lower Sticker, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 7JL
Phone number: 01726 74837
Pleasant Streams Farm can be found just next to a lake in a rural stretch of Cornwall. It also plays host to an entertaining summerhouse that’s filled with exciting games to play and books to read should the weather take a turn for the worse. The site is home to ducks, goats, hens and pigs too — perfect if you’re an animal lover then!
Looking to get away from the campsite at times? There’s a beach within a 10-minute drive and you’ll also be in close reach of the Roseland peninsular, where even more picturesque beaches and peaceful villages can be found.
Eye-catching amenities:
Caravans & campervans permitted | Campfires permitted | Electrical hook-ups
Size of the campsite: Pitches for 50 tents within the site’s main camping field, as well as five vintage caravans available for rent.
For more information: http://cornwallfarmcamping.co.uk/
The Secret Campsite
Open from: Between March and October
Address: Brickyard Farm, Town Littleworth, Cooksbridge, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 4TD
Phone number: 07730 525560
Head to The Secret Campsite if you want to experience a truly natural way of living. This is because this campsite is for tents only — no cars or pets allowed unfortunately — and is based on a stretch of land that was once occupied by rail tracks but has since seen countryside foliage reclaiming the land.
The wild feel of camping can put some people off. However, you’ll soon feel relaxed as you sit around a campfire pit in a scene that is surrounded by a beautiful collection of ancient oak and hornbeam trees. Just be sure to keep an eye out for a passing deer, as they are known to live close to the site.
Eye-catching amenities:
Campfires permitted | Disabled facilities | Perfect for a romantic retreat
Size of the campsite: Pitches for 15 tents, as well as a Tree Tent and the Gridshell facility.
For more information: http://www.thesecretcampsite.co.uk/
Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/camping-holidays/coolest-campsites-in-britain/
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/may/01/10-best-cool-campsites-britain
https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/top-10-cool-campsites-in-england/
