Six Family-Friendly Camping and Glamping Hotspots for Holidays in the UK this Year
- Cool Camping
- 24th June 2021
Coverack Camping, Cornwall
The pitches at Coverack Camping are a five-minute walk from the Cornish village of the same name where boats bob in the harbour and kids splash about in the sea. It’s Cornish holiday heaven – and to top it off there’s a farm dedicated to producing the finest clotted cream ice cream nearby. People have been camping at Coverack for decades so it’s no surprise that it’s a fairly traditional place with off-grid pitches in stone-walled paddocks. Facilities are basic but perfectly adequate when days are spent swimming in the sea, exploring the south coast and, of course, eating ice cream.
Cuckoo Fen Campsite, Cambridgeshire
Cuckoo Fen Campsite pops up in a Cambridgeshire meadow for the summer holidays only. It’s a lovely site with a laid-back feel and simple but immaculately-clean facilities. On-site fun is similarly simple: a pile of hay bales to tumble about on, plenty of space to run around in and a campfire-friendly policy. Off site, there’s a nature reserve next door and a pub with a beer garden just down the road. The surrounding fenlands are perfect for cycling, the nearby Great Ouse River is great for paddleboarding and kayaking and Cambridge is just 14 miles away.
Donkey Down, Dorset
The Jurassic Coast, seaside resorts and family-friendly attractions of Dorset make it a favourite destination for campers with kids. Thank goodness then for pop-up sites like Donkey Down which add to the county’s camping stock in the summer. This simple site, two miles inland, offers family and dog-friendly pitches with views across the countryside and down to Weymouth Bay. It’s a gorgeous spot which comes into its own when campfires are lit and the moonlight sparkles on the sea. Campsite catering is easy with an on-site bar, a cafe and food trucks on weekends.
Forest of Bowland Farm, Lancashire
You can enjoy the good old-fashioned fun of camping on a farm without the hard work of pitching a tent at this site near the Forest of Bowland. The eight roomy, off-grid safari tents have candles for light and log burners for heat so you’ll feel like you are stepping back in time. It’s a great place to immerse yourself in nature and enjoy a digital detox and yet, it’s altogether more comfortable than camping. Tents are equipped with en suite loos and properly comfortable beds, all within day-tripping distance of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District National Park.
Hawarden Farm Shop, North Wales
Great food is guaranteed at this site in North Wales. The clue is in the name... but it’s not only home to a handy farm shop and café stuffed full of local goodies, there are two castles, a lake and a brook too. This is the Hawarden Estate and it’s a lovely place to camp. You can pitch your own tent or hire a bell tent, campfires are encouraged and there are rustic but stylish undercover spaces to share. It all encourages a sociable feel which makes this site lovely to return to after days out exploring. It’s 20-minutes to Chester, 30 to the beach and an hour to Snowdonia.
Greenhillock Glamping & Camping, Angus
Midway between the east coast of Scotland and its Cairngorms National Park is where you’ll find Greenhillock Glamping & Camping. It’s a five-acre wildflower meadow with mown pathways between the 25 pitches and scattering of bell tents which are available to hire. This nature-rich field is the perfect place for bug hunting, pond dipping, den building and generally larking about. There’s a communal cooking and chill-out area, a little campsite cafe and an art shack that’s perfect for rainy days.