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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

anyone else left it too late to get their first choice campsite?

14 replies

wigglybeezer · 22/06/2010 17:47

Is it just me or is everywhere booked solid for the whole holidays (at least all the sites in the west highlands on a lovely beach). We used to tent and it wasn't a problem being spontaneuos but now we need electric hook up and there is no room left at the inn...boo hoo.

OP posts:
Lilyloo · 22/06/2010 21:17

we just trying to book for bank hol , am worrying we have left it too late ..

Fennel · 22/06/2010 22:28

We normally book a few days ahead, if that, in the UK, and also last year in Brittany, but this year we are going to the Vendee and it seems totally booked up, we've been booking this week which is terribly early for us but apparently about 6 months too late.

I prefer being spontaneous, loads of sites in the west of scotland will have spaces if you just turn up, but I don't know anything about electric hook up. are you sure you need it?

Lucycat · 23/06/2010 09:18

Lots of people on ukcamping who have just returned from France have said how busy the sites are there for this early in the season. I think that's because they still accept camping cheques but by the time you get to high season that's not the case.
Maybe lots more people are staying in the UK this year rather than package holidays, volcanic ash?
Try ukcamping to track down sites?

OhYouBadBadKitten · 23/06/2010 13:13

We missed out on a campsite that we fancied in the south of France. Not had that happen before there!

deste · 23/06/2010 19:37

I wanted to go camping so that we could go where we wanted when we wanted but I have not been able to get into any campsite that looked reasonable. We are going away in three weeks and can see us staying in laybys. We joined the Caravan Club to use their sites but they are nearly all booked up. Was actually going to post this myself.

Fennel · 23/06/2010 21:47

Quite a few of my favourite UK campsites don't take bookings or are virtually never full even in high summer. I think I like different sites to most of mumsent though. so we can be spontaneous at any time of year in the UK. we like the low key sites with few facilities in the wilder places.

I'm sure there are municipal sites free even in August in France, and we'd be happy with those, but we just don't know them the way we know the UK campsite options.

SixtyFootDoll · 23/06/2010 22:00

I have been trying to book sites in Cornwall for August, no success so far.

Lovesdogsandcats · 24/06/2010 09:12

Fennel, would you mind posting a few of your favourite sites, we like basic too and I prefer to just ring up the site the day before to see if there is space. Hate booking in advance in case when the time comes, the weather has turned awful.

Fennel · 24/06/2010 09:44

Which areas do you want to camp in? We know best the SW esp Devon, Lakes and Peak and North Wales, and bits of the West Coast of Scotland, especially the far north. and Pembrokeshire.

I think the problem is a lot of the small more relaxed sites don't have a website, or they don't have it very well advertised, often on purpose, so you can't easily find them by web browsing, that's our problem with France this summer - though we have got 3 sites booked now which all look lovely so I feel quite pleased, but it took some effort, and I'm sure we are missing loads of smaller sites which aren't on UK camping or any of the big camping websites.

Lovesdogsandcats · 24/06/2010 11:30

Would want either Peak District or North Wales, pref near the sea, so Anglesey etc.
Thanks.
Would like to see on website first but no matter if they don't have one!

maxybrown · 24/06/2010 21:58

ooh Fennel me too please, sounds like our kind of camping!

We are tying to get somewhere in cornwall as staying with friends in Devon so want to go durther down first. We have been told about Treen Farm?

But any you go to would be interesting to know as we plan to go to Scotland in near future too and peaks and wales is easy for us!

Fennel · 25/06/2010 10:58

Some of the ones we use which are rarely/never full, or don't take bookings. Am a bit reluctant cos someone else is bound to come along and say they hate the site, but we like these for being generally low key relaxed and (importantly) not need booking, or else we phone a day or two before to check if they're likely to be full:

Lakes: Wasdale Head NT site. One of my total favourites, no cars on site, surrounded by fordable paddlable streams and trees. We have been there in hot sunny weather and it was idyllic.
also Lakes: Side farm on Ullswater is quiet, doesn't get booked up massively, is right on the lake.

Peaks. um, ok I've got them in my head but forgotten the names! sorry

North Wales. One on top of a hill at Llanbedrog in the Llyn peninsular. nice walk down to a fantastic beach and little arts complex. again, I don't know the name cos we just turn up.
Also Penrhyn farm in between Colwyn Bay and Llandudno, just a farm site, looks plain and unexciting, but you can walk or cycle to the beach or to the town or go up to the welsh mountain zoo.

Scotland. So many up the west coast and we never book ahead but Achmelvich north of Lochiver is very good, and there's a tiny site by a garage by the beach in Poolewe, and Red Squirrel in Glencoe.

Cornwall. again I forget the names of these little sites but we camped at one just east of Tintagel in August without booking, you could walk down to a lovely little beach. Bossiney farm or similar.

Devon. I know loads of sites in devon but am guarding them jealously. But North Morte farm near Woolacombe is very nice, doesn't take bookings, you can walk down to a quiet beach. Similarly Mount Folly Farm in Bigbury. Upper Rew campsite outside Salcombe is also not fully booked even in August. Dartmoor has lots of small nice-looking sites but we ten to camp rough there.

SanctiMoanyArse · 25/06/2010 17:16

if you get stuck, atrick I have used is to post on UK campsite for ideas- we got site owners of really rather lovely little aplces mailing us to say they have availability! You can also use the site search and just copy and paste loads of enquiries: one will be free.

maxybrown · 25/06/2010 17:19

Thanks so much Fennel - how very odd, I lived in Challaborough for years and going to stay there with friends in August but didn't know there was a campsite in Bigbury!! Handy to know in case friends are full anytime

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