Editor's picks - The best campsites for your year of holiday inspiration

In our opinion, Meadow Lakes offers the best of both worlds – a countryside campsite with woodland and lakes for those wanting to relax, yet with an outdoor pool, café, pets’ corner and tennis courts for anyone needing more activity or holidaying with children.

Other facilities on this family-friendly campsite include a shop, play area, toilets, showers, private bathrooms, and grassed or hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up. Use of the four fishing lakes is also included in the pitch price.

We love the fact that the campsite is less than 20 minutes’ drive from some of Cornwall’s most famous attractions. One that we’d definitely recommend is the Eden Project. Its ‘giant greenhouses’ contain plants from across the globe, housed in huge tropical biomes, across a site the size of 30 football pitches!

Find out more: Meadow Lakes Holiday Park  

A perfect campsite for a warm welcome and for lots of relaxing by the lakes. We’ve chosen this rural, scenic campsite, which is just 12 miles from Norwich, for two reasons. First is the five lakes on the campsite, which are ideal for picturesque walks, a picnic and nature watching, as well as being perfect for keen anglers. The second is the campsite’s family-friendly and welcoming ethos – Cobbleacre Park is family owned and run, and each of the on-site lakes is named after the campsite owner’s five grandchildren.

Every pitch on the campsite is hardstanding with full services. These include 16A electric hook-up, drinking water, grey waste disposal and WiFi connection at no extra cost. The communal facilities comprise of toilets and showers plus a washing-up area.

The small town of Aylsham is a 10-minute drive where there are shops and restaurants. Just one mile north of the town is the National Trust’s Blickling Hall, a lavish stately home with painted ceilings and ornamental gardens.

Find out more: Cobbleacre Park  

With dark skies perfect for stargazing and some of the most stunning scenery in the country, this Club site on the edge of the Northumberland National Park is hard to beat. It’s in an International Dark Sky Park, making for amazing star-filled night skies.

The campsite is just 20 minutes’ walk from Bellingham village where there is a golf club, supermarket, pubs and cafés. You can also walk the Hareshaw Ironworks Trail to Hareshaw Linn Waterfall, through a Site of Special Scientific Interest containing rare ferns and lichen, plus plenty of wildlife.

The campsite has grass and hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up. There is an on-site shop, motorhome service point, toilets, showers, dishwashing area and a launderette. It’s also only a 10-mile drive to Kielder Water– the biggest man-made lake in northern Europe makes for a top, activity-filled day out.

Find out more: Bellingham Camping & Caravanning Club  

If you’re planning a trip to the Republic of Ireland next year, you won’t get a much more scenic location or a warmer Irish welcome than at Mannix Point Camping and Caravan Park. The campsite is set on the coast of the Ring of Kerry and the Wild Atlantic Way, with stunning coastal views.

There are grass and hardstanding pitches, most with electric, and some overlook the water. Facilities include toilets, showers, a dishwashing area and a laundry room.

Mannix Point is a mecca for musicians and one of the unique features of the campsite is its impromptu music sessions where everyone is welcome to join in.

There are 12 beaches within nine miles of the campsite and the departure port for boats to the Skellig Islands (a Unesco World Heritage Site) is within easy reach. Shops, pubs and restaurants are a 15-minute walk away in Cahirciveen.

Find out more: Mannix Point Camping & Caravan Park  

One for any motorhomers holidaying with children, since this campsite is adjacent to Adam Henson’s Rare Breeds Farm, where you can see and feed the animals. There is an Animal Barn where any newborns will stay, a Discovery Barn with smaller animals, and a wildlife trail around the wider farmland. There is also a play area, a shop and a café.

The campsite has grass and hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up. The hardstandings also have fresh water and grey waste drainage. There is a toilet and shower block and guests have access to the farm park shop and restaurant during opening hours. Entry into the farm park during your stay is included in the pitch price.

Find out more: Cotswold Farm Park  

For dog owners heading to Cornwall, take a look at Heligan Caravan and Camping Park, situated right next door to the famous and beautiful Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Both the campsite and the miles of pathways and routes through the 200-acre rediscovered and restored gardens are dog friendly. A discount into the gardens is also available to campsite guests. The campsite is just a short drive from the pretty harbour town of Mevagissey where there are shops and plenty of places to eat. There is also easy access the South West Coast Path here, too, which is perfect for longer walks.

The campsite has grass and hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up. Heligan benefits from a new amenity block with private bathrooms, accessible wet rooms, a launderette and drying room, plus a dog shower. There is also a well-stocked shop.

Note that sat-navs may try to take you down lanes that are not suitable for larger vehicles, so the campsite suggests taking the B3273 from St Austell.

Find out more: Heligan Caravan & Camping Park  

Picking a favourite campsite in Wales is difficult; however, we chose Glanllyn Lakeside due to its relaxing and beautiful location on the shores of Lake Bala. This is Wales’ largest natural lake, located in the south of Snowdonia National Park, and an ideal spot for outdoor activities.

The campsite is set in 16 acres of parkland leading down to a private shingle beach on the lakeshore. From here, visitors can launch watercraft or simply take in the views of the surrounding hills and mountains. A small river also runs in from the lake and adjacent to the tent field. It’s a wonderful place.

Glanllyn Lakeside has grass or hardstanding pitches with electric. There are toilets and showers, a launderette, a dishwashing area and a shop. The campsite is three miles from the town of Bala where there is a choice of shops and places to eat.

Find out more: Glanllyn Lakeside Caravan & Camping Park  

This is one of our chosen campsites for outdoorsy types, as the campsite is set within Rother Valley Country Park, with views of the lakes, Sheffield and over to the Peak District. The country park covers 750 acres and offers lots of walking routes with mountain bike trails and access onto the National Sustrans Cycle Route and Trans Pennine Trail. You can also choose from a host of activities including canoeing, paddleboarding, sailing and golf – so there really is lots to keep you busy.

Waleswood Caravan and Camping Park was newly completed in 2019 with hardstanding pitches with electric hook-up and fully serviced pitches in a choice of sizes. There are toilets, showers, a wet room, games room and a large coffee shop all on the campsite.

For anyone looking for a little more action and adventure, Waleswood is just a few minutes’ walk from Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park.

Find out more: Waleswood Caravan & Camping Park  

Trewan Hall is a firm favourite for getaways during the warmer months and camping like it used to be, but with the essential facilities on the campsite. Set within the grounds of an old manor house, this Cornish gem sits among 36 acres of woodland and gardens, four miles from the north Cornwall coast.

There are grass pitches with electricity spread across two fields. Facilities include a small shop, toilets, showers, family bathrooms, a launderette, a pool table, table tennis, entertainment in high season, and catering vans visit the campsite in the evenings. There is also a heated swimming pool in mid and high season that can be domed or open air depending on the weather.

Trewan Hall’s grounds offer open space for a gentle stroll or to relax and enjoy being on holiday.

Find out more: Trewan Hall  

A walk along the beach from St Andrews Holiday Park will lead you to the town known as the home of golf. You can explore the historic town centre and discover an eclectic mix of shops. If you want to partake in a little golf then the site is within easy reach of all the best courses. For walkers, the Fife Coastal Path passes alongside the park.

The campsite has views across the bay and from the terrace of The Braes Bar and Restaurant you can enjoy views of St Andrews while enjoying a speciality burger. All pitches benefit from electric hook-up and are located in two areas – one closer to the clifftops and one near to the play park and restaurant – and both these areas have hardstandings.

Find out more: St Andrews Holiday Park  

We’ve selected Caerfai Bay for the perfect mix of coast, town and history. The campsite is set in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, above the golden sandy beach of Caerfai Bay, just one mile from the small city of St Davids with its twelfth century cathedral built on the site of a sixth century chapel.

There is also the Gothic ruins of the Bishop’s Palace where open-air performances take place in summer, and you can book boat trips with various companies in the city to explore the offshore islands, such as Ramsay and Skomer. These trips are ideal for spotting puffins, gannets and seals.

Caerfai Bay has grass and hardstanding pitches, with electric, plus toilets, showers and family rooms. There is also a launderette, dog walk area and drive-over grey waste point.

Find out more: Caerfai Bay Caravan & Tent Park