Motorhome travel: 10 campsites for walking

Walking holidays and motorhoming often go hand-in-hand — whether you own a campervan or motorhome, it can simply be a case of parking up, pulling on your walking boots, and wandering off the campsite and into the wilderness beyond. So if you love walking as much as you love motorhomes, here are 10 stunning campsites across the UK, perfectly suited to hikes, rambles and walks.

Trevalgan Touring Park

Trevalgan, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 3BJ

01736 791892

1 April – 30 October

Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and just two miles from St Ives town centre, Trevalgan has a great location. Whether you want to walk the quaint streets of St Ives browsing the shops, or take a wander out into blissful countryside, you can easily do it all from site. The site is surrounded by open farmland with spectacular views and an abundance of wildlife and flowers.

There is a network of local footpaths that join up to the South West Coast Path and from there you can walk to St Ives and on to the stunning Carbis Bay. A regular bus service also runs from the site if you need to rest your weary legs!

Facilities on site include showers, family shower rooms, disabled shower facilities, indoor dishwashing sinks, a laundry room, shop, outdoor play area and games room. There’s a range of hardstanding and grass pitches, serviced pitches and fully serviced pitches (including 16A electric hook-up, fresh water tap and grey water drainage point).

Trawsdir Touring Caravans & Camping Park

Llanaber, Barmouth, Gwynedd LL42 1RR

01341 280999

1 March – 5 January

Trawsdir is located in the Snowdonia National Park overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Llyn Peninsula. Five minutes’ walk from site is a golden sandy beach that stretches for several miles between Barmouth and Llanaber. There are many footpaths for discovering the beautiful countryside views, such as the Mawddach Trail over Barmouth Bridge with views of the estuary or savour the historic town of Barmouth itself, where mountains meet the sea.

The town has a range of shops as well as pubs and restaurants in which to reward yourself after a day of walking. If you make the 35-minute drive (or hop on the train at Barmouth) to Fairbourne you can walk up Fordd Panteinion (a lane to the south of the village) and discover the Blue Lake – a striking coloured pool in a flooded former quarry.

The site itself is backed by mountains and has an impressive purpose-built facilities complex with toilets, showers, a family room, reception and shop. There’s also a children’s play area, dog walking field and recreation field.

Exe Valley Caravan Site

Mill House, Bridgetown, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9JN

01643 851432

17 March – 15 October

This is an adults-only site set within a wooded valley in the Exmoor National Park. Located alongside the River Exe, the site has great views and an abundance of wildlife. Exe Valley covers four acres between the river and a millstream. You can walk to the bottom of the site where you’ll find open space to exercise dogs and a weir where they can splash in the water. The village inn opposite the site serves lunchtime and evening meals.

Wooded valleys, streams, hills and coastal scenery – these are the ingredients that make up Exmoor and Exe Valley is a walker’s paradise. Many footpaths lead out from the site to the moors, woodland and rivers. You can easily reach Dulverton (six miles away), the gateway to the National Park. Popular visitor attractions include Tarr Steps, Lynton and Lynmouth and the Doone Valley.

The 47 pitches have electric and TV hook-ups and there are 14 hardstandings. Facilities include toilets, showers, a shop and laundry. You can fish on site and some of the pitches run alongside the river.

Denny Wood Campsite

Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7FZ

02380 293144

6 April – 2 October

This secluded, natural site is surrounded by oak trees and free-roaming ponies in the New Forest National Park. There is direct access to the New Forest, so you can take advantage of the many walking routes to really stretch those legs and explore. With 143 miles of track across unspoilt heathland and through ancient woodland, there is something to suit every level of walker here.

The ‘capital’ of the New Forest, Lyndhurst, which has a selection of restaurants, shops and pubs, is a half-hour’s walk away. For a longer walk, Beaulieu Palace and the National Motor Museum are five miles away.

Made up of open grassland and tree-shaded pitches, Denny Wood feels like it is cut off from the outside world. The pitches are separated by the natural features of the forest such as ferns, oaks and fallen trees. The site really offers a truly back to nature camping and touring feel and, as such, there are no toilets, showers or electricity provided here and dogs are not allowed.

Bingham Grange Touring & Camping Park

Bridport, Dorset DT6 3TT

01308 488234

22 March – 24 October

An adults-only campsite set in the grounds of a Victorian Grange at Bridport on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast. The site overlooks an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has an all-weather dog walk along with riverside nature trails and countryside footpaths leading to Bridport, West Bay and nearby villages. Bingham’s website has detailed guides to various walking routes that you can download or obtain from reception.

Pitches are arranged over two areas, with tree-lined avenues, shrubs and hedging. There are hardstanding pitches with electric available along with full service pitches. Facilities on site include a small shop, unisex shower rooms, separate ladies and gents facilities, a laundry, motorhome service point and a restaurant and bar located on the top floor of a converted honeystone barn.

Bellingham Camping & Caravanning Club Site

Bellingham, Hexham, Northumberland NE48 2JY

01434 220175

1 March – 4 January

Bellingham is located in the Northumberland National Park and Northumberland International Dark Sky Park – so it’s a great spot for stargazing as well as walking. Northumberland is home to the majority of the remaining sections of the 73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall and also to five excavated forts, including Housesteads and Vindolanda.

The Pennine Way also passes the site and only a short walk away is the thriving village of Bellingham. You could also take a drive and spend the day at Kielder Water and Forest Park where you can enjoy watersports on Europe’s largest man-made lake and many walks through the vast woodland.

Fairfields Farm Caravan & Camping Park

Eastbourne Road, Westham, Pevensey, East Sussex

BN24 5NG

01323 763165

1 April – 31 October

The South Downs Way is a national trail that leads from Winchester to the white chalk cliffs of Eastbourne. The site is four miles north of Eastbourne, but you can easily drive along the coastal road (stopping at one of the many car parks and walking to your heart’s content) towards the National Trust’s Birling Gap. At Birling Gap there is a large car park and a café; from here you can walk all the way along the top of the Seven Sisters cliffs.

Fairfields Farm lies in an area home to many wetland birds and wildlife. Part of a 200-acre working farm with shop, WiFi, toilets, showers and a laundry.

Caerfai Bay Caravan & Tent Park

St Davids, Havefordwest, Pembrokeshire SA62 6QT

01437 720274

1 April – 12 November

The world’s first national coastal path – the 870-mile All Wales Coast Path – provides a continuous route around the whole of the country’s coastline. Caerfai Bay campsite sits within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Pembrokeshire section of the coastal path is adjacent to the site entrance. This provides short walks to Solva or Whitesands or 180 miles for the more serious walker. Bus routes connect various parts of the coastal path, too.

Stunning views are provided from the site from the headland across to St Brides Bay. The site consists of three areas, with one field being four acres. Facilities include showers, toilets, family washrooms and a laundry. Caerfai Farm Shop is 100 yards from the site entrance and St Davids, Europe’s smallest city, is a 15-minute walk away.

The Quiet Site

Ullswater, Cumbria CA11 0LS

07768 727016

All year

The Quiet Site sits amongst the fells that overlook Ullswater. There are many walks of varying length that start from the site and others just a short drive away. One leads to Aira Force waterfalls and offers great views of Ullswater, another affords views of Blencathra and the Pennines, with a third that ranges from open fells to riverside tracks and woodland trails. There are pubs along some of these routes and also historic buildings.

The site has walking maps available to download from the website or to collect from reception. Motorhomes have hardstanding pitches with a choice of areas to stay. One field is situated on the lower slopes of Little Mell Fell. The higher up this field you pitch the better the view. Facilities include a shop, games room, adventure playground, family bathrooms and shower rooms, a dog walk and an olde-worlde bar.

Glen Nevis Caravan and Camping Park

Glen Nevis, Fort William PH33 6SX

01397 702191

15 March – 5 November

This site has a stunning location in the midst of spectacular Highland scenery. Pitches here have views to Ben Nevis and the surrounding mountains. Glen Nevis lies at the foot of Ben Nevis and is part of a highland estate of over 1,000 acres. There are a choice of walks on your doorstep and the path up Ben Nevis is just a short walk away.

If you want to get out and about, there’s the opportunity to go on a guided activity with the Highland Mountain Company, with walks such as a Ben Nevis ascent, a trip to Steall Falls or an adventure walk that also includes a spot of rock scrambling and abseiling.

The Glen Nevis site has four fields with two types of pitch – electric pitches or fully serviced ones with electric, water and waste connection. All customers have access to toilets, showers, dishwashing, a shop, dog walking areas, a play area, and fishing in the River Nevis. Nearby is a restaurant and bar. The area is home to a host of wildlife including red squirrels, otters and golden eagles.

This feature was originally published in the Summer 2017 issue of MMM magazine. Looking for more campsite and travel features? Subscribe to MMM for motorhome travel ideas every month.