So locate those pegs, shake out the sleeping bags and unfurl your sturdiest tent – it’s time for camping season.
TNT asked Jonathan Knight, editor of the new Cool Camping Britain guide, to choose five of Britain’s top campsites for you to try out. Drum roll, please …
Beacon Cottage, Cornwall
Perched on a hillside facing the wrath of the Atlantic, Beacon Cottage boasts one of the most dramatic seaside scenes in Europe. This raw, windswept, site is the very essence of Cornwall. For more intimacy from the elements, there are secluded pitches in the farmyard orchard.
Camp: From April to September. A tent with two adults costs £16-£23pn.
More: beaconcottagefarmholidays.co.uk
Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire
With an arboretum, a lake and sprawling red deer park but a stone’s throw from your tent, Eastnor Castle ticks several boxes. That’s without even mentioning the glorious castle views and ‘knight’s maze’ within. There is easy access to the craggy Malvern Hills spells adventure, as well as stunning panoramic views spanning the West Country and beyond.
Camp: From the end of March to the end of September, when a campervan, trailer or group tent costs £8.50pn.
More: eastnorcastle.com
Wasdale Head, Cumbria
This National Trust campsite at Wasdale Head is the perfect base camp for those hardy souls looking to conquer England’s mightiest peak, Scafell Pike. From the comfort of your sleeping bag, head poking out of your tent, you can survey the surrounding slopes as the dawn mist clears.
There’s also a small shop with essential supplies such as walking maps, friendly advice and blister-shaped plasters. Definitely a high point on England’s campsite circuit.CAMP: All year round. A tent with one adult and car costs £21pn.
More: nationaltrust.org.uk
Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire
Rothiemurchus is forest camping at its finest. Pitched amid swathes of indigenous Caledonian pine, campers can truly get away from it all here. Whether exploring Loch Morlich, cycling the many woodland trails or trekking the challenging Cairngorm Mountains, there’s plenty to entertain in this truly enchanting corner of northwest Scotland.
It is a sublime experience waking up on a bed of soft needles on a summer morning to the sound of rushing water with the smell of pine spiking the crisp air.
Camp: All year (except November). Costs £8pppn.
MORE: campandcaravan.com
Nantcol Waterfalls, North Wales
It’s the measure of a cool campsite when people have been pitching up there since the Twenties. This award-winning spot in Snowdonia National Park attracts scores of campers every season, eager to explore the eponymous Nantcol Waterfalls and frolic in the river at the foot of Wales’ most iconic mountain.
Camp: All year. Costs £8pppn.
More: nantcolwaterfalls.co.uk
Cool Camping Britain features 150 of the best campsites in England, Scotland and Wales. Priced at £16.95 from all good bookshops.
Photos: Thinkstock; Keith Didcock
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Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire
Rothiemurchus is forest camping at its finest. Pitched amid swathes of indigenous Caledonian pine, campers can truly get away from it all here. Whether exploring Loch Morlich, cycling the many woodland trails or trekking the challenging Cairngorm Mountains, there’s plenty to entertain in this truly enchanting corner of northwest Scotland.
It is a sublime experience waking up on a bed of soft needles on a summer morning to the sound of rushing water with the smell of pine spiking the crisp air.
Camp: All year (except November). Costs £8pppn.
MORE: campandcaravan.com
Nantcol Waterfalls, North Wales
It’s the measure of a cool campsite when people have been pitching up there since the Twenties. This award-winning spot in Snowdonia National Park attracts scores of campers every season, eager to explore the eponymous Nantcol Waterfalls and frolic in the river at the foot of Wales’ most iconic mountain.
Camp: All year. Costs £8pppn.
More: nantcolwaterfalls.co.uk
Cool Camping Britain features 150 of the best campsites in England, Scotland and Wales. Priced at £16.95 from all good bookshops.
Photos: Thinkstock; Keith Didcock
