The UK is home to many beautiful campsites by the sea, where tourists can enjoy a relaxing holiday, breathing in the fresh air and making use of the fantastic array of facilities available. The days when staying at a campsite meant pitching your tent in a farmer’s field and running down a dark lane to find the cold showers are long gone!
British campsites today are less Carry On Camping and more of a home-from-home experience, with modern facilities providing not only comfort but also 21st century benefits such as free WiFi. The UK’s most beautiful coastal campsites have excellent views and are a stone’s throw from some of the nation’s best attractions and days out.
Read on to find out the best places to stay when you fancy a taste of the great outdoors…
1. Slapton Sands, Devon
Located at Middle Grounds, Kingsbridge, Slapton Sands Camping and Caravanning Club offers 115 spacious pitches on well-maintained grass. With breath taking views over Start Bay and immaculate facilities, the dog-friendly site has a gentle, relaxed atmosphere. Its excellent facilities include a children’s playground, showers, WCs, washbasins, parent and child room, a laundry and an on-site shop. Apart from Start Bay beach, Dartmouth is within easy travelling distance. Here, you can ride a river boat to Totnes and there are plenty of coastal walks, including Hallsands and Beesands.
2. Ayr Holiday Park, St Ives
Just a short walk from the coastal resort of St Ives, Ayr Holiday Park offers stunning views of the beach. It’s a popular destination for surfers, who can enjoy the sea, sand and sunsets of Porthmeor Beach. The campsite’s facilities include a games room, children’s play area, a wet room for your wetsuits if you’re there for the marine activities, swimming pool, free hot water and showers. Join the famous South West Coast Path for a walk directly from the campsite and take a stroll to historic Zennor village, with its traditional pub and old church. St Ives enjoys a fantastic nightlife, with restaurants and bars a plenty.
3. Bay View Farm, Cornwall
Offering spectacular coastal views of West Looe and St George’s Island, although this is a relatively small site, it is highly efficient, with an immaculate amenities block, free WiFi and free hot showers. It also provides “camping snugs” if the weather isn’t great – these are wooden huts where you can set up your camping gear inside. Local sights include the Eden Project, which is one of the UK’s top eco-attractions. The registered charity is described as a “rainforest in captivity”, nestling undercover in a huge crater and housing an amazing array of exotic plants and exhibitions. The quaint village of Polperro is nearby, where you can buy fresh food to barbecue. You can also enjoy scenic walks along the coastal path.
4. Seal Shore, Isle of Arran
The Seal Shore Camping and Touring Site is on one of Scotland’s most beautiful holiday islands, Arran, which is renowned for its plentiful sea life. The campsite has views of Ailsa Craig and the expansive, sandy beach where visitors can see plenty of wildlife for themselves. This well-run, neatly maintained campsite offers a great place to sunbathe, with its gentle slope to the sea and a section of stunning rock protruding from the sand that creates a lovely wind shield. The facilities include a campers’ day room, covered windproof cooking facilities, a WC block with hot showers, a laundry, a dishwashing area and an on-site shop.
5. Gibraltar Farm Campsite, Carnforth
Views across Morecambe Bay are promised from the edge of the campsite at Gibraltar Farm in Silverdale, Carnforth, nestling in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s ideal for families, with a beach that’s great for paddling or swimming. Jenny Brown’s Point (an excellent vantage point, and popular among birdwatchers and walkers) is a mile down the road. Leighton Moss RSPB nature reserve has plenty of nature trails and coastal lagoons for a relaxing day out. The campsite’s facilities include grass and hardstanding pitches, new showers with free hot water, new WCs, electric hook-ups for motorhomes and caravans and a laundry room. The site’s speciality is its homemade ice-cream.
If you fancy a break at one of the UK’s most beautiful coastal campsites, get together with your friends and family and drive away for a dream holiday in a Driveline motorhome. As an ideal way to get away from it all and to enjoy Britain’s breath-taking countryside, why not get out there and enjoy the freedom of the open road? Please contact us for further information on our range of motorhomes.
