Last Updated on 9 August 2024 by Colette
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The more we campsites we explore, the more we are able to narrow down our priorities. When the kids were younger those priorities included a play area or a space for ball games but now we’re more interested campsites with pretty views and which allow dogs (and if they have a dog walking field even better). Along with that, we are always keen to find a campsite that allows campfires – especially later in the summer when the days are a little shorter and the nights colder. We wanted to share some tips on choosing the best campsite for your next trip.
Choosing a campsite can be overwhelming
The first thing we do when we are looking to book a new campsite is choose an area – do we want something close to home or are we more prepared to put some hours in on the road? This generally depends on whether we are travelling once Dave has finished work (and therefore we want to be more local to maximise daylight for pitching!) or how many nights we are camping for – the longer we are going for, the further we are prepared to travel.
Once we’ve chosen an area, then we need to look at who is coming with us – is it just us and the Butlers coming or is there an even bigger group of us? Are we taking the dogs camping with us? These are both really important points to consider as lots of campsites don’t allow dogs, and others don’t take group bookings.
And finally, having narrowed those things down, we’ll start looking for recommendations. Scouring websites for campsites can be really overwhelming and I think they often start to look the same, so a word of mouth recommendation for a campsite is golden and almost all of our bookings are made that way.
Things to think about when choosing a campsite:
Is there a play area or space for kids to play?
Although I wouldn’t say a play area is non-negotiable for us (especially as the kids are a little older now) we do try to make sure there is a space for the kids to play. Some of the campsites we’ve been to have designated football fields (which has been a win for Finn!), others have a play area with swings and a climbing frame. As the kids have got a little older and we’re able to give them more freedom, this is less important. Campsites like Crowden and Catgill don’t have play areas but the kids are more than happy climbing trees or playing in streams etc.
Are campfires allowed?
Having a campfire is a really important part of camping for us – it’s a means of keeping warm when the weather isn’t kind, helps us to sit out chatting of an evening once the kids have gone to bed and allows for all sorts of campfire treats like toasted marshmallows and campfire cones. We have been to campsites that don’t allow campfires but they’re low down on our list of priorities! We tend to look for campsites that hire out their own fire pits – there is usually a hire charge plus deposit as well as an expectation that you’ll buy your wood on site. We don’t mind this as we are tight on space in the car and would struggle to fit a fire pit or wood in there as well! We do take a small, portable BBQ with us though!
Is the campsite near water?
We love camping near water as a rule – in fact one of our favourite campsites has a stream running right through the middle of it which is just beautiful. I love open expanses of water, the kids love to play in the water – but it does come with it’s downsides. If you’re camping near a stream or river in the summer – do be aware that it will likely come with a side order of midges which can be irritating of an evening! Aside from the obvious issues there are around insect bites and trying to keep your tent bug free, we stayed at one campsite in the middle of summer where we seemed to be consuming midges with every breath!
What toilet / shower facilities are available?
This has become especially important since COVID. Whilst many campsites did reopen for the summer season of 2020 – we found that many weren’t offering toilet or shower facilities, meaning they were only accessible to those in campervans or with their own portable toilets. Having decent shower facilities is really important to us – mainly as the kids will get absolutely filthy during the course of the weekend and we want to know we have at least the option to give them a good scrub! Some campsites will also provide separate facilities for washing your dog!
Are dogs allowed on the campsite?
This is an important question for two reasons – for us we want to know if we can take our puppy camping with us, but equally you might want a campsite that doesn’t allow dogs – either because your children are nervous around dogs or you just might not want to risk having to listen to someone else’s dog barking all night! (We’ve been lucky with Poppy and Edie that they are pretty chill when we are camping and only really seem to shout at people if they come past our pitch at dusk which is understandable I think).
Do you need electrical hook up?
Not all campsites offer the option of an electrical hook up so if you do think this is something you will need, you need to check out availability. Camping with an electrical hook up is usually slightly more expensive and was something we managed without for years. We are usually only camping for a couple of nights and so until recently we tended to manage with power banks for our phones / the kids’ tablets and all the food stays pretty chilled in the cool box (freezing before you travel is key!). However, last summer we did invest in a mobile mains kit with a mind to taking some longer trips and to be honest, now we’ve got it, I wouldn’t choose to camp without it. If you do need an electrical hook up, be sure to include this on your booking!
Are pitches assigned?
Some campsites assign pitches, others just let you pick and choose. If you are camping as a group and the site offers assigned pitches, you’ll want to let them know you’d like to be pitched together. Campsites where you can simply choose your own pitch like Catgill can be great if you are camping in a group as you can create your own little space within the site by facing your tents in to each other.
If pitches are assigned, and you have a massive family tent like us, do make that clear at the time of booking – we recently got part way through pitching our tent only to realise it wasn’t actually going to fit on the assigned pitch. We ended up having to pay an upgrade fee and move to a different part of the campsite. Lesson learned: Be clear on the size of your set up at the time of booking!
Can you park next to your tent?
Parking next to your tent often feels like a bit of a luxury once you’ve camped at a festival a few times and dragged your stuff backwards and forwards across a few fields! Not all campsites allow you to park next to your tent – which I don’t mind at all – as long as I can have my car next to my pitch whilst I get set up. On one trip we had been assigned a pitch across the stream that ran through the campsite – it wasn’t accessible by car and we had far too much stuff to trek across the bridge as it was getting dark! Luckily the wardens were able to swap our pitch but lesson learned on that one.
Is there an onsite shop?
I don’t think there has been a single time we’ve been camping where we haven’t forgotten at least something – Dave will almost always have to go off on an little adventure to buy camping gas, an axe (I’m not kidding), or a new torch after we left the whole box of lights at home. But, it’s worth checking if there is a campsite shop for essentials – bread, milk, coffee, wood for the fire or even a cheeky ice cream. Some campsites will have their own café too which is a nice treat!
Is there a nearby pub?
Whilst we wouldn’t choose a campsite purely based on whether there was a nearby pub – having the option of somewhere warm and dry to escape to for a pint is a winner if the weather isn’t very kind. We will often plan to eat out on our first night after setting up camp if it’s dark too.
Things to do near by
As it is, we go camping with the Butlers regularly and if I’m honest, as long as there is plenty of space to play and explore, the kids need little entertaining from us over the course of a weekend as they are so happy in one another’s company. They would be quite happy to let us sit round the campfire and chat all day long, however we usually like to go for a walk to stretch our legs (obviously more so now that we take the dogs with us!). If we were going for a long stay, we’d want to make sure there were options for things to do nearby but it’s not top of our list when choosing a campsite.
Hopefully you’ve found this list helpful! Is there anything you think we’ve missed – what do you look for in a campsite?
Have a look at these posts next:
Our guide to camping
five reasons why you should go glamping with the kids
Essential camping gear for dogs
The best campsites for paddleboarding
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Love this!
With 4 kids of varying ages, ranging from 17 to 2!, we need to consider several of these points from an onsite playground to onsite bar in equal measure!! 😀
The key to the playground conundrum is to be close enough that you can keep an eye on the kids without having to leave your pitch, though not so close that you cannot hear yourself speak! A fine balancing act indeed!!
Can’t wait to be able to go camping again, thanks for raising the spirits.
Yes definitely! We once ended up with a pitch right next to the play area which was great during the day but not so much once our kids were in bed and some teens were using it as a meeting point after the site curfew . . .