High-end parks: saunas, wood-fired pizzas, heated pools – Britain’s chicest caravan sites revealed
Just the thought of a caravan holiday brings back memories of your childhood, the fluttering awnings and the midnight sprints to the toilet block.
But many of today’s caravan parks are in a different class, with heated swimming pools, saunas, pizzerias and shops stocked with Bollinger.
Whether you’re in your own palace on wheels or renting a lodge, here are some of Britain’s chicest caravan parks.
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LUXURY IN PEMBROKESHIRE
Whether you’re staying in your own palace on wheels or renting a lodge, we’ve rounded up some of Britain’s chicest caravan parks. Pencarnan Farm (above) in Pembrokeshire offers beautiful sea views
Pencarnan Farm is a working farm set in 96 acres, just a few miles west of the Welsh cathedral city of St Davids. Enjoy breathtaking views of the enormous Whitesands Bay, plus access to the coastal path and Porthsele beach for swimming, surfing and kayaking.
POSH FACTOR: Bar with craft beer and wood-fired pizzas prepared on site.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £39; static caravans for six to eight people from €1,200 for seven nights (pencarnanfarm.co.uk).
WARWICKSHIRE MIRACLE
Ettie’s Field is located on a former pig farm and now offers glamping, camping and caravanning. Meet the animals, including Kunekune pigs and Nubian goats.
POSH FACTOR: Garden fireplaces to warm your toes.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £35 per night; Ettie Airstream caravan for two people from £240 for two nights (ettiesfield.com).
DREAMY DEVON
Facilities at Cofton Holiday Park in Devon include a sauna and steam rooms
Near Dawlish, the 200-acre Cofton Holiday Park has lodges, cottages and static caravans, plus tent and caravan sites. Pitches have a luxury alpine lodge shower block. There are treetop ropes for children.
POSH FACTOR: Sauna and steam baths.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £32; Mobile homes with two beds for two nights from €155 (coftonholidays.co.uk).
WELSH LUXURY
Plassey Holiday Park in Wrexham feels ‘more like a country club’. Above – the indoor pool
Wrexham doesn’t just have a football team to shout about, it also has one of the poshest caravan parks in Britain. Spread across 250 acres of the Dee Valley, Plassey Holiday Park has more of a country club feel, with an indoor pool, golf course, games room and 20 shops.
POSH FACTOR: A trendy hairdressing salon.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £20; two-bed lodges for seven nights from £629 (plassey.com).
STYLISH IN CUMBRIA
Guests can stay in a safari tent (pictured) at Skelwith Fold in Cumbria
Set in 50 acres on the edge of Ambleside, Skelwith Fold in Cumbria has 70 caravan pitches plus 22 ‘premium’ pitches with picnic tables. Guests can book a static caravan, pod, safari tent or cottage.
POSH FACTOR: No Marigolds needed, there are – hallelujah – dishwashers.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £31; one-bedroom lodges for seven nights from £673 (skelwith.com).
RITZY WEST SUSSEX
Concierge Camping, in West Sussex, bills itself as the ‘Ritz of camping’ with 27 pitches all with fast Wi-Fi
At the foot of the South Downs, Concierge Camping calls itself the ‘Ritz of camping’. Caravanners heading to the Ratham Estate, owned by Lord and Lady Hodgkin, will find 27 pitches with fast Wi-Fi.
POSH FACTOR: Bollinger in the store.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £45 per night; two-bedroom lodges for three nights from £485 (janitorcamping.co.uk).
CORNISH SECRET
St Ives without paying the earth? Book a caravan site at the nearby 16-acre Parbola Holiday Park and it will cost less than £20 per night. There is a swimming pool, Alice In Wonderland mini golf and an agility course for dogs.
POSH FACTOR: Safari tent for dining.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £16.80; seven nights in a two-bedroom caravan from £348.50 (lovatparks.com).
COOL COTSWOLDS
Cotswold Farm Park is owned by TV presenter Adam Henson and serves delicious small plates in the restaurant
Cotswold Farm Park is located in the Windrush Valley and is a regular feature on the BBC One programme Countryfile thanks to owner, presenter and farmer Adam Henson.
POSH FACTOR: Delicious small dishes in the restaurant.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £41.50; two-bedroom lodges from £563 for two nights, cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk.
Winner of Lake District
A glamping pod at The Quiet Site, an award-winning campsite in the Lake District
In 1963, The Quiet Site, overlooking Ullswater, began as a rustic camping field. Now there are glamping pods, cottages and caves. The AA’s 2024 Campsite of the Year.
POSH FACTOR: The ‘zero waste’ store.
BOOK IT: Caravan pitches from £40; lodges from £900 for a week (thequietsite.nl).