Holiday parks and caravan parks

Those of us of a certain age might think of something like Hi-De-Hi when we hear holiday park or caravan park, complete with ‘shallays’, Redcoats and toe-curling nightly entertainment. Nope. Like camping itself, holiday parks and caravan parks have moved on.

Bring your own caravan, motorhome or tent to a park with five-star facilities, pool complex and kids' clubs, hire a swish caravan on site with central heating and flatscreen TV or glamp it up in a park in a toasty lodge, camping pod or yurt/tipi/wigwam - not a shallay in sight. 

So...how to pick your holiday park or caravan park? We've cleverly set up Pitchup.com so you have options aplenty to find and book the holiday you want - by location, type of camping or glamping, price, availability, amenities on site, what to do nearby, family-friendly, dog-friendly, wifi included, parks with a restaurant or cafe on site, or near a beach, or where campfires are allowed...

There are dozens upon dozens of different filters to pick from, so you can design a holiday that'll suit everyone from  a fussy three year old to a sulky teenager, wherever you want to go in the country. (We have adults-only parks too. Just in case.)

All our sites have info on type of accommodation, details of any special offers on pitches, and local attractions nearby including walking trails, beaches, National Cycle Network routes, historical highlights and whatever else might tickle your fancy. And local pubs. 

Still looking for inspiration? Take a look below for an overview of areas and activities from Devon to Dumfries to Dordogne all with holiday parks and caravan parks abounding:

England

Ah, Dorset. And Cornwall, and East Anglia and the north-east...staying in an English national park for climbing at Exmoor or caving in the Yorkshire Dales - and sites with beaches, walks, villages, gardens, leisure/theme parks or museums within reach.

Head south for some of the world’s best beaches and scenery, or (and) north for historical sites like Hadrian’s Wall Country. And we haven't even mentioned the shopping yet, or English sites with fishing or golf nearby, or campsites with dogs allowed..

Wales

Pick from holiday parks and campsites from coast to country to city in a place with wads to do, like bog snorkelling at Llanwrtyd Wells in mid-Wales, climbing Mount Snowdon at Snowdonia National Park or becoming a castle connoisseur - Wales has 600 of them. Look for holiday parks in South Wales and Pembrokeshire, North Wales and Gwynedd, Welsh sites where you can rent a tent or hire a caravan, parks with a play area and all sorts of other shenanigans using the Pitchup.com filters. Although we do like the sound of the bog snorkelling...

Scotland

Scenery, salmon fishing, birdwatching, coastal walks, some of the best golf courses in the world, festivals...and holiday parks and campsites all over, including ones near Edinburgh as well as on the Scottish islands and around the Malt Whisky Trail. For Scotland’s history and castles, Stirlingshire is a good start, with access to Stirling Castle as well as the sites of historic battlefields Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn and Aberdeenshire has the UK's only castle traill. If you have mini/horrible historians in your Scottish holiday park party, our Scottish castles blog lists some of the top ones to see, and we have the lowdown on celebrating Scotland here.

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

The mostly rural scenery of Ireland north and south sees heaps of holiday and caravan parks with activities such as golfing, fishing or sailing nearby. There's cracking scenery on the Galway and Antrim coasts, teeny islands to visit, a UNESCO Heritage Site of Newgrange at Slane in Co Meath and popular holiday spots like Killarney and Co Cork. Both N Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have cheap flights to destinations all over the Republic from most cities in the UK and ferry crossings from Liverpool, Holyhead and more, so if you're touring England, Scotland or Wales it's easy enough to swing west. Or indeed on to Europe:

France

Beaches, more beaches, history, Disneyland/Euro Disney and other theme parks, music festivals and of course food et vino are all handy across the Channel, in family-friendly parks rammed with things to do among swish accommodation including holiday homes, yurts and camping pods, and many open all year round. Have a look at our ten things to do in Brittany and French wine routes guides for l'inspiration - beaucoup more to come - or find a French holiday using our filters or holiday offers pages. Bon voyage!

Spain

Yet more beaches, Spanish hotspots like Andalucia and Alicante, 15 national parks and over 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites to tap-as into, sloping around the Pyrenees, the cities of Barcelona and Madrid... join the nine million or so British tourists holidaying in Spain each year and save your euros by booking a Spanish campsite with cabins, caravans for hire, lodges and pitches for your own tent, tourer, campervan or motorhome. 

No need to chorus Hi-de-Hi then, with the range of accommodation and facilities on offer in caravan and holiday parks around the country and beyond. Unless of course it annoys the kids, in which case we say go ahead... 

Page updated June 2013, October 2014