Winter caravan and lodge sites: get away all year round

Yes, you so can have a caravan holiday in winter. In fact, we think it's a must. Mulled wine, mince pies, watching the frost twinkling through the double-glazed window of a luxury caravan or lodge...we're getting quite poetic. Winter hols do that to us. 

We think a caravanning or lodge holiday is a must during Santa season too. You won't even have to miss the Christmas turkey or the special of Doctor Who if you don't want to - just hire a caravan/lodge and lo, a fully-equipped kitchen and a telly shall be granted upon you. Unless of course, you'd rather not cook Christmas dinner, in which case pick your park and click the 'Local attractions' tab for details of nearby festive pubs that will probably be able to feed you on the day.

Our overview of what's around for staying warm on winter breaks:

Static caravan sites

We're big proponents of hassle-free hols here at Pitchup.com, which is why we're fans of static caravans, where everything you need is already under your nose and it's like a caravan elf has been there to make up the beds and get everything sparkling clean. Most static caravans come with two or three bedrooms and sleep up to six or eight, and will be fully insulated and double-glazed.

Filter our open all year caravan sites to tailor-make your winter hol any way you like - by group, such as family-friendly parks, by rules, such as campfires allowed, by utilities and amenities like charging or disabled facilities, by leisure on site and nearby and loads more. Mix them up however you like - Quantock Orchard Caravan Park in Somerset, for example, filters by caravans for hire, open all year, family-friendly, allows dogs, launderette and has cycle hire on site. Simples. The caravans at Quantock are discounted until 27 February 2015, starting from £59.50 a night.

Touring caravan sites

We can't promise a state-of-the-art kitchen and a sparkingly clean bath in touring caravans, because, well, that's down to you. But we can promise plenty of open-all-year touring caravan sites to browse through, most with electric hook-up and additional facilities like wifi or with a restaurant/café on site. One of our many swish sites in this category is Woodview Campsite in Cornwall, with dogs welcome, campfires allowed and an indoor play area for the kids. Two-bedroom caravans and holiday homes for hire over winter and into spring start from £30 a night, for a minimum three-night stay.

Camping pods

Get glamping in a warm waterproof camping pod, an affordable way to have a break and again often available all year round. Like our tourer and static caravan parks, our camping pod sites can be filtered according to area, price, user review, leisure on site or nearby and a host of other options. Most pods can sleep up to four and many come with outdoor decking and firepits. Check out the heated camping pods with TV at Braidhaugh Holiday Park in Perthshire for example, from £39 available from 2 November. Or book one of the Mega Pods at the top-rated Lee Wick Farm Cottages and Camping in Essex, which come with DAB radio, i-Pod dock and their own kitchen. Pods start from £50. 

Shepherd's huts

No shivering in a draughty structure wondering where the sheep are with twenty-first century shepherd's huts, which, like our pods and lodges come insulated, heated and with all mod cons. The bothy shepherd's hut at Teifi Meadows in Ceredigion (from £65) comes with linen, gas barbecue and complimentary breakfast hamper with home-produced bacon, sausages and free-range eggs; in East Sussex, the new in 2014 shepherd's huts at Wimbles Farm come with kitchenettes and welcome packs, and start from £180 for three weekend nights.

More tips for winter caravanning and lodging: 

• Pick your site according to type of area, such as a lodge park in a forest, sites listed as a walkers' paradise or in a wildlife haven or with spectacular scenery. Or in an area of gastronomic delight, because winter is not the time to worry about waistlines. 

• Search for sites according to activity, such as caravan parks with a surf school, golf, horse-riding or a leisure/theme park nearby; there are several more activities to pick from when finding your site.  

• Whatever time of year - don't forget the pooch! Read our guide to dog-friendly camping and caravanning and pitch up at one of our many parks welcoming canine campers, like West Wales Camping Pods in Carmarthenshire (but don't let your dog read the description for that one, as furry ones are required to be bathed and dried before going into the pod). 

• Toasted marshmallows. That is all. 

After your trip, if you're using a touring caravan, don’t forget to read our tips for winter caravan storage to keep everything in top shape until your next time on the road. Or you could just go on the road again a month later...

Page updated October 2014