Winter camping: 'open now' campsites and caravan parks

Winter is here! It’s apparently going to snow this week! We’re using lots of exclamation marks and trying to sound upbeat because otherwise we’ll collapse in a gibbering heap of ‘Where is the sunshine WHERE?’! Dark mornings, dark evenings, rain, cold and workworkwork, all without the prospect of even sitting on Santa’s knee for ages yet – it’s enough to make you turn to the mulled wine!

OK, we’ll stop with the exclamation marks now. And it’s not quite that bad, of course, as at least the grinding of the daily grind at this cold time of year gives you the perfect excuse to take to the road, to keep yourself going until Christmas and then to spring. You owe it to yourself, your family, your friends, your boss, your colleagues, your dog and your sanity. And, well, there’s always mulled wine.

Many of our sites stay open all year round, and last week we launched a new open now feature to keep track of who's still open. Here are five suggestions for where's best to flee to in the coming weeks:

The Old Oaks Touring Park , Glastonbury, Somerset

Not only can you have fun telling everyone you’re off to Glastonbury for the weekend, but also you can also enjoy staying at this adults-only park, which won the AA South West Campsite of the Year for 2010. This is a five-star park set in the Mendip Hills, with motorhomes, touring pitches and their new camping cabins to snuggle up in. There’s a half-acre fishing lake on site, and at the moment The Old Oaks are offering a chance to win a free fishing break.

Stonehenge Caravan Park , Wiltshire

This is a Caravan Club members-only park, but it’s well worth joining to take advantage of being able to have a winter break here – this acclaimed park is a great touring base for Stonehenge and the New Forest. And of course you have to take the 'Eight Pub Challenge' – calling into all the eight pubs within walking distance. One, the Boot Inn, is dog friendly, so if you don’t fancy a pub crawl and you have the pooch with you this is a good spot to get away from the elements.

North Lodge , Pembrokeshire

This organic freeholding overlooks the Preseli Hills Pembrokeshire Coastal National Park and offers camping and B&B as well as a log cabin with wood stove. It’s a perfect area for walking, horse-riding, fishing and golfing, and it’s only ten minutes' drive from Cardigan and Newport if you want to get in a spot of Christmas shopping.

Alberta Holiday Park , Kent

You don’t need sunshine to enjoy the beach – stomping along the shore in winter is one of the best walks around. This park in Seasalter, north Kent, is good for families, with a children's play area and family entertainment club. There’s a licensed club bar onsite with free wifi, as well as a café and shopping kiosk.

Lomond Woods Holiday Park , Loch Lomond, Dunbartonshire

This park takes touring caravans and motorhomes, but also offers its own luxurious caravan holiday homes with full central heating and double glazing, so you can cosy up indoors after a day walking around Loch Lomond. Lomond Woods recently won ‘Best Park in Scotland’ from VisitScotland.

So, just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t get away for a break, or have to freeze in a tent in the middle of nowhere. There are over 800 sites on Pitchup.com that are open now , all ready and waiting for winter-weary folks to turn up for a well-deserved break.