Christmas and winter lodges, pods and ho ho ho

It's Chriiiiiiistmas! Well no, not quite yet. But sensible sorts are already making plans for spending the festive season away from home, having realised that deciding on a lodge holiday (or winter caravan break) is a tip-top idea in itself, but going the whole (roast) hog and doing it for Noël too is the icing on the (Christmas) cake. 

For lodge holidays over winter as well as Christmas, we have plenty of  parks, holiday parks and campsites open all year round, including plenty of sites with toasty wooden lodges - the very type of place to imagine Santa visiting. Yes, even/especially if you're 40. 

Like all our listings, our lodge holiday and winter accommodation sites have loads of options re amenties on site and things to do nearby - use our 80+ filters to find your custom Christmas lodge holiday.

Some top tips and suggested sites:

All year lodge parks

Start here, then go to 'Filter by feature' on the left to tailor-make your lodge holiday. You can search by country here too - such as lodges and log cabins open all year in England, Scotland, Wales, France and Spain, such as the two and three-bedroom lodges and two-bedroom cottages at award-winning St Tinney Farm in Cornwall, available over Christmas from £315 (minimum three-night stay), or the three-bedroom lodge at Domaine des Monts du Mâconnais in Burgundy, from £96.16 a night sleeping up to eight. 

Filter by factors...

...like tourist board rating - eg Grade 5 lodge parks open all year - or by groups the park is aimed at, such as family-friendly or with student groups welcome, or by rules on site, like parks which allow dogs: book (or take over) the three camping huts at Woodland Park Camping Huts in Shropshire with the dog over Christmas, and bring an extra turkey.

Mix up filters any which way you like: Middlewick Farm at Glastonbury Tor has E-den camping cabins, snug double beds with crisp white bedding and private showers with fluffy towels; it's filtered as luxury, peaceful, with spectacular scenery and in a walkers' paradise. Cabins are £195 for three nights in December, including over Christmas. 

Winter caravan sites

Search specifically for open all year and static caravan parks, such as beaut Bowdens Crest Caravan & Camping Park in Somerset, which has availability in its two-bedroom holiday home for 24 - 27 December inclusive from £200. (Tourer owners: find open all year sites here, and check out our guide to winter caravan storage for after the hols.)

Lodges, cabins, pods and huts

To make the eyes of naysayers boggle even more, search for something a bit more on the unusual side, which in our humble opinion is pretty much the epitome of ‘cool alternative Christmas’. There'll be heat, there'll be light and there'll be excellent Facebook photos to annoy the naysayers with while they're sitting at home drawing weapons around the turkey. A few we prepared earlier (as you should do with the turkey):

• Heated camping pods with TV/DVD players at Yapham Holds Farmhouse Campsite in York are available over Christmas from £140 for two nights and for selected dates in December from £70 for two nights. 

• Shepherd's huts at Top Farm Caravan and Camping Site in Norfolk starts from £80 for two nights in December including electricity and free firewood.

• In Scotland, lush and luxury Loch Tay Highland Lodges in Perthshire has one-bedroom woodland cabins with views of the Ben Lawers mountain range and Loch Tay, woodburning stoves, flatscreen TVs and fully-equipped kitchens from £240 for three nights from 23, 24 or 25 December.

Festive themes 

Look for your Christmas lodge or caravan park according to theme - we have open all year lodge and log cabin sites with spectacular scenery, in a walkers' paradise, in a lake or mountain area, in a remote location or budget /backpacker. 

Look for leisure

If you think you'll still have energy after the turkey dinner, turkey sandwiches and turkey ice cream, you can also search for a lodge or caravan park according to amenities and leisure on site - for example lodge parks with wifi, fishing or a play area - or by leisure nearby, such as lodge parks with golf, cycle hire or an indoor pool nearby (or an outdoor pool for the truly masochistic/turkey-insulated). 

Holidays aren't just for Christmas

Weren't able to get away over Christmas but are now about to lose it unless you do? We'll hastily point out the insulated heated family pods at Hillcrest Park in North Yorkshire, available for £80 from 27 - 29 December inclusive, or steer you towards a sojourn in Spain at Camping Rural 45 minutes from the Costa del Sol in Málaga: two-bedroom lodges from 29 December to 5 January inclusive start from £346.76 for four people.

Back to basics

If you want to go properly under canvas for a spot of winter camping with your trusty tent at Christmas, browse our tent pitches in a host of settings aaround the UK, Ireland and Europe, although you may want to concentrate on those that allow campfires on site. Brrrr. Or just book a lodge, cabin or caravan instead - it'll be much toastier, and there'll be many more places to hang the stocking. Merry Christmas!

Page updated October 2014