Top UK campsites and caravan parks revealed by Pitchup.com

Pitchup.com has compiled a round-up of popular sites for this summer, based on customer bookings. There is still availability at a number of top camping, glamping and caravan sites up and down the country, whether looking for boutique bell-tents or back-packs and barbeques.

Pitchup.com’s top sites for summer 2012:

1. Etherley Farm, Surrey

Proving that camp-fire cooking is a must, this picturesque site near Dorking is high on the booking list for the summer. Caravans, campervans, tents and camp fires are all welcome, with a free choice of location within the roomy field. Guests can buy  tasty farm produce for dinner: chicken, burgers and sausages are all on sale. Pitches priced from £12 per pitch based on two adults sharing.

2. Summer Lodge Holiday Park, Cornwall

A prime location for exploring Cornwall’s coastal charms, this site is just minutes from the beaches of Newquay. Summer Lodge Holiday Park has a heated outdoor pool and an adventure play area for the kids. If the weather should turn, there is a cosy games room, clubhouse, and the popular bar hosts a range of live entertainment. Pitches are priced from £5 per night and static caravans sleeping up to six people are available from £281 per week.

3. Penisar Mynydd Caravan Park, North Wales

This tiny gem on the north coast of Wales is a peaceful caravan and camp site, looking over the picturesque landscape of the Clwydian hills. The site has a host of information for guests to help guests make the most of the local area – the stunning Dyserth Waterfall is a must-visit. Pitches are priced from £12 per night for two persons.

4. Hedley Wood Caravan & Camping Park, Devon *DOG FRIENDLY WINNER*

Pitchup.com’s top dog-friendly site for the summer - Hedley Wood Caravan & Camping Park has facilities for canine visitors which have won plaudits from The Kennel Club. There’s a dedicated exercise area, as well as fantastic kennelling facilities on site. Kids will also be delighted by the furry and feathered friends in the pets’ corner. Pitches are priced from £14 per night for two persons.

5. Neals Place Farm, Kent *TOP FOR FARM STAYS*

Neals Place Farm is small, friendly site on a working farm in Canterbury. The facilities are good (showers, loos, chemical disposal points and washing machine and tumble dryer available, plus the farm shop selling apple-related goodies), but Canterbury is on the doorstep for any other facilities visitors might need. Pitches are priced from £15 per night for two persons.

6. Callow Top Holiday Park, Derbyshire

High on the top-booked list is award winning Callow Top Holiday Park. The facilities here are indeed top notch - there’s an on-site supermarket, heated outdoor swimming pool and paddling pools, an amusement arcade, well-designed children’s playgrounds, a games field with football and cricket pitches and a volleyball court. The site even has its very own micro brewery. Venture just a little further afield and  find lots more on offer in the pleasant market town of Ashbourne. Pitches are priced from £13.60 per night for two persons.

7. Chy Carne Camping and Touring Park, Cornwall

Overlooking Kennack Sands on the Lizard peninsula, the pitches at this family friendly park benefit from breathtaking views over the bay. Kids will love the large pirate ship playground, and there is a now a brand new games room on offer for when the weather turns. Enjoy campfire cooking on one of the chimineas, or fire baskets – during the summer months guests can eat, drink and be merry under the stars in the cosy atmosphere of a beautifully lit, communal marquee. Pitches are priced from £14 per night for two adults.

8. Riverside Country Park, Northumberland

For those looking for somewhere different to the sites of the south coast this summer, sneak away to the edge the Northumberland National Park. Riverside Country Park is a friendly, well-maintained site nestled on the banks of Wooler Water. There’s an indoor swimming pool and jacuzzi, fantastic fly fishing on offer and 80-acre woods to explore. Entertainment for the little ones is laid on during the summer season, so Mum and Dad can have a well-earned rest. Pitches are priced from £9 per night for two people.

9. Hendra Holiday Park, Cornwall

Hendra Holiday Park recently won Cornwall’s Holiday Park of the Year. An ideal family getaway - kids young and old will love the large indoor and outdoor pool complex, with its flumes, river rapids, geysers and waterfalls, and back on dry land the Hippo Kids’ Club will take over and entertain them with treasure hunts, nature trails, karaoke, fancy dress and much more. There are a number of bars, cafés, restaurants and takeaways, plus everything guests could need for their stay (and anything forgotten will probably be on sale at the well-stocked supermarket). Pitches are priced from £13.70 per night for two adults.

10. Redlands Farm, Dorset *TOP FOR RUSTIC CAMPING*

And last, but by no means least, a real back-to-basics campsite, with a reasonable price tag for a spot of canvas camping. Redlands Farm is a friendly, farm-based site with eco-composting loos, and guests are welcome to use the showers, bar and sports facilities in the sports centre just across the road for free. The farm shop and tea room offers delicious home cooked treats, including hearty farm breakfasts to set guests up for days in the great outdoors. Pitches priced from £12.50 per pitch per night for up to four people.

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About Pitchup.com

Winner of the Travel Journalists’ Award for Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011 and Best Travel Information Site at the 2010 Travolution awards, Pitchup.com is the most comprehensive website in the camping and caravanning sector. Launched in July 2009, the site features 5,000 campsites and holiday parks in the UK and Ireland, including many in hard-to-find locations. The website enables users to search and book using more than 80 search criteria to fine-tune their holiday requirements, and features mapping technology to make getting there simple too. The site also lists accommodation near nine National Parks, hundreds of beaches, 17 World Heritage Sites and the main UK festivals and can view nearby Good Pub Guide pubs, National Trust properties and National Cycle Network routes. Website owners can also add custom Pitchup.com listings to their site.

Issued by Flagship Consulting

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