Christmas is for grown-ups - adults-only Christmas breaks

Christmas, They say, is for the kids. To which we say, Pah. It is undoubtedly merry spending Christmas with children, especially if you don’t own them and can thus buy delightfully unsuitable presents (drum kits and tarantulas), but it’s immense fun keeping it grown-up too.

Highlights of a blissful big persons’ Chrimbo include not having to threaten small folk over Eastenders versus Polar Express (again), having a sweary potty mouth when you set fire to the tea towel, and supping Cava in your jammies at 10am. Although we admit that last one can apply to parents too.

It’s also a tad easier getting away for Christmas if it’s just the grown-ups. There’ll be no tears – well, not many – over leaving the present-opening ceremony until New Year’s Eve at home to save packing space, and you can have a precious lie-in on Christmas morn without being clambered over by small shrieking people. And again, Cava.

We think Christmas holidays should be done by grown-up people at least once, and preferably every year. Here are some of our picks for adults-only holidays in outdoor accommodation this Christmas:  (All dates are for the four nights of 24-28 December for two adults; all available at time of writing):

Greenway Touring Site , Shropshire

Just festivally perfect. Small, friendly, peaceful and award-winning Greenway at Craven Arms in Shropshire is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has heted camping pods with sofa bed, fridge and kettle for the Cava and mixers. Four nights in a pod over Christmas is £140 for two adults, and even the family dog is welcome - for free. Ho ho ho.

New Farm , Cheshire

For tourers and motorhomes, the festive season can be seen in at Winsford’s New Farm, where there are three fishing lakes on site to land a Christmas catch. Pitches are hardstanding or grass and wifi is available on some pitches for a small extra charge. All pitches come with 16-amp electric hook-up. The pitch starts from £92 for the four nights, with pets welcome for a paltry extra £1 a night.

Grooby's Pit , Lincolnshire

More toasty podness at this Skegness site, with walks on the beach to walk off the turkey after Eastenders: Skegness is sevel miles away (we give you permish to drive there). For extra Christmas cheer, the town of Wainbridge and its famed brewery is only two miles away. The Grooby's Pit pod overlooks the park's fine two-acre coarse fishing lake, stuffed to the gills with specimens like bream, tench, roach, barbel, carp and eels. From £196 for four nights.

Barford Top Campsite , Leicestershire

Bring your horse here if you want (no, we don't mean minced up in a supermarket lasagne): Barford Top is next to the owners' working livery yard and has stabling for guests' horses (and guest horses) if required, and there are bridleways yards from the site for Christmas canters (apart from Peter Capaldi's first outing as The Doctor, of course. Squee). Grass pitches for touters and motorhomes have valley and hill views, come with electric hook-up and start from £115 for the four nights.

We also have availability for a couple of our bunkhouse and hut sites over Christmas, which, while not strictly adults-only, we think you can be fairly confident of descending upon and finding an absence of small guests. Harford Bunkhouse and Camping in Devon has a huge bunkhouse divided into separate centrally heated areas sleeping 4 - 15; all have access to shared loo and shower facilities apart from Bunk 1 which has its own. Dogs are allowed. Prices for four nights ove Christmas start from £128.

Woodland Park Camping Huts in Shropshire has a similar set-up, with huts sleeping up to four, seven or nine people, with firepit and picnic benches outside. Dogs are allowed here too; prices are from £140 - 280 for four nights.

Grown-up Christmas breaks: sorted. However, if you are indeed the owner of a small person or two, you can still have a festive break with them by searching our sites that are open all year. We have 175+ parks open for a week over the Christmas break , with some ideas for Christmas caravan and lodge holidays here . Most of these sites should be suitable for all ages, but if you want to be doubly sure you can also search for family-friendly parks that are open all year – just put your Christmas break dates into the availability calendar on the left.

Finally, here are over 150 family-friendly sites open for Christmas week , because we’re feeling all season of goodwilled now we’ve had that early glass of Cava. Merry Christmas!

Updated November 2013.