Cliff camping isn’t for the faint-hearted, but if you’ve got a head for heights and a taste for adventure you can spend the night on a portaledge on a cliff-face in Anglesey. This sturdy canvas shelf is tethered to the side of a cliff and after you’ve eaten dinner and sipped a hot chocolate, you sleep (or try to sleep), under the open skies.
Another awesome spot for cliff camping is in the south of England, along the rugged Jurassic Coast. You’ll abseil down to the portaledge and take in the sunset before sleeping metres from the crashing Atlantic Ocean. In the morning, coffee and a bacon bap is lowered down from the clifftop.
English wine has gained a growing reputation in recent years and Ten Acres Vineyard in sunny Devon produces some glorious bottles from its vineyard laid out beneath the campsite. You can wonder among the vines and try a taster in the Wine Shack, or best of all, buy a bottle to enjoy from your tent as the sun sets over the unbelievably beautiful countryside.
Dartmoor National Park is one of the few places in the UK where you can legally wild camp (in certain areas and always obeying the by-laws). Dartmoor has 368 square miles of heather-covered moorland to explore and its wide-open wild landscape – with its dramatic granite tors – is a pleasure to wake up in.
More than 100 years ago, 20 boys pitched up to Brownsea Island in Poole harbour to learn scouting and military skills from Robert Baden-Powell. Since the island was reopened in 1963 groups (not only Scouts and Guides) visit from all over the world. Self-sufficient campers can also book a pitch on the island’s eco-adventure site.
A disused slate mine in mid-Wales has opened a bespoke underground sleepover for campers looking for a unique experience. A group of six people descend into the depths at the abandoned Corris Mine to listen to stories of mining in days gone by and explore the eerily quiet tunnels and caverns that were hand-dug by Victorians.
The tiny Isle of Eigg, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, is a unique island that was bought out by the community in 1997 and uses only renewable energy (it’s not connected to the National Grid). There are some outstanding spots for wild camping, but if you prefer the facilities of an organised site, then Cleadale is a lovely option looking out to the Isle of Rum.
In the heart of Carmarthenshire in southwest Wales is Cwmcrwth Farm, a family-friendly farmyard experience where you can sleep in a converted pig ark. Surprisingly comfortable (hello, double bed), you’ll also get a piggy themed breakfast hamper. Little ones can explore the farm each morning; feeding the pigs, meeting the goats and sheep, hunting for eggs and brushing the miniature Shetland.
Here at Aberafon, North Wales, you are miles from the bright lights of the big city. The grassy tiers of the gloriously sited pitches merge with the rocky coastline – and on the wild beach you can light a campfire, explore the rockpools or take a chilly dip in the sea.
OK, so you can’t camp on the South Bank. But, just 30 minutes south of central London, there’s a remarkable site for vans and tents in leafy Crystal Palace. The number three bus to Trafalgar Square runs almost outside the entrance and the neighbourhood itself is much loved for the cafés and bars on the “triangle”. Sadly, the site looks set to close in December 2018, so visit while you can. Read our guide to London here.
Ian Fleming apparently gave James Bond a Scottish background in his novels after Sean Connery played the famous character on screen. In the 2012 film Skyfall, Bond returned to his family estate in Glen Coe and the stunning backdrop is used in a number of scenes. There are some wonderful wild camping spots by the River Coupall, with views of the pyramid peak of Stob Dearg (Buachaille Etive Mor).
England’s westernmost campsite is on St Agnes, the furthest flung island in the remote archipelago off Cornwall and home to just 72 people. Troytown Farm Campsite is right on the water’s edge and there’s nothing but the Atlantic between here and New York City.
If you’d like to camp with green and pleasant rolling hills all around and a view of a thousand-year-old castle, Downshay Farm is the place. Reached by steam train and a walk along a narrow country lane, this is rural Dorset at its most inviting.
The fleet of classic wooden rowing boats at Thames Skiff Hire are mostly over 100 years old. You can moor anywhere along the Thames long distance path – or there are a couple of riverside campsites that you can row up to. Once you've found your spot, simply pull the canvas cover over to make a snug place to sleep for three people.
North of Newcastle, Northumberland’s Heritage Coast boasts Beadnell Bay with its stunning beach and imposing sand dunes. The Camping and Caravanning Club have a site minutes from the dunes and campers can explore the horseshoe bay and its quay at their leisure.
Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands is famed the world over for its folkloric Loch Ness Monster, Nessie. One of only a few places with easy access to its shoreline is at the southern end of the freshwater loch; Loch Ness Shores is an eco-friendly Camping and Caravanning Club site with a stunning forest backdrop.
North Norfolk boasts a fully restored windmill that was built in 1846; on windy days you can watch the sails and milling machinery turning. The five floors of the windmill are easy to climb and the countryside views from the tiny windows are lovely. But the best thing about camping at Bircham Windmill is the on-site bakery, which churns out fresh bread every morning all summer long.
Around 5,000 New Forest Ponies are dotted around the National Park, freely roaming since William the Conqueror granted commoners the rights to graze their ponies on “his” hunting reserve. Longbeech Camping and Caravanning Club site is tucked under ancient beech trees and has direct access to the forest where the extraordinary ponies roam free.
If you fancy floating on a marina in the UK’s only coastal National Park, head to Haven Pod at Neyland Yacht Haven in Pembrokeshire. The eco-friendly pods made from up-cycled pontoons sleep two adults and two children – plus you get your own private decking area with unobstructed waterfront views.
This Caravan Club site is within walking distance of York’s medieval city centre and stunning Minster. Despite the proximity to the city, it feels rural and peaceful here by the River Ouse. Tents and tourers are welcome and the stroll along the waterway into the old town is just long enough to work up a thirst for an ale at one of York’s atmospheric old pubs.