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Introduction

Hello and welcome. Welcome to the updated second edition of Cool Caravanning, specifically for people who love to spend time in caravans or motorhomes, or at least use one as a base for exploration.

Most guides for caravanners – whether your ‘van has an integrated engine or not – give a little bit of information about lots of campsites, often in symbol format, with maybe the odd picture, but nothing more. Cool Caravanning is different.

You might say Cool Caravanning is a movement, all about getting back to the fundamentals when selecting a campsite. So often the focus is on facilities; the accreditation system of stars, ticks or any other keyboard character used to grade campsites and caravan parks places more importance on the hairdryer and shaver points and other modern conveniences than on the location or the beauty of the site.

Cool Caravanning seeks to redress the balance and return to the reasons for why we go camping – location, location, location. Modern caravans and motorhomes tend to have every kind of luxury imaginable on board these days – complete wash rooms, kitchens and heating, with huge energy reserves and, often, solar-powered top-ups – so, all we really need from a campsite is a fresh water tap and waste disposal points. Most of the sites in this book have far more than that, though one or two don’t. But what they all do have are fantastic locations without ugly uniform rows of ’vans, unless there’s good reason.

If there is one thing we want when we go to a campsite, it’s a great view or a superb place to stay. That’s what camping is all about. It might be a panorama of the coastline, a view of the hills, a woodland setting or a pitch by a bubbling stream. It could be a site that allows things to happen, a city break, for example, or an opportunity to ride the waves. Each one of the sites included here has something special to offer.

But campsites are also about people. So often a campsite reflects the character of the owners; it is in many instances their home after all. And these sites represent that side of camping too. A great view of the hills can look terribly bleak if the welcome is frosty and unappealing. So, in the search to find a personal and hand-picked selection of the very best places to stay in England with a caravan or a motorhome, I’ve also looked at the background to a site – the ethos and the approaches to camping as viewed by the owners and wardens. Campsite owners are such a diverse bunch of people, from the youngest-at-heart to those with young families. What’s apparent is it’s cool to own a campsite – some have had long-held dreams of owning one.

Hundreds of campsites across the country were visited to make the selection for the first edition. One or two of the sites chosen have sadly closed down due to retirement or changed direction – they don’t allow caravans or motorhomes any more! Most continue to thrive, evolve and get better with the passing years. But I’ve visited many more sites since the first edition was published. Very few would I have wished to include in the first guide in place of that original selection. Others are, indeed, wonderful, but there are not sufficient pages in a book to include them all. A first visit though, is always an attempt to establish whether the caravan park’s website that says it ‘nestles in the heart of …’ really does, and whether, when they mention the sea view, they also forget to announce the roar of the motorway, the railway line that carries cargo all night long or the sea view that includes a nuclear power station – and there are some! If there is a downside to any of the campsites written about in Cool Caravanning, then I’ve not omitted to mention it, confident that the good points will far outweigh any niggles. And, because I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to live with my family in an incredible rural place, it takes quite a lot from a campsite location to really impress us enough to be somewhere we’re prepared to pay to stay in our own ‘van!

I make no apologies for being averse to TVs in ‘vans. Travelling and holidays are all about getting away from the latest political troubles or the latest reality TV ‘star’ to fall victim to whichever knock-out programme they happen to be on. All caravans have giant picture windows and these sites are specially selected to make the most of them. And if it rains too much for the cagoule and boots, set out a board game and have some good old-fashioned family fun. So, for lovers of the great outdoors, or even for those who like to curl up on the sofa with a good book and a mug of cocoa while parked up in a nice spot, this book is for you.

There is such a diverse range of sites covered in Cool Caravanning, from tiny, almost exclusive, sites, such as Highside Farm (see page 52), to large sites like Pentewan Sands (see page 210), which, although bordering on a kind of commercial holiday park, still has something pretty special to offer. Most are independent sites, although a few are club-owned, run by The Camping & Caravanning Club or The Caravan Club, but are open to non-members and don’t have that cloned feeling that so many club sites can have. There are three small five-van certificated campsites as well, where only members of the relevant associated club can stay, but that feel so special they are worthy of obtaining club membership just to use them. And 25 per cent of the sites covered in the guide are open all year, so you can keep exploring through the winter months.

Each description provides details of the facilities, in brief, but also gives an insight into the whole of the campsite, the things to do and the places to go while staying, as well as useful information on special places to eat and drink or buy food, plus there’s an alternative campsite should things get busy.

Above all, Cool Caravanning is about inspiration; to inspire you to pack up the caravan and spark a desire to visit one – or all – of these very special places, more often than not run by special people.

Happy travels – I hope you enjoy visiting these campsites and look forward to seeing you there.