The top 10 coastal campsites

'Oh we do like to be beside the seaside...'

There's nothing better than a great family holiday at the beach, and with our selection of the top 10 coastal sites you'll be spoilt for choice. Whether it's a clifftop location overlooking the sea or a campsite practically on the sand, there's something here for everyone.

EAST SUSSEX
BLACK ROBIN FARM CL

This Caravan Club CL is set on a working sheep farm of 1000 acres situated high on the South Downs and just a 20-minute walk from the famous Beachy Head and its red and white striped lighthouse. It’s a little further to walk into the traditional seaside resort of Eastbourne but all on footpaths with amazing coastal views. There are various beaches ranging from popular ones with refreshment facilities, beach huts and lifeguards to more secluded retreats and dog-friendly stretches. The pier is home to amusements, tea rooms, and the seaside essential – fish and chips.

Beachy Head Road, Beachy Head, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN20 7XX - 01323 643357 - caravanclub.co.uk

DEVON
WHITEHILL COUNTRY PARK

The English Riviera – the south Devon coastline around Torquay, Brixham, and Paignton – promises a slice of the Med lifestyle without leaving Britain. While it may not often be as sub-tropical as the tourist industry would like you to believe, it does boast its own microclimate, and is well worth exploring. The problem with this idea is that there is so much to do at the campsite that you might struggle to leave it. Facilities include an excellent open air pool, play areas, a games room, and even a craft workshop. Activities from archery to pony riding and a climbing wall will entertain the more active. Prime location in the evenings is the Hayloft Bar, with a terrace to watch the sun go down.

Stoke Road, Paignton, South Devon TQ4 7PF - 01803 782338 - whitehill-park.co.uk

NORTH YORKSHIRE
WHITBY HOLIDAY PARK

With a spectacular clifftop location, Whitby Holiday Park has great views over the sea from many of its pitches. It’s also just a mile or so from the centre of Whitby – a charming and picturesque port, with plenty of points of interest. Fans of the Gothic scene will enjoy a tour of Whitby Abbey and the nearby church of St Mary’s, with their connections to Bram Stoker and the legend of Dracula. Campsite facilities include a shop and a café serving drinks and home made snacks. In the main season a family club and bar provides evening entertainment, and a games room will keep younger visitors happy.

Saltwick Bay, Whitby YO22 4JX - 01947 602664 - whitbypark.co.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND
SANDHAVEN CARAVAN PARK

The South Shields corner of Geordieland offers a surprising range of attractions for a proper seaside experience, with the added benefits of nearby shopping and dining, and spectacular coastal scenery. Located within Bents Park, just metres from a golden beach, Sandhaven Caravan Park has 21 touring pitches, all with electric hook-up, fresh water and drainage. In the immediate area is the traditional seaside fairground of Ocean Beach Pleasure Park, located where South Shields Pier meets the beach. The pier itself is a mile long and makes a spectacular walk with fine views across to Tynemouth and up the river.

Bents Park Road, South Shields, NE33 2NL - 01670 860256 - northumbrianleisure.co.uk

ISLE OF WIGHT
THORNESS BAY HOLIDAY PARK

Stepping onto the Isle of Wight is often likened to stepping back in time a couple of decades, such is the relaxed pace of life and adherence to traditional values that seems to permeate the place. This, combined with its appealing rolling limestone landscape and such coastal attractions as The Needles and the yachting focus of Cowes, draws visitors time and again. Set just a short drive from Cowes ferry terminal, Thorness Bay offers a choice of touring pitches in a rural setting running down to the sea. Facilities include an indoor pool with slide, adventure playground, all-weather sports court, and amusements.

Thorness Lane, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 8NJ - 01963 523109 - park-resorts.com

SOMERSET
COUNTRY VIEW HOLIDAY PARK

Country View is one of those campsites which has it all – a great location, lots of facilities, and a peaceful touring area away from the main hive of activity. There’s an outdoor pool, play area, arcade and games room to keep the kids happy but then if you’re touring without children you can enjoy relaxing in the touring field. The campsite is about 200 yards from the beach of Sand Bay. It’s a massive stretch of sand when the tide is out and dogs are welcome to enjoy the beach too. Open-top buses taking the scenic route from nearby Weston-super-Mare can be picked up from here if you want to enjoy the coast without having to walk it.

Sand Bay, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset BS22 9UJ - 01934 627595 - cvhp.co.uk

SCOTLAND
DRUM MOHR HOLIDAY PARK

This sheltered campsite on the outskirts of the pleasant Edinburgh suburb of Musselburgh is built within the old walled garden of a monastery. It all seems to be maintained to a high standard, with lots of trees and shrubs in the well-tended touring field, and from the northern part of the site there are views over the Firth of Forth. It’s a short walk from here to Levenhall Links park and the Forth shore. Eight miles or so to the west are all the cultural and shopping attractions of Edinburgh, easily reached by bus from the site gate. A slightly longer distance to the west is the rugged coastline around North Berwick.

Levenhall, Musselburgh, East Lothian EH21 8JS - 0131 665 6867 - drummohr.org

LANCASHIRE
HOLLINS FARM

Hollins Farm is probably best described as a proper campsite – just pitches, a play area, a warden and acres of trees and green fields. Yet this campsite also has the benefit of a five-star modern and immaculate stone-built facilities building. This is a quiet, peaceful farm site with animals in the adjoining fields, and stunning countryside views out to the Silverdale coastline. It is a place where you can get away from it all and walk at your lesiure for miles along the coast, enjoying the dramatic views of Morecambe Bay. But when you need extra in the way of facilities (like a pool, bar, restaurant and so on) you can make full use of the facilities at the sister park, Holgates Silverdale, a short walk away.

Far Arnside, Silverdale, Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 0SL - 01524 701508 - holgates.co.uk/hollins-farm

CORNWALL
PORTH BEACH TOURIST PARK

The beach at Porth is said to be one of the safest in Cornwall, being enclosed on three sides by cliffs. At high tide the sands are extensive – wide, long and soft. At low tide they are vast, with lots of rock-pooling opportunities. Porth Beach Tourist Park is just across the coastal road from the sands, cleverly located to be both coastal and sheltered at the same time. Many touring pitches here are grass with a growing number of fully serviced hardstanding pitches. Being so close to the town, there is a good choice of pubs, restaurants, and surf shops within a short walk.

Porth, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 3NH - 01637 876531 - porthbeach.co.uk

LINCOLNSHIRE
LAKESIDE PARK

The area east of Louth is characterised by vast expanses of low sand punctuated by vital nature reserves such as Donna Nook, and are relatively free of the bucket and spade brigade. There are plenty of statics and lodges at Lakeside Park, but this highly rated campsite also includes 150 super-pitches in a separate field slightly closer to the shore. Indeed, the wide beach is just two fields away, on the other side of the site’s own nine-hole golf course. Other activities include tennis courts, adventure playgrounds and many woodland walks direct from the site. Centrepiece of the attractions, though, is the Tropicana indoor swimming pool, and the entertainment complex including a bar and restaurant.

North Somercotes, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 7RB - 01507 358428 - donamottparks.com

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