Top tips for choosing the ideal tent pitch

Camping advice

How to find the perfect family campsite

Choosing a campsite for you and your family's needs can make or break a camping holiday.

When it comes to finding a site for a big family holiday, there are lots of factors to consider.

Location is obviously a prime consideration, but that idyllic view over the sea won’t be much consolation if you’re trying to keep two demanding youngsters occupied. We’ve found that six-year-olds tend to be more impressed with brilliant playparks than splendid vistas.

So, make a checklist of everything you would like on your campsite – starting off with what you consider to be essential. The more boxes a site ticks, the better!

Iain Duff, Content Editor: Campervans/Camping

Iain Duff Content Editor: Campervan/Camping

Iain has been an avid camper since his very first night under canvas in his parents’ back garden, more years ago than he cares to remember. As a fully fledged gear geek he takes every opportunity to try out the latest camping gadgets when he’s out and about!

MORE ABOUT Iain

Find the right location

It sounds obvious, but narrowing your initial campsite search down to one region or area of the UK makes it a lot easier to find the best campsite, rather than simply searching the whole country.

In deciding the area you want to go to, consider how far you want to travel from home and what sort of activities you would like to enjoy when you are there.

Search for your perfect campsite

Search for a family campsite

When you’ve decided on the area you want to go to, it’s time to start researching sites.

There are plenty of resources online, but we would suggest you start by having a look at our own Premier Parks to pick somewhere that you fancy in the right area.

With a rigorous selection process, all the Premier Park campsites are personally chosen and assessed by the Premier Parks team, ensuring high-quality facilities and a fantastic overall atmosphere.

Search for a top-quality campsite

Decide when to go

Obviously if kids are involved you’ll be restricted to the school holidays and weekends, and the laws of supply and demand mean these are the most expensive times. Bank holidays and the peak summer months are especially popular so, if that’s when you want to go, get onto it quickly.

Search for the perfect campsite

Book your campsite early

It’s advisable to book in advance rather than risk not getting the campsite and dates you want. Look out for early bird offers as well – some campsites will give you a discount if you book your pitch a few months in advance. The opposite also applies – if you’re thinking about a weekend away at short notice, look out for last minute deals.

Things to consider

A good kids’ campsite doesn’t need to have a formal children’s playground, but it certainly helps. At least make sure the site has lots of open space, where they can run around to their heart’s content without upsetting fellow campers
Check whether the campsite has any no ball games or no bikes/scooters policies. If there are restrictions of that sort, it might be a red flag to warn you that this is perhaps not the most child-friendly site in general
Younger kids will enjoy seeing neighbouring sheep, cows and horses, or having free-range chickens and ducks wandering around their tent, so a campsite on a working farm is always a good bet
If you want a break from cooking at your tent every night, an on-site restaurant or takeaway or a family-friendly pub within walking distance will come in handy
One sign of a good kids’ campsite is that you won’t be able to drag them off it! But if you are planning to explore the surrounding area, check out what children’s attractions are nearby, such as theme parks
If you are camping with a baby or toddler, you will definitely want to add a family bathroom or even accessible facilities that double-up as a baby-change area, to your checklist
For a weekend trip, try a local campsite – you don’t want hours of listening to “Are we there yet?” from the back!

Look for sites with family-friendly facilities

Explore sites on Campsite Finder

We've made it easy to find family-friendly campsites on Campsite Finder, our comprehensive directory of the best campsites in the UK. Just use the advanced search filters to discover sites suited for families, ones with live entertainment, ones with a swimming pool, and much more!

Explore Campsite Finder