Caravanning at Christmas: Perfect sites 2018

Treat yourself to the best gift ever this festive period by booking a holiday away during the Christmas season.

We've based all site prices on a night's stay for a couple with electric hook-up in high season

Beech Croft Farm Caravan Park, Derbyshire

This family-run site, set between Buxton and Bakewell in Derbyshire, is in an ideal position for exploring the Peak District. There are 30 hardstanding pitches which all have 16-amp electric, a water tap and TV socket.

Also on site is a heated toilet and shower block, a shop, laundry and dog exercise area. Beech Croft Farm is in Blackwell in the Peak – a small hamlet with just ten houses and a few farms.

Taddington is nearby and is a larger village with a church and two pubs. In its centre is the Queens Arms. Or a 30-minute walk away along the Pennine Bridleway is the Church Inn at Chelmorton.

For those who enjoy cycling, the Monsal Trail is just three-quarters of a mile away from the site.

For Christmas time stays you should head to Chatsworth House, just 11 miles away, where the festive spirit is captured by 'Christmas at Chatsworth', which runs from 10 November to 6 January. See the house decorated from top to toe on a specific theme, and browse the Christmas Market from 16 November to 4 December.

Blackwell-in-the-Peak, Taddington, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9TQ
T 01298 85330
W beechcroftfarm.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £26

Cofton Holidays, Devon

For a festive family holiday, with everything you need on site, look no further than Cofton Holidays near Dawlish in Devon.

Facilities include an indoor pool, gym and health suite, restaurants, soft play area, amusements and games arcade and shop. Over Christmas time the site is decorated, there's festive food served in the restaurant, and for little ones, there is story time with Father Christmas.

Cofton is 30 minutes' drive from the city of Exeter where there's a Christmas market from 15 November to 16 December this year, with a late-night opening, a choice of festive foods, crafts, gifts and drinks, all set on Cathedral Green.

On-site are a choice of pitches including hardstandings near the fishing lakes or super pitches located on top of the hill overlooking the site. The toilet and shower facilities are heated so you won't be cold, either! Dogs are welcome on site so all members of the family can enjoy a Christmas break together.

Starcross, Nr Dawlish, South Devon EX6 8RP
T 01626 890111
W coftonholidays.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £38

Harrow Wood Farm Caravan Park, Dorset

The New Forest is a popular tourist attraction but how about exploring its beauty in wintertime? Wrap up warm and enjoy early morning walks on frost-bitten trails; look out for wildlife and enjoy the peace of forest free from tourists (apart from you!).

Harrow Wood Farm is located just two miles from the forest, five miles from Christchurch and 10 miles from Bournemouth. The site is in the village of Bransgore, with an on-site fishing lake and a one-mile circular walk around the farm.

Facilities include toilets and showers, dishwashing sinks and laundry. As well as the New Forest, Harrow Wood Farm is only a few miles from the coast so you can enjoy bracing walks by the sea out of season, and if you head to Bournemouth, you can see the town lit up with festive illuminations.

Bournemouth also hosts its own Christmas market with alpine stalls, Santa's grotto and ice rink. Christchurch celebrates all that is Christmas on 24 November this year with its annual Christmas Festival that is organised by the local community.

Poplar Lane, Bransgore, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 8JE
T 01425 672487
W caravan-sites.co.uk
OPEN 1 March – 6 January
PRICE £29

Dolbeare Park Caravan & Camping, Cornwall

Ideal for exploring southeast Cornwall, the Rame Peninsula and Whitsand Bay, Dolbeare Park is just 20 minutes from the fishing village of Looe and five miles from the Devon border.

Dolbeare is a dog-friendly park with a small dog walk and miles of country lanes and footpaths locally to explore. The nearest beaches of Seaton and Whitsand Bay are dog-friendly all year round.

Pitches for caravans are large hardstandings with 16-amp electric, amid grass, hedges and mature trees. Ideal for colder days, the amenity block has underfloor heating, with family rooms, and facilities for the disabled.

There's also a laundry and shop with off-licence. To keep children happy there is a low-level adventure trail, giant chess and Connect 4 set, plus a ball games area.

Plymouth is just 20 minutes' drive away. Plymouth boasts a natural harbour and also hosts an annual Christmas market from the end of November to a few days before Christmas.

Landrake, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 5AF
T 01752 851332
W dolbeare.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £26

Mortonhall Caravan & Camping Park, East Lothian

Set within a country estate with an arboretum, yet only four miles from the city of Edinburgh, Mortonhall offers peace and relaxation with all the attractions of Scotland's capital city close-by.

There is a regular bus service from the site into the city so exploring is easy if you'd prefer not to drive. You can also walk from the estate into Edinburgh's centre. On-site you'll find lots of walks, a couple of Highland cattle, toilets and showers, a laundry, a licensed shop, games room, play areas, and even a bar and restaurant.

There is a choice of grass or hardstanding pitches, both electric or fully serviced. Edinburgh is brimming with attractions including the castle, the famous Royal Mile and Holyrood Palace. But it's the place to be for Christmas cheer. The whole city twinkles with Christmas lights and the New Year Hogmanay celebrations include fireworks, a torchlight procession, candlelit choir concert, street party and music concert!

38 Mortonhall Gate, Frogston Road East, Edinburgh EH16 6TJ
T 0131 664 1533
W meadowhead.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £35.25

Somers Wood Caravan Park, Warwickshire

Somers Wood is an adults-only caravan park set in the grounds of part of the Forest of Arden. It's adjacent to Stonebridge Golf Club (which also has a bar and restaurant) and 20 acres of Packington Somers fishing lakes.

Even though you'll feel miles from anywhere, you're only 10 minutes from the NEC and 30 minutes from Birmingham city centre. Meriden village is one mile away with shops, pubs and restaurants. There are 48 hardstanding pitches, four fully serviced pitches and all have 10-amp electric. There's a heated shower block with privacy cubicles, toilets and showers, along with laundry.

The city of Birmingham is easily accessible by car, bus or train from the site. From 15 November to 23 December the city hosts the Frankfurt Christmas Market – the largest authentic German market outside of Germany and Austria with over 120 stalls, live music, fairground rides and an ice rink.

Somers Wood doesn't charge peak season fees over the Christmas and New Year period, instead of charging all pitches at low season rate. And if you stay seven nights, you can save £20 with the site's Christmas Season Saver.

Somers Wood, Meriden, Warwickshire CV7 7PL
T 01676 522978
W somerswood.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £25

Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park, Somerset

To immerse yourself in Christmas, head to adults-only Bath Chew Valley. Over the Christmas period, the organisers decorate the park with Christmas lights, and many guests decorate their vans. Bath Chew give a free bottle of wine for each decorated caravan and a free three-night break to the owners of the best display.

You can get your festive fix locally, too – a few minutes away in Bishop Sutton village is the Red Lion Inn, that serves Christmas favourites over the holiday period. There's also a big Christmas market in the city of Bath held in the square between the abbey and Roman Baths, from 22 November to 9 December.

If relaxing is more your thing, head to the Thermae Bath Spa (thermaebathspa.com) and enjoy its twilight package looking out over the city's rooftops as you relax in the spa.

On the caravan park are heated individual solo bathrooms and fully serviced hardstanding pitches. The park is laid out with a garden theme with pitches set amid lawns, shrubs and flower beds.

Ham Lane, Bishop Sutton, nr Bath BS39 5TZ
T 01275 332127
W bathchewvalley.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £34

St. Helens In The Park, Yorkshire

Castle Howard is the 18th-century residence with 1000 acres of country landscape and is one of Yorkshire's most elegant historic houses and estates. During the Christmas period, it hosts a lot of events for the whole family. The organisers decorate the house and gardens with trees, lights, garlands and flowers with a 25-foot Christmas tree in the Great Hall.

There will be live music daily, and the restaurant and café menus will reflect the season of the year. There will also be a Christmas Gift and Food Market.

St Helens is a 36-acre park on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, close to the busy seaside town of Scarborough. The campsite is divided into terraces with tree screening, is family and dog-friendly, and has an adults-only touring area.

There are six acres devoted to a country park for walking, with animals, and there's a play area, café and shop. The caravan park is 35 minutes' drive from Castle Howard.

Wykeham, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO13 9QD
T 01723 862771
W sthelenscaravanpark.co.uk 
OPEN All year
PRICE £28

Newquay View Resort, Cornwall

The surf capital of Cornwall, Newquay, is busy during the high season summer months but there's no reason not to enjoy this coastal town at Christmas. In the 12 days running up to Christmas Eve, there is a '12 Days of Christmas Festival', with children's activities, entertainment and live music for all ages, held at a range of places across the town.

Newquay View Resort is situated close to Porth, a village two miles from Newquay town centre. On the resort is an indoor pool with sauna and steam room, a café, restaurant, club and bar, amusements, play areas. The list goes on.

For touring customers, there is a range of pitches from standard plus with electric, to super pitches that have water, waste and electric points. Facilities on site include a heated toilet and shower building, a laundry and a shop with off-licence. Dogs are welcome on site, and there are plenty of local walks encompassing along the South West Coast Path.

On New Year's Eve, the site hosts a party with live band and buffet, this year with a Great Gatsby theme.

Trevelgue Road, Porth, Newquay, Cornwall TR8 4AS
T 01637 851851
W peterbullresorts.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £40

Bryn Y Gwin Farm CL, Gwynedd

If you're more Scrooge's 'Bah humbug!' than Santa's 'Ho, ho, ho Merry Christmas!' then head to Bryn Y Gwin Farm CL to escape all things festive. This five-pitch site, for Caravan & Motorhome Club members only, is located on the outskirts of Dolgellau and enjoys a feeling of tranquillity and seclusion.

It sits within the Snowdonia National Park, among the foothills of Wales's third highest mountain, Cader Idris. The site offers electric hook-ups, hardstandings, shower, toilets and wash facilities, and a one-acre coarse fishery.

Dolgellau is a 10-minute walk with shops, pubs and restaurants, and we also recommend a trip to eat at the nearby Cross Foxes. It's the perfect location for walking, with many beautiful trails leading straight from the campsite. If you fancy a walk where you won't bump into many people, then head towards Fairbourne and park on the A493 near the Einion House B&B (LL38 2NX).

Walk up Ffordd Panteinion until the wooden gate on the right appears. Head up here into an old quarry with a beautiful hidden lake called Blue Lake and great views!

Cader Road, Dolgellau, Gwynedd LL40 1TF
T 01341 422733
W brynygwin.co.uk
OPEN All year
PRICE £15.50

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