Camping for Beginners: How to Plan Your First Trip in the UK

Your first camping trip needs four things sorted: somewhere to sleep, somewhere to pitch, warm dry bedding and a plan for food. Get those right and everything else is comfort. Most first trips that go wrong go wrong on one of those four, not on anything exotic, so this guide fixes them in order.

Britain has more than 5,000 campsites, from field-and-a-tap farms to holiday parks with heated pools, which means the hardest part of a first trip is usually choosing where to go rather than surviving it. Pick a friendly site close to home, keep the kit simple, and treat the first night as a practice run you can bail on.

It is the beginner's guide from Camping Sites in Britain, where you can find and compare campsites, caravan parks and glamping across the UK.

The types of UK campsite, at a glance

Where you camp shapes everything else about the trip, so start with the type of site rather than the postcode. This is what you are choosing between in Britain.

Type of site	What you get	Best for a first trip?
Holiday park	Toilets, hot showers, shop, often a pool and bar, electric hook-up pitches	Yes, the easiest possible start
Commercial campsite	Toilet and shower block, water taps, marked pitches, some with hook-up	Yes, the standard choice
Certificated site (CL or CS)	Small, quiet, five pitches maximum, basic facilities, run by the two big clubs	Good once you have one trip behind you
Farm or wild-feel pitch	A field, a tap, maybe a compost loo, lots of space	Only if you want a challenge
Wild camping	No facilities at all, you carry everything in and out	Not for a first trip

For a first outing, a commercial campsite or holiday park with a proper shower block is worth every penny. You want a shop for the thing you forgot, hot water for morale, and neighbours who have done this before. Certificated sites, the CLs and CSs run by the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan and Motorhome Club, are limited to five caravans or motorhomes and are brilliant later, but they are quieter and more basic than a first-timer usually wants.

How to choose your first campsite

Choose a site within 90 minutes of home for your first trip, with a toilet and shower block and good recent reviews. A short drive means you can go home if the weather turns genuinely awful, and it keeps the day relaxed instead of a five-hour slog before you have even pitched. Our full guide to how to choose the right campsite walks through facilities, pitch types and the questions to ask before you book.

Read the reviews for the things that matter to you, not the star rating. Families want a play area and level ground; couples want quiet and a view; anyone with mobility needs wants hardstanding, accessible toilets and a short walk from car to pitch. Our guide to accessible camping sites in the UK covers what to look for and which sites do it well. With more than 5,000 sites to pick from, as our count of the number of campsites in the UK explains, there is a right one for you, so use the filters and be fussy.

You can search and compare sites by facilities, region and price across our directory at Camping Sites in Britain. If you already know the corner of the country you fancy, browse a popular starter region like Devon, Dorset or the Lake District.

How to choose your pitch and put the tent up

Pick the flattest ground you can find, with the tent door away from the prevailing wind and nothing above you that could drop in a storm. A slight slope is fine if you sleep with your head at the top; a noticeable slope means a night of sliding into the tent wall. Avoid the lowest corner of a field, which collects cold air and water, and the ground directly under trees, which drips long after the rain stops. Our guide to choosing the best location for your tent has the full checklist.

Practise pitching the tent in the garden or a park before you go. Doing it once at home, in daylight, with the instructions to hand, saves a miserable hour in a wet field at dusk. Count the pegs and poles as you pack them away so you know they are all there. Buy a tent that is simple for your group size rather than the biggest or cheapest one on the shelf.

Car camping or backpacking: pick your style first

Car camping is the right first choice for almost everyone, because the car carries the weight and you can bring comfort you would never lug on your back. You park at or near the pitch, unload a big tent, a proper airbed, a cool box and camping chairs, and live well. Our guide to a successful car camping trip covers packing the boot, what to bring and how to set up camp.

Backpacking, where you carry everything to a pitch on foot, is a different sport that rewards experience and light, expensive kit. Save it until you have a few car-camping trips behind you and know what you actually use. When you are ready, start with preparing for your first backpacking trip.

If you are car camping and short of boot space, a roof box swallows the bulky, light stuff like sleeping bags and chairs. Whether it earns its cost depends on how often you go, which we weigh up in is it worth getting a roof box for your vehicle. Either way, packing light is a habit worth building early, and how to pack light for a camping trip shows how to cut the pile down without leaving behind anything you need.

What to pack for your first trip

Pack for shelter, warmth, food and safety first, and treat everything else as optional. The mistake first-timers make is not forgetting the tent, it is forgetting the small things that ruin a night: a pillow, a torch, enough warm layers, a way to make a hot drink. Work from a written list and tick items into the car as you load them.

• Sleep: tent, sleeping bag rated for the coldest night you expect, a sleeping mat or airbed, and a pillow. The mat matters as much as the bag, because the cold comes up from the ground.
• Warmth and weather: a warm mid layer, a waterproof jacket, a hat even in summer, and spare dry socks. British weather turns fast, so pack for rain you are not expecting.
• Food and cooking: a stove, gas, a lighter and matches, one pan, a mug, a plate, a knife, a cool box and a water carrier. Never cook inside the tent.
• Light and power: a head torch with spare batteries, and a power bank for your phone.
• Safety and comfort: a first aid kit, sun cream, insect repellent, a few bin bags, and earplugs for noisy neighbours.

For a proper tick-list you can print and reuse, our camping checklist covers every category so nothing gets left on the kitchen table. A phone stays in the kit list, by the way; keep it charged for maps and emergencies even if you switch it off the rest of the time.

When to go and how to book

Book ahead for anything in July, August or a bank holiday weekend, because the good sites in popular regions fill months in advance. May, June and September are the sweet spot for beginners: the weather is often kinder, the sites are quieter, and prices outside the school holidays drop noticeably. A midweek night in June is a completely different, calmer experience from the August bank holiday.

Decide whether you want an electric hook-up pitch when you book. A hook-up gives you a mains supply at the pitch, usually rated at 10 or 16 amps, which runs a cool box, lights, phone charging and a low-wattage heater through a special hook-up cable and unit. It costs a few pounds more per night and is worth it in the shoulder seasons or with young children. Without one you are running on gas, batteries and torches, which is perfectly fine in summer.

Check the site's arrival times, dog policy, and whether campfires or disposable barbecues are allowed before you travel, as these vary from site to site. Ringing the owner with a question is normal and tells you a lot about how the place is run.

How to camp on a budget

Camping is one of the cheapest holidays in Britain, and a first trip need not mean hundreds of pounds of new kit. Pitch fees at a typical UK campsite run from around £15 to £35 a night for a tent and two people, so the trip itself is affordable; the spend that stings is buying every gadget at once. Borrow a tent for the first outing, buy the sleep system second-hand, and add comfort kit over time once you know you enjoy it.

Our full guide to how to camp on a budget covers where to save and where not to, cooking cheaply from a cool box, and how certificated sites and midweek nights cut the cost. The one place not to skimp is the sleep system, because a cold, sleepless night is what makes people decide they hate camping.

Staying comfortable and clean

Comfort at a campsite is mostly about small, cheap touches rather than expensive gear. A decent mat, a real pillow, a rug for the tent doormat and a folding chair transform a night under canvas. Our guide to making your campsite more comfortable is full of these, and our round-up of 20 ultimate camping hacks and tips has the clever shortcuts experienced campers swear by.

Hygiene is easier than beginners fear. Most sites have hot showers and flushing toilets, so a wash bag, a quick-dry towel, flip-flops for the shower block and a bag for dirty laundry cover it. On sites without facilities you manage with wet wipes, hand sanitiser and biodegradable soap used well away from any water. Our guide to maintaining personal hygiene while camping covers both situations. If comfort is the whole point of your trip, some sites go further with hot tubs and saunas, rounded up in our pick of the best campsites for thermal spa experiences.

Camping with the right people

Who you go with changes how you plan, so match the trip to the group. A first trip with friends works best when jobs are shared out and everyone knows the plan before they arrive, which our guide to planning a camping trip with friends lays out, from splitting the kit to agreeing the food.

A couples' trip is a different thing again, quieter and more about the setting than the schedule. If you are planning a getaway for two, our tips for a romantic camping getaway cover choosing a secluded pitch, keeping it warm and making the evening feel special. Whoever you go with, tell someone at home where you are and when you expect to be back.

First-timer mistakes to avoid

The most common beginner mistakes are all avoidable: arriving after dark, forgetting a warm layer, pitching in a dip, bringing too much and packing no pillow. Arriving with two hours of daylight left is the single best habit you can build, because pitching in the light is easy and pitching in the dark is not. Our pre-camping checklist and common mistakes guide runs through the traps first-timers fall into and how to skip them.

Campsites also run on unwritten rules, and following them makes you a welcome neighbour. Keep noise down after dark, do not walk across other people's pitches, clean up after your dog, and leave the pitch as you found it. Our guide to camping etiquette dos and don'ts covers the lot. When you are outdoors more widely, follow the Countryside Code, published by gov.uk, and leave no trace.

One point on where you are allowed to camp: pitching a tent anywhere you like is not a legal right in most of England and Wales, where you need the landowner's permission. Dartmoor is the exception, confirmed by the UK Supreme Court on 21 May 2025, and Scotland allows responsible wild camping under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. For a first trip on a proper campsite none of this applies, but it is worth knowing before you are tempted by a field with a view.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need for my first camping trip?

A tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat or airbed, a pillow, warm layers and a waterproof, a torch, a stove with gas, a cool box and a first aid kit. Borrow the big items for a first trip rather than buying everything at once, and work from a written checklist so nothing gets left behind.

Where should a beginner go camping in the UK?

Choose a commercial campsite or holiday park within about 90 minutes of home, with a toilet and shower block, a shop and good recent reviews. Popular, well-run regions like Devon, Dorset and the Lake District have plenty of beginner-friendly sites. A short drive means you can go home easily if the weather turns.

How much does camping cost in the UK?

A tent pitch for two at a typical UK campsite costs around £15 to £35 a night, more at busy holiday parks and less at small certificated sites. The bigger cost is kit, so borrow or buy second-hand for a first trip and add gear over time once you know you enjoy it.

What is an electric hook-up and do I need one?

An electric hook-up is a mains supply at your pitch, usually 10 or 16 amps, reached with a special hook-up cable and unit. It powers a cool box, lights, charging and a low-wattage heater. It is not essential in summer, but it is worth the few extra pounds in spring, autumn or with young children.

When is the best time for a first camping trip?

May, June and September are ideal for beginners: milder weather, quieter sites and lower prices outside the school holidays. Book well ahead for July, August and bank holiday weekends, when popular sites fill months in advance. A calm midweek night is the gentlest possible introduction.

Is camping good for you?

Yes. Time outdoors, daylight, exercise and a break from screens all lift mood and sleep, as we cover in our guide to the health benefits of camping. A weekend under canvas is one of the cheapest and simplest ways to reset, which is a large part of why so many first-timers come back for more.

The short version

Book a friendly campsite close to home, keep the kit simple, arrive in daylight and pack for rain you are not expecting. Sort shelter, warmth, food and safety, and the rest is comfort you can add trip by trip. Camping is cheap, good for you, as our guide to the health benefits of camping explains, and far easier than it looks from the outside.

When you are ready to pick your spot, find and compare sites across the country at Camping Sites in Britain.