How Many Campsites Are There in the UK?
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The UK has thousands of campsites, and the most reliable count we can give you is our own: Camping Sites in Britain lists over 7,800 campsites, caravan parks, motorhome stopovers and glamping sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. That is the number of individual places you can actually book a pitch tonight, not an estimate, and it grows every month as new sites open and existing ones join.
Nobody holds a single official register of every campsite in Britain, which is why published figures vary so much. What we can tell you, from the directory we maintain, is roughly how those 7,800-plus sites split by type and by nation, how staycations and glamping have reshaped the map, and where the two big membership clubs fit in.
This is part of our guide to planning your first camping trip, and it is the page to start with if you just want a sense of how much choice is out there.
How many campsites are there in the UK?
Over 7,800, on the count we keep. That figure covers everything from a farmer's five-pitch field to a 500-pitch holiday park, so it includes tent sites, touring caravan parks, motorhome sites and glamping in one total. If you only counted large commercial parks the number would be far smaller; if you counted every small landowner who takes a handful of vans in summer it would be larger still. The 7,800-plus figure is the practical middle ground: sites a member of the public can find and book.
Because there is no legal requirement for a small site to register anywhere central, any headline number is really a count of what a given directory has gathered. Ours is one of the most complete for the UK, and it is the one we stand behind on this page.
UK campsites by type
Most UK sites fall into four broad categories, and plenty of them offer more than one. A single park might take tents, touring caravans and motorhomes and run a row of glamping pods as well.
| Type | What it means | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Tent sites | Grass pitches for tents, from basic fields to fully serviced parks | Families, first-timers, backpackers |
| Touring caravan parks | Hardstanding or grass pitches with hook-ups for towed caravans | Caravanners and longer stays |
| Motorhome sites | Pitches and aires sized for campervans and motorhomes, often with waste points | Van lifers and touring drivers |
| Glamping | Pods, yurts, safari tents, shepherd's huts and cabins with a bed and often heating | Couples, groups and anyone who wants comfort |
Tent-friendly grass sites still make up the largest share, because they are the cheapest to set up and the most common on farms. Touring caravan and motorhome pitches are close behind, since so many sites cater to wheels as well as canvas. Glamping is the smallest category by number but by far the fastest growing, which is why we list it as a category in its own right. If you are weighing up canvas against a pod, our pre-camping checklist will help you avoid the common booking mistakes before you commit.
UK campsites by nation and region
England has the great majority of UK campsites, with Wales and Scotland holding strong clusters and Northern Ireland the smallest share. That roughly tracks population and land area, but the honeypots are really about scenery: the coast and the national parks pull sites in far denser than the average.
The heaviest concentrations sit where people most want to camp. In England that means the South West and the northern national parks, so our listings for the Lake District and Cumbria, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and North Yorkshire run deep. Wales draws campers to Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia in Gwynedd, while Scotland's biggest pull is the Highlands. Quieter, flatter counties such as Lincolnshire have fewer sites but also fewer crowds, which is worth knowing when a bank holiday sells out everywhere else.
Browse the full campsite directory to filter by nation, region and type and see exactly what is available where you want to go.
Staycations and the rise of glamping
UK camping has grown strongly since 2020, when overseas travel restrictions pushed millions of people towards a domestic break and a good number of them stuck with it. The staycation habit outlasted the reason it started, and campsites, holiday parks and glamping operators have all expanded to meet it.
Glamping is the clearest sign of that shift. A decade ago a pod or safari tent was a novelty; now most touring parks of any size have added a few, and dedicated glamping farms have opened across the country. It has widened who camps, bringing in people who would never sleep on a roll mat but will happily book a heated shepherd's hut with a proper bed. VisitBritain tracks domestic overnight trips and consistently reports camping and caravanning as one of the most popular accommodation choices for UK holidays, and the direction of travel has been upward for years.
Motorhome and campervan travel has followed the same curve, which is why aires and van-friendly stopovers now feature so heavily in our listings. If you are joining the trend on four wheels, our tips for a successful car camping trip cover the practical side of pitching up with a vehicle.
The two big clubs
Alongside the thousands of independent sites, two large membership clubs run their own networks, and between them they account for a big slice of UK pitches. Their sites are only part of the picture, but they are well run, consistent and popular with regular campers.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club runs around 200 of its own Club campsites and lists more than 2,000 small, five-pitch Certificated Locations that members can use. The Camping and Caravanning Club runs more than 100 Club Sites of its own, plus thousands of small Certificated Sites open to members. Many of these appear in general directories too, but membership brings discounts and access to the small locations that are otherwise hard to find. You do not need to join a club to camp in Britain, but for frequent tourers the maths often works out.
How to choose from thousands of sites
Start with the region, then the type, then the details. With over 7,800 sites to pick from, the fastest way to a good trip is to narrow by where you want to be and what you want to sleep in, then compare the shortlist on the things that actually matter to you: hook-ups, showers, dog policy, whether it takes tents as well as vans, and how far it is from the beach or the trailhead.
If you are travelling as a group, agree the must-haves before you book, because a site that suits two people rarely suits eight. Our guide to planning a camping trip with friends walks through that. For a first family trip, keep it simple and close to home, and use the directory to check reviews and facilities before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How many campsites are there in the UK?
Over 7,800, based on the directory we maintain at Camping Sites in Britain. That total covers tent sites, touring caravan parks, motorhome sites and glamping across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it grows as new sites open and join.
Which UK nation has the most campsites?
England, by a wide margin, followed by Wales and Scotland, with Northern Ireland holding the smallest share. Within England the South West and the northern national parks have the densest concentrations of any part of the UK.
What counts as a campsite?
Any site that lets the public book a pitch, from a small farm field to a large holiday park. Our count includes tent sites, touring caravan parks, motorhome stopovers and glamping, because most people planning a trip want to see all of them in one place.
Are there more campsites in the UK than there used to be?
Yes. Numbers have risen since 2020 as staycations became more popular, and glamping in particular has expanded quickly, with pods, yurts and shepherd's huts added at existing parks and on new dedicated sites across the country.
How many campsites do the camping clubs run?
The Caravan and Motorhome Club runs around 200 Club sites plus more than 2,000 small Certificated Locations. The Camping and Caravanning Club runs more than 100 Club Sites plus thousands of Certificated Sites for members.
Where can I find and compare UK campsites?
Use our campsite directory. You can filter over 7,800 sites by nation, region and type, then compare facilities, prices and reviews before booking.
The short version
The UK has thousands of campsites, and we list over 7,800 of them: tent sites, touring caravan parks, motorhome stopovers and glamping, spread across all four nations with England well in front. Staycations and glamping have grown the map, and the two big clubs add a well-run network on top of the independents.
The easy way to make sense of it all is to browse the campsite directory, or if you are new to this, start with planning your first camping trip.
