How To Choose The Perfect Campsite | How To Pick A Campsite

Choosing the right campsite isn’t as easy as you might think and it’s a decision that’s surprisingly easy to get wrong. Luckily, we’ve made a whole bunch of rookie mistakes over the years so you don’t have to! Here we share our top tips on how to choose the right campsite for you.

When we camp, we generally avoid big regimented holiday park type campsites if at all possible. We don’t have anything against them, in fact for young families they are often the ideal choice, but on the whole, they don’t offer us what we are looking for when it comes to camping.

To choose the right campsite, you first need to look at what you want to get out of the camping experience. If this is your first time camping, then you’ll need to try and work out what characteristics your ideal campsite would have, as where you camp, can really make or break your weekend away.

What characteristics and facilities do you want?

If you are planning to roast marshmallows around the fire with the kids, or enjoy a fire side sing along, you are going to want a site that allows campfires, but a surprisingly large number do not allow them, so do check out the available facilities and campsite rules, and let these guide you in your decision making.

A few considerations

Not all campsites allow you to park beside your pitch, meaning you may need to carry your tent and camping gear
Some campsites don’t allow BBQs and the vast majority don’t allow campfires
Showers and toilet blocks aren’t always close and sometimes you have to pay extra for showers
Some campsites have excellent shops, whilst others don’t have a shop at all
Set up and take down can take longer than you think, so make sure you know what the campsites arrival and departure times are

Do your research

Different campsites have different vibes and cater for different kinds of campers. A campsites vibe is influenced by it’s location, the size of the campsite, the type of campers it attracts and the campsite rules.

For example, a small remote campsite with minimal facilities and very strict noise rules is not a good fit for a group of friends wanting to drink around a camp fire, those that have noisy older kids or out of control dogs. Yet this is just the kind of campsite that we love, precisely because we don’t have kids, don’t play music and like to relax in nature when we camp.

A big site we stayed at in the past, had prominent CCTV cameras everywhere and was incredibly busy and noisy. We marvelled at countless anti-social guests, including kids relentlessly kicking footballs into the side of our tent, screaming adults, barking dogs and loud music, which gave it all the ‘charm’ of a city centre at 2am on a Saturday night.

Reading online reviews can help, but remember people often only leave reviews when they have negative feelings they want to share, so use these for rough guidance only. Have a good read of the campsites own website, visit professional review sites like Cool Camping and Pitch Up, and read what they have to say so you get a true feel for the place, and finally always look at pictures and the location of the site.

Make a shortlist of potential campsites

Pinterest is my tool of choice for doing this. Any campsites that I really like the look of get pinned to my campsites board, making them easy to remember and refer back to.

Each time we plan to go away, we just consult our shortlist, and see which takes of fancy. You can see our Pinterest campsite shortlist here.

Consider the length of your break

If you are going away for just a night, you are unlikely to want to have to make a 400 mile round trip. However, if you have a few days, then you will have time to venture further afield, so plan your route in advance and note the distance of the campsite.

The length of your break will also influence practical things like what you’ll need to take with you, and activities and days out in the local area. Even if you end up spending most of your time chilling on site, make sure you have an idea of things available to do. This makes life easier, should you feel the urge to do or see something different.

Do all of the above and you stand the best chance of enjoying a stay at the ideal campsite for you.

What we look for in a campsite

To help you along the way, these are the things that we personally look for in a campsite. Of course, our criteria has changed substantially over the years, though I’ll always have a place in my heart for the chaos of Shell Island back in the early 90s!