THE TOP 100 Sites in Britain are revealed in our new campsite awards guide, free with Practical Motorhome magazine’s May issue.
“What is it that makes a campsite great? Is it the warmth of the welcome, the quality of the facilities, the number of pitches, or the park’s location? Running our Top 100 Sites listings over the years has taught us one thing: it’s all of these, and more,” says Rob Ganley, Group Editor of Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome magazines.
He continues, “Very often there’s that certain something that you can’t quite put your finger on; a special atmosphere that makes a good holiday become a simply great one.”
Thousands of people voted for their favourite campsites for this year’s results, both online and on paper. The Top 100 Sites Award scheme is run jointly by Practical Motorhome, Practical Caravan and Caravan Sitefinder.
Overall winner
Whitefield Forest Touring Park, near Ryde, on the Isle of Wight is the overall winner of our Top 100 Sites Award 2014. This park won the highest number of votes from our readers who stayed there, whether in a caravan, motorhome or tent, and it also scored very highly with our site reviews team. Facilities are great, the pitches spacious and the washrooms are heated. There’s a motorhome service point and a small shop, too. Set in woodland, Whitefield Forest Touring Park is in harmony with nature. When you book, the site will also arrange your ferry crossing if you wish.
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Overall winner for 2014: Whitefield Forest Touring Park
Top sites for motorhomes
1 South Lytchett Manor Park in Dorset was voted top of the motorhome-friendly campsites as well as the best campsite in Dorset. Not only is the setting beautiful but the site has hardstanding pitches, piped music in the modern washrooms, a well-stocked shop, a motorhome waste-disposal point and regular buses stop outside, so you can park your motorhome safely on a nice pitch and then go off exploring Poole, Swanage or Weymouth by bus. There are some large pitches for those with twin-axle motorhomes, free Wi-Fi, an adventure playground, a games room, bicycle hire, and events for children.
2 Bath Chew Valley campsite was voted into second place by those with motorhomes. It’s an adults-only site and was voted the best in Somerset,
Avon and Wiltshire. Pitches are large and well landscaped, there are luxury washrooms, free ironing facilities, a lending library, motorhome waste-disposal point, dog walking area and more. You can even hire a car here if you want to leave your motorhome on site. This campsite has won our regional winner award three times.
3 Whitefield Forest Touring Park (above) was voted into third place by motorcaravanners and came top overall with all campers (see above). This park was also in our Top 100 Sites 2013 and you can read people’s comments here.
4 Kippford Holiday Park was voted best in Scotland this year and was our overall winner last year. Set in picturesque Dumfries and Galloway, it boasts fantastic views, nature walks, good facilities and friendly staff. It’s ideal for those who want to get away from it all and there’s even an ancient bluebell woodland on the campsite.
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Best campsite in Scotland for 2014: Kippford Holiday Park
5 Fallowfield Dene Caravan and Camping Park was our 2012 regional winner and it’s still popular. It’s near Hexham, Northumberland and is great for wildlife-spotting, dog-walking and visiting historic sites. The facilities are excellent.
6 The Plassey Leisure Park in Wrexham, North Wales, was voted the best campsite in Wales by our readers and it scores highly in our Top 100 Awards every year. The five-star touring park is part of a leisure park covering 247 acres. So you’ll find lovely facilities and plenty to do here. There’s even a pool.
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Best in Wales: The Plassey Leisure Park
7 Waterrow Touring Park near Taunton, Somerset, is popular for its beautiful location, facilities and landscaped pitches. Most unusually of all, though, this is a campsite where you can learn to paint. Artistic types can book in to a course, whether they’re beginners or experienced.
8 Callow Top Holiday Park Ashbourne, Derbyshire, was voted best campsite in the Heart of England in 2014 and also won this title in 2013. For exploring the Peak District, visiting Alton Towers and touring the Midlands, Callow Top is ideally placed. The site itself has good facilities, including a licenced supermarket, pub and restaurant, café, swimming pool and evening entertainment for all ages.
9 Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park in the Scottish Highlands appeals particularly to walkers who want to explore the Cairngorms. It’s also handy for railway enthusiasts and anyone who fancies the malt whisky trail. The site itself has lovely heated washrooms and a games room for children.
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Best campsite in Eastern England for 2014: Run Cottage
10 Run Cottage Touring Park near Woodbridge, Suffolk, was voted the best campsite in Eastern England in this year’s Top 100 Sites Awards. There are new washrooms on this site and its location makes it ideal for visiting Aldeburgh, Sutton Hoo, the Suffolk Coast Path and both Orford and Framlingham castles.
All the winners: Top 100 Sites 2014 Awards 2014
All the Top 100 Sites 2014 winners come highly recommended by readers. The guide also highlights the Top 10 sites for caravans, Top 10 sites for tents, Top 10 sites for static holiday caravans and the best sites for six other special categories. So we’ve listed the best campsite that’s open all year, the best green site, best small site, best pet-friendly site, best family site and the best sites for adults only. For full results, reviews and comments please see the Top 100 Sites 2014 Awards supplement with Practical Motorhome magazine’s May issue.
Previous winners
If you’d like to see last year’s Top 100 Sites Award 2013 results, you can download a free digital copy via our Look Inside app on Practical Motorhome‘s public Facebook page.
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