Winning pitches! Britain’s top camping and caravanning sites for 2024 named by the AA, from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ glamping to a coastal wildflower campsite

• The AA has revealed the winners of the Caravan and Camping Awards 2024
• Prizes include best glamping site, best holiday centre and most improved
• READ MORE: Travel luggage-free to Japan – with rented clothes ready on arrival

From serene natural retreats to luxurious glamping destinations, the annual AA Caravan and Camping Awards has revealed Britain’s top outdoor accommodation for 2024.

According to the AA, the award winners make ‘an ideal destination for the 16.7million camping and caravanning trips’ taken each year in Britain. The awards honoured 12 sites across the nation, handpicked by the AA’s inspectors, who assessed them based on their ‘exceptional quality and unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction’.

Accolades included Glamping Site of the Year, Campsite of the Year and Most Improved. Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media, said the winners demonstrate ‘unparalleled quality’ and ‘dedication to ensuring their guests’ experiences are truly exceptional’.

AA CAMPSITES OF THE YEAR

Behold The Quiet Site in Ullswater, Cumbria, which took home the crown for England’s Campsite of the Year and overall winner for 2024

The Quiet Site in Ullswater, Cumbria, took home the prize for England’s ‘Campsite of the Year’ and was also crowned overall winner, with AA inspectors describing it as a ‘wonderful park’ with ‘stunning views of the lake and surrounding fells’.

Equally impressive, they add, is owner Daniel Holder’s ‘commendable ethos on sustainability and… exemplary standards in developing one of the greenest parks in the country’, which is ’90 per cent self-sufficient.

In Scotland, the top spot went to Sands of Luce Holiday Park in Dumfries and Galloway, overlooking the ‘vast golden sands’ of Luce Bay. Inspectors praised the park’s new ‘accessible path to the beach’ and electrical vehicle charging points. ‘This well-managed and presented holiday park offers positive first impressions on arrival and this feeling just gets better as you explore the park,’ they added.

In Wales, Home Farm Caravan Park in Anglesey took home the crown for its ‘peaceful rural setting close to Moelfre beach’ and its ‘first-class’ service run with ‘passion and enthusiasm’. Inspectors were charmed by its ‘elevated and secluded position sheltered by trees’ and its ‘views of farmland, the sea, and the mountains of Snowdonia’.

ENGLAND REGIONAL WINNERS 

BRITAIN’S TOP CAMPING AND CARAVANNING SITES 2023 

CAMPSITES OF THE YEAR

Overall winner: The Quiet Site in Ullswater, Cumbria

England: The Quiet Site in Ullswater, Cumbria

Scotland: Sands of Luce Holiday Park, Dumfries and Galloway

Wales: Home Farm Caravan Park, Anglesey

ENGLAND REGIONAL WINNERS

Heart of England: Fields End Water Caravan Park & Fishery, Cambridgeshire

North East: St Helens in the Park, North Yorkshire

North West: Manor Wood Country Caravan Park, Cheshire 

South East: Ninham Country Holidays, Isle of Wight  

South West: Porthtowan Tourist Park, Cornwall

FURTHER AWARDS

Glamping Site of the Year: The Secret Garden Glamping, Lancashire

Most Improved Campsite: Back of Beyond Touring Park, Dorset

Small Campsite of the Year: Deepdale Camping & Rooms, Norfolk

Holiday Centre of the Year: Warren Farm Holiday Centre, Somerset

Source: AA Caravan and Camping Awards 2024

In North West England, the crown was awarded to Manor Wood Country Caravan Park in Cheshire, with its ‘tranquil country setting’ and ‘extensive views across the Cheshire Plain’ seen in the above picture

Inspectors in South East England awarded gold to Ninham Country Holidays (above) on the Isle of Wight, where guests ‘drive between fields of sweetcorn’ to reach the ‘very spacious grass pitches’ 

In the regional awards, St Helens in the Park, North Yorkshire, earned the top spot for North East England. It was described by inspectors as ‘immaculately maintained and thoughtfully laid out’ 

Fields End Water Caravan Park & Fishery in Cambridgeshire, pictured, took the top spot on the winners’ podium for the Heart of England region

Kicking off the regional awards, Fields End Water Caravan Park & Fishery in Cambridgeshire took the top spot on the winners’ podium for the Heart of England, with inspectors applauding its ‘high levels of customer care, excellent security, and peaceful surroundings’.

Earning the top spot in North East England, St Helens in the Park, North Yorkshire, was described as an ‘immaculately maintained and thoughtfully laid out’ park with ‘stunning floral displays’ and ‘extensive wildflower planting attracting a wealth of wildlife’. 

In North West England, the crown was awarded to Manor Wood Country Caravan Park in Cheshire, thanks to its ‘reminders of a Roman past, many attractions and quality shopping opportunities’ all set within a ‘tranquil country setting with extensive views across the Cheshire Plain’.

Inspectors in South East England gave the gold to Ninham Country Holidays on the Isle of Wight, where guests ‘drive between fields of sweetcorn’ to reach the ‘very spacious grass pitches beyond’, which are ‘edged with wildflowers and new hedging’.

Towards the tip of England, Cornwall’s Porthtowan Tourist Park garnered first place for the South West. The family-run park was described by inspectors as ‘top quality’ and ‘spectacular wherever you look’, nestled in a ‘secluded rural setting on Cornwall’s spectacular north coast’. 

FURTHER AWARDS

Most Improved Campsite of the Year was awarded to Back of Beyond Touring Park in Dorset, above, where staff have been ‘consistently renewing and upgrading the facilities’ to ‘appeal to a wider audience’, inspectors said

The AA also dished out a gong for Glamping Site of the Year, which went to The Secret Garden Glamping, pictured

The Holiday Centre of the Year award was presented to Warren Farm Holiday Centre (above) in Somerset, praised by inspectors as an ‘all-encompassing’ and continuously improving holiday park,

The AA also dished out a gong for Glamping Site of the Year, which went to The Secret Garden Glamping in Lancashire, with the inspectors describing it as ‘a unique holiday destination’ that gives adults the chance to ‘re-live their childhood Alice in Wonderland moments’ with easy access to the Fylde Coast and Yorkshire Dales. 

Most Improved Campsite of the Year was awarded to Back of Beyond Touring Park in Dorset, where staff have been ‘consistently renewing and upgrading the facilities’ to ‘appeal to a wider audience’, inspectors said. New additions include ‘excellent’ glamping pods, shepherd’s huts, cabins and a yurt.

The top prize for Small Campsite of the Year was handed to Deepdale Camping & Rooms, Norfolk. The ‘eco-friendly site offers 85 pitches and onsite bike hire with access to ‘peaceful walks’ near ‘wildlife-rich saltmarshes’.

Last but not least, the Holiday Centre of the Year award was presented to Warren Farm Holiday Centre in Somerset, praised by inspectors as an ‘all-encompassing’ and continuously improving holiday park in a ‘glorious spot’ on the coast.

The full list of this year’s winners can be found on the AA’s Rated Trips website. All winners will also feature in the 56th edition of the AA Caravan & Camping Guide.

The AA added: ‘Inspectors work anonymously to select the winners of the annual awards, visiting establishments to assess them on the standards of facilities, customer service, cleanliness, and overall experience.’

All award winners feature in the 56th edition of the AA Caravan & Camping Guide, which retails at £12.79 on Amazon

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