Camping in Cotswolds

Where to base yourself in the Cotswolds

First, a useful bit of honesty: the Cotswolds is an inland region, so there's no coastal camping here. What you get instead is the Cotswolds scenic area itself — rolling farmland, stone villages and long, unhurried walks — plus water of the lake-and-pool variety rather than the sea. If someone in your group has their heart set on rock pools and sand, this isn't the trip for them. If they want a field, a kettle and a footpath out of the gate, it very much is.

Of the eleven campsites published on BritStays for this region, three sit around Cirencester (Cotswold Lakes Camping, Green Field Family Campsite and Mayfield Park Touring & Camping) and two are listed at Cheltenham (Hayles Fruit Farm Campsite and Far Peak Camping). The rest — Bibury Camping, The T Barn, Folly Farm Camping, Kempsford Camping (July Only), Wayside Camping and Second Chance Touring & Residential Park — are listed simply as Cotswolds, which usually means rural addresses rather than anything walkable to a high street. Check the map pin before you book if you'd rather not drive out for milk.

What the listings tell you about the choice

The spread of facilities is the most telling thing. At one end you have sites that list nothing beyond the pitch itself — Folly Farm Camping, Kempsford Camping (July Only) and Second Chance Touring & Residential Park — which suggests simple, bring-everything camping. At the other end are sites built around somewhere to eat or unwind:

• Bibury Camping — a bar on site, plus toilets and EV charging nearby.
• Cotswold Lakes Camping — café, gift shop and EV charging nearby.
• Far Peak Camping — a spa, gift shop and toilets, which is unusual for a campsite.
• Hayles Fruit Farm Campsite — restaurant, playground and toilets.
• Wayside Camping — WiFi listed, worth noting if you're working a day or keeping teenagers happy.

Where toilets aren't mentioned in a listing — as with Folly Farm Camping or Mayfield Park Touring & Camping — don't assume there are none, but do ring and ask what's actually open, especially outside high summer.

Families, couples and dog owners

For families, Green Field Family Campsite near Cirencester is the obvious starting point: it lists a café, toilets and a crèche, which is rare and genuinely useful if you've a toddler and want twenty minutes with a coffee. Hayles Fruit Farm Campsite at Cheltenham is the other strong family option, with a playground and a restaurant on site so nobody has to cook on a wet Tuesday.

Couples tend to do better at the quieter end. Far Peak Camping's spa makes it the one to look at for a weekend with a bit of comfort built in, while Bibury Camping's bar suits an evening you don't have to drive to. The T Barn and Wayside Camping are worth a look if you want something plainer.

On dogs: none of the eleven listings here states a pet policy either way, so treat every site as unknown until you've asked. Phone or email before you pay, confirm whether dogs are allowed on all pitches or only some, and ask about lead rules — several of these are working farm settings where livestock matters more than your holiday.

What to do once you're pitched

Chedworth Roman Villa and The Lodge are both National Trust sites in the region, and Stanway House gives you a stately home to fill a morning. For rainy days there's The Old Prison in the Cotswolds and Swinford Museum at Bourton-on-the-Water, both small museums, plus the John Moore Countryside Museum at Cheltenham. Aquaventure is the local water park option, with Wet n Wild Oxford a bigger alternative if you're happy to travel east. Also over towards Oxford you'll find The Signalling Centre, the Earth Trust Centre and the ST Lee Gallery and Treasury — handy to know about, but plan those as day trips rather than pop-outs.

When to book

Eleven sites isn't many for a region this popular, and several are small. Treat school summer holidays and bank holiday weekends as book-early dates — aim for the winter before if your dates are fixed. Kempsford Camping is the clearest case: it's July only, so there's no flexibility at all and it goes on the same short calendar every year.

Practical steps before you confirm: check whether your pitch includes electric hook-up or not, ask about arrival windows if you're driving after work, confirm the EV charging arrangements at Bibury Camping, Cotswold Lakes Camping or The T Barn are actually usable for your car, and ask what happens if the ground is waterlogged. Shoulder-season weekends in spring and September are usually easier to get and cheaper to book, and the walking is better without the crowds.