Caravanning in Gloucestershire

What's actually on offer here

There are 29 caravanning sites published on BritStays across Gloucestershire, and every one of them is a caravanning stay rather than a lodge or glamping pitch — so you're comparing like with like. The listings cluster in a few places: nine sit under Cheltenham, nine are filed more broadly under Gloucestershire, and six fall around Bourton-on-the-Water. After that it thins out quickly, with single sites in Bulley, Standish, Cam Dursley, Moreton-in-Marsh and Tewkesbury.

That spread matters when you're planning. If you want a base with shops, stations and a bit of life around it, the Cheltenham listings are the obvious starting point. If you'd rather be out among villages and fields, the Bourton-on-the-Water end of the county and the one-off rural sites will suit you better.

Countryside, not coast

Gloucestershire is an inland county, so none of these are seaside pitches. What you get instead is river valleys, farmland and stone-village country. Several names point to water rather than sea — Avon Riverside Park, Weir Meadow Holiday Park, Little Meadow River Park, Hampton Ferry Caravan Park and Fromebridge Mill among them — so if a riverside pitch is the point of the trip, ask the site directly which pitches actually face the water, and whether they're the ones that go first.

Matching the site to the trip

• Families. Three Counties Park is the standout on facilities in this set, listing a restaurant, a creche and toilets — a useful combination when you don't want to cook every night. Mill Avon Holiday Park lists toilets, a laundrette and EV charging nearby, which covers the unglamorous side of a week away with children.
• Couples and quieter stays. The small certificated locations are the ones to look at: Moorend Farm CL caravan site and Woodgreen Farm CL are both compact farm sites, which usually means a handful of pitches and little in the way of on-site entertainment.
• Dog owners. Woodgreen Farm CL in Bulley is the only site in this set explicitly listed as pet friendly, with toilets and parking alongside. That doesn't mean the others turn dogs away — most caravan sites don't — but it does mean you should ring and confirm rather than assume, and ask about lead rules and any dog-free fields.
• Arriving without towing. Weir Meadow Holiday Park and Hampton Ferry Caravan Park both list being near a train station, and fourteen of the 29 sites list being near a bus stop — handy if you're pitching a motorhome and then leaving it put for a few days.

Read the facility lists with a pinch of salt

Across all 29 sites, the most commonly listed facilities are being near a bus stop (14) and EV charging nearby (12), followed by near a train station (6), toilets (5), a gift shop (4), WiFi (4), parking (3) and a restaurant (3). Those numbers are lower than you'd expect because caravan sites list patchily — plenty will have washblocks and hardstandings without ticking a box for them. Treat the list as a floor, not a ceiling, and confirm the things that would ruin the trip if they weren't there: electric hook-up, chemical disposal, hardstanding versus grass, and awning space.

EV charging is worth a second look. Sites including Tewkesbury Abbey Caravan Club, Avon Riverside Park, Mill Avon Holiday Park and Moreton-in-Marsh Caravan & Motorhome Club all list charging nearby, but "nearby" rarely means on your pitch. Ask where the charger is and whether you can reach it without unhitching.

Days out from your pitch

The county is thick with big houses and castles. Sudeley Castle, Berkeley Castle and Beverston Castle cover the heritage side; Gatcombe Park and Elmore Court are stately homes; Chastleton House and Ashleworth Tithe Barn are National Trust properties, and Westbury Court Garden is the one for a slower afternoon among planting rather than paintings.

For rainy days, the museums are small and scattered: John Moore Countryside Museum in Cheltenham, Swinford Museum near Bourton-on-the-Water, The Old Prison in the Cotswolds, and Arcade Archive in Gloucestershire. Push a little further and you'll find Shire Hall Museum and Tintern Old Station Car Park in Monmouthshire, and the Black & White House Museum in Herefordshire. Families with older children often head for Aquaventure in the Cotswolds.

When to book

Club sites such as Burford Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, Moreton-in-Marsh Caravan & Motorhome Club and Tewkesbury Abbey Caravan Club tend to fill first for bank holidays and school summer weeks — book those several months ahead if your dates are fixed. The small CLs, including Moorend Farm CL caravan site and Woodgreen Farm CL, have very few pitches, so a single booking can close a weekend; ring rather than wait on an online form.

Mid-week stays outside the school holidays are the easiest to pick up, sometimes at short notice. If you're flexible, hold off until the ten-day forecast is clear — riverside pitches at places like Evesham Vale Caravan Park or Rye Court Caravan and Camping Site are far better in dry weather, and some grass pitches close after heavy rain. Always check the arrival window, whether late arrivals are allowed, and what the cancellation terms are before you pay a deposit.