I have been motorhoming around the UK for years now and one thing that constantly frustrates me is how much of the advice online is clearly written by people who have never actually done it. Generic lists of beauty spots with no practical information about where to park, what the roads are actually like or whether you can get a decent mobile signal.
So here is my honest guide to the best UK motorhome destinations. Every single one of these is a place I have personally been to in a motorhome. I know the roads, I know the sites, I know the pitfalls. Take from it what you will.
The Lake District
Let me get the obvious one out of the way first. The Lake District is stunning and everyone knows it, which is precisely the problem. In peak summer it is rammed. The roads around Windermere and Ambleside were not designed for motorhomes and you will spend more time in traffic than enjoying the scenery.
My advice? Go in late September or early October. The summer crowds have gone, the autumn colours are spectacular and you can actually find a pitch without booking six months in advance. The weather is hit and miss, but honestly, Lake District weather is hit and miss in July too, so you are not really losing anything.
For parking, avoid the honeypot sites around Bowness and head to the western lakes instead. Wasdale and Buttermere are quieter and, in my opinion, more beautiful. The Quiet Site near Ullswater is aptly named and well run. Park Cliffe near Windermere is a good option if you want to be closer to the tourist side of things without being right in the middle of it.
Practical note: the roads over the passes like Wrynose and Hardknott are genuinely not suitable for large motorhomes. I am not being cautious. I mean they are single track with hairpin bends and steep gradients. If your van is over six metres, stick to the A roads and the valley routes. You will still see incredible scenery without the white knuckle driving.
Scottish Highlands
If I had to pick one destination from this entire list, it would be the Scottish Highlands. Nothing else in the UK comes close for the sheer sense of space, wilderness and adventure. You can drive for an hour and barely see another vehicle. The landscapes are extraordinary. And the wild camping options, while increasingly regulated, are still the best in Britain.
The North Coast 500 route gets all the press and it is worth doing, but be warned that it has become a victim of its own success. In summer the single track roads are clogged with campervans and the passing places become a source of genuine tension. If you are going to do the NC500, do it in May or September. Better yet, do it anticlockwise because most people go clockwise and you will have a slightly quieter experience.
For somewhere less well known, the area around Torridon and Applecross is my favourite part of Scotland. The Bealach na Ba pass into Applecross is one of the most dramatic roads in the UK. It is steep and winding but perfectly doable in a motorhome if you take it steady. The campsite at Applecross is basic but the setting is magnificent.
Further north, Durness and Smoo Cave are worth the drive, and the campsite at Sango Sands right on the cliff edge is one of the best located sites I have ever stayed at. Pitches are a bit uneven and the facilities are simple, but you are sitting above a beautiful beach watching the sunset over the Atlantic. You cannot put a price on that.
One important thing about the Highlands. Mobile signal is patchy at best and nonexistent in places. If you need to work remotely, which I often do, plan your stops around connectivity. Inverness, Fort William and Ullapool have decent signal. Between them, do not count on it.
Cornwall
Cornwall is beautiful but it is also one of the most challenging places to motorhome in the UK, purely because of the roads. The lanes in south Cornwall are narrow, hedge lined and have absolutely no room for error. If you meet a tractor coming the other way in a seven metre motorhome, someone is having a very bad day.
That said, it is worth the effort. The north Cornwall coast between Padstow and Bude is more motorhome friendly than the south, with wider roads and better site options. Trevornick near Holywell Bay is a well run site with good facilities and easy access to some brilliant beaches.
The best time is May or June, before the school holidays turn every beach into a sea of windbreaks. September is also excellent. The water is actually at its warmest in September after a summer of warming up, and the beaches are noticeably quieter.
If you want to eat well, Cornwall is probably the best food destination on this list. The seafood is outstanding, the pasties are not just a tourist gimmick and the local restaurants have stepped up massively in recent years. Budget for eating out because cooking in the van when you are surrounded by this much good food feels like a waste.
Yorkshire Dales
The Dales are underrated for motorhoming. The scenery is gorgeous, the villages are proper Yorkshire stone and character, the roads are generally sensible and there is a really good network of sites. It does not have the dramatic wow factor of Scotland or the coastal appeal of Cornwall, but it has something better: reliability. The Dales deliver a consistently good experience without the crowds or the stress.
Settle and Hawes are both excellent bases. The market town atmosphere is genuine, the pubs are welcoming and there are walks for every ability level within easy reach. The Aysgarth Falls area is beautiful and usually much quieter than the equivalent attractions in the Lake District.
For sites, the Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Hawes is well positioned. If you prefer something more independent, there are some crackling small farm sites around Swaledale that offer basic facilities and stunning views for very reasonable money.
Best time to go is late spring when the wildflower meadows are at their best, or autumn for the colours. Summer is fine but the Dales can feel surprisingly busy on bank holiday weekends.
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is the bit of Wales that everyone should visit and most people have not. The coastline is extraordinary. Properly dramatic cliffs, hidden beaches, crystal clear water that genuinely looks like the Mediterranean on a good day. The coast path is one of the best long distance walks in Britain.
For motorhoming, the area around St Davids is brilliant. It is Britain's smallest city and has a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. Caerfai Bay campsite is right on the coast path and has some of the best sunset views I have seen from a motorhome pitch. It gets busy in summer so book ahead if you are going in July or August.
Tenby is the classic Pembrokeshire destination and it is genuinely lovely, although it can feel quite touristy in peak season. The beaches around Barafundle Bay and Freshwater West are less visited and absolutely stunning. Freshwater West is where they filmed part of Harry Potter, which is either a selling point or irrelevant depending on your outlook.
The roads in Pembrokeshire are generally fine for motorhomes. Not as challenging as Cornwall, not as wide as Yorkshire. Somewhere in between. The only tricky bits are some of the smaller lanes leading to beaches, where you might want to park up and walk the last section.
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a completely different motorhoming experience. It is flat, quiet, gentle and absolutely lovely if you want to properly relax. No dramatic mountains or rugged coastlines, just miles of marshes, big skies, beautiful beaches and some of the best pubs in England.
The stretch from Holkham to Blakeney is probably my favourite coastline in England. Holkham Beach is vast and even in summer you can find space. The pine woods behind the beach are beautiful for walking. Wells next the Sea is a proper little seaside town with independent shops and good food. Blakeney is quieter and the seal trips out to Blakeney Point are genuinely worth doing.
For birders, north Norfolk is paradise. Cley Marshes and Titchwell are world class reserves and even if you are not a serious birdwatcher, seeing thousands of pink footed geese come in to roost at dusk is genuinely spectacular.
Sites along this stretch are generally well maintained. The Camping and Caravanning Club site at Kelling Heath is in a good spot with easy access to Sheringham and Holt. There are also some nice independent sites around Wells and Burnham Deepdale.
Go in autumn for the bird migration and the quiet beaches. Go in early summer for the warmest weather and the longest evenings. Avoid August bank holiday unless you enjoy queuing.
Northumberland
Northumberland is the destination I recommend to people who have done the obvious places and want something different. It has beaches that rival anywhere in the country, castles everywhere you look, dark skies for stargazing and a fraction of the tourists that the Lake District or Cornwall attract.
Bamburgh is the standout. The castle overlooking the beach is one of the most photogenic spots in England and the beach itself is enormous. You can walk for miles and barely see another person, even in summer. Seahouses nearby is a good base and the boat trips to the Farne Islands to see the puffins are absolutely brilliant.
Alnwick has the castle and the garden, both worth visiting. Holy Island is accessible by causeway at low tide and has a genuinely special atmosphere. Check the tide times carefully though. Every year someone gets caught out and ends up sat on the road waiting for the sea to go back out.
For wild, remote beaches, head to the stretch between Beadnell and Craster. The coastal path here is fantastic and there are some lovely sheltered bays that feel completely private. The Jolly Fisherman in Craster does a legendary crab sandwich that is worth planning your day around.
Northumberland is also the only International Dark Sky Park in England, which means the stargazing is spectacular. If you visit on a clear night, get away from any lights and look up. It is genuinely humbling.
A few general tips
Whatever destination you pick, a few things apply everywhere. Book sites in advance if you are travelling in school holidays. Wild camping in England and Wales is technically not legal without permission, although Scotland has different rules. Always carry a levelling ramp because almost no pitch is perfectly flat. And invest in a decent mobile signal booster if you need to work on the road.
The UK is a phenomenal motorhoming country. It is small enough that you can reach anywhere in a day, varied enough that every region feels different and the campsite infrastructure is genuinely world class. You do not need to go abroad to have an adventure. You just need a van, a vague plan and the willingness to deal with the occasional wet Tuesday. That is part of the charm.
