7 of the UK’s best-loved campsites

There are thousands of campsites to choose from in the UK, in rural settings that range from panoramic pitches in the Scottish Highlands to wooden pods with decks that jut out over the Lake District’s Windermere.

To help you whittle down the selection, here are the UK’s seven best-loved campsites according to global travellers – promising an invigorating break and the chance to enjoy Britain’s natural beauty up-close.

This farm campsite can be found just outside of Glastonbury, a pretty Somerset town that has a lot more going for it than the nearby eponymous festival – namely mythical, medieval monuments, boutiques peddling spiritual wares, and pubs with beer gardens serving local mead. You can pitch your own tent or caravan in the campsite, or guests can ‘camp’ in wooden pods placed around the farm’s apple orchard (one for those who want to get closer to nature but with a little luxury and comfort thrown in). Guests are welcomed with fresh flowers, homemade apple juice and home-brewed cider from the farm’s orchard yield – best enjoyed in dappled sunshine on your pod’s private terrace.

This remote retreat promises a camping experience where you’ll feel totally immersed in nature, waking up to the sound of birdsong and wind whistling through the trees. There’s a range of accommodation available, from yurts and cottages to huts constructed within the woods, each with large decks that overlook the rolling Welsh hills. Explore the retreat’s four acres of wild gardens and 20 acres of woodland before enjoying a slap-up meal of local produce cooked on your cottage’s Aga and a lantern-lit soak in your hut’s wooden bathroom.

To witness some of Wales’ most divine countryside, head for a weekend’s camping just outside Cardiff at Y Cwt Bach, a lakeside campsite amid the Black Mountains on Ty Coch Farm. You can pitch tents, park caravans or book one of the resident shepherd’s huts; these inviting wooden cabins have stable doors and rustic exteriors but inside you'll find double beds, antique furniture, embroidered pillows and vases of fresh flowers. Expect welcome bottles of wine, books, board games and tips on great local walks courtesy of the farm’s friendly hosts. You can stroll through meadows that slope down to the river at the foot of the valley, through ancient woodland and orchards, or straight to one of the delightful local pubs. The campsite is also right in the middle of an International Dark Sky Reserve, guaranteeing excellent stargazing.

Morndyke is a campsite blessed with bountiful surrounding natural beauty, being located between the bucolic Yorkshire Dales and the hauntingly beautiful North York Moors. It’s not camping in the traditional sense, since you’ll be staying in a painted wooden caravan containing double beds, bathrooms and a log-burning stove. Not to mention little touches like a welcome hamper, sheepskin and tartan rugs, and even small, stained glass windows. But sitting around the firepit that comes with each private outdoor patio, you can roast marshmallows and pretend.

On the outside, the pods at Delny Glamping resemble J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings. But stepping through the glass door reveals a modern interior cast in pine, with TVs, kitchens, bathrooms and a large seating area – a welcoming escape having spent a day roaming the environs, which include castles, lighthouses, lochs, the mesmerising Isle of Skye and the coastal village of John o Groats. There’s also the nearby Dalmore distillery for a warming whisky after hiking through the Scottish Highlands. And the cherry on the cake? The resident farm animals, including Pygmy goats, chickens and ducks , which guests are invited to pet and join in on the feedings.

Waking up and opening your front door to be met with views of Scotland's moody Aberdeenshire hills is sure to get your holiday off to a good start – and that’s before you’ve even left your glamping pod. With only a few of these ‘pods’ dotted around the Howe of Torbeg’s farmland and birch woodland, it’s an incredibly tranquil spot right in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. Spend the daytime following hiking trails that weave through forest, rocky glens and past snow-capped mountains, before setting up your pod’s firepit and stove for a night of stargazing – the cabins look out onto a hillside behind which the stars sink as the dark draws in.

In the middle of England’s Lake District, Hill of Oaks is a campsite on the shores of Windermere. In a quiet location hidden from the road, various pods and safari tents have been set up facing the lake, some with wooden decks that jut out onto the water. Make the most of the small boat service leaving from the jetty directly outside the house at weekends and taking you to Lakeside Pier, from where steamer cruises and other adventures across Windermere set off. And come home for a snug evening next to the log burner during winter months, or a barbecue on your terrace if you’re visiting in spring or summer.