- York tops the rankings as the best camping location in the UK, based on weather conditions, visitor ratings, and Google searches.
- York has 53 campsites and benefits from favourable weather conditions, with moderate wind speeds of 18.48 km/h.
- Weymouth in Dorset and Skegness in Lincolnshire follow closely behind, while southern and eastern England areas dominate the top 10.
A new study has revealed that York is the best place to pitch a tent in the UK, based on key factors that impact the camping experience.
Casino experts Gamblorium analysed 144 locations across the UK using ten different factors, including the number of campsites, typical weather conditions, ratings, prices, and Google search popularity. Each destination received a score out of 100.
York ranked first, with a score of 63.40 out of 100. The city benefits from a high availability of campsites, with 53 to choose from, 856.35 average minutes of daylight each day, and a median price of £30 per night.
Weymouth in Dorset ranks second on the list with a score of 61.83 out of 100, benefiting from above-average visibility of 5.65 miles and low precipitation of 0.85 mm. The seaside town also has the second-highest search interest among the top 10, with an average of 8,833 Google monthly searches made across the UK.
Skegness, famous for its seaside attractions, secures third place with a score of 61.55 out of 100. The resort boasts the lowest precipitation among the top 10 at just 0.66 mm and offers affordable camping with a median price of £20 per night.
Shrewsbury in Shropshire ranks fourth with a score of 60.47 out of 100, scoring well for its low wind speeds (17.15 km/h) and reasonable prices (£24 per night). The market town features 24 campsites to choose from.
Norwich in Norfolk places fifth with a score of 59.86 out of 100. With 27 campsites in the area and excellent visibility (5.59 miles), it provides campers with reliable conditions despite its lower search popularity (974 monthly Google searches).
Another Norfolk location, King’s Lynn, is sixth, scoring 59.76 out of 100. This historic port town stands out for its high average visitor rating of 4.72 out of five and offers reasonable pricing with a median cost of £21 per night.
Lincoln in Lincolnshire takes seventh place with a score of 59.21 out of 100. The cathedral city offers affordable camping options at a median price of £20 and scores well for daylight hours with an average of 852.34 minutes.
Newquay in Cornwall ranks eighth with a score of 58.95 out of 100, boasting the highest search volume among the top 10 with 10,992 monthly Google searches. The popular surfing destination also attracts the most photos (4,208) of the top 10 spots.
Helston in Cornwall takes ninth place with a score of 58.61 out of 100. The town offers the second-highest number of campsites in the top 10, with 47 sites available, and has excellent visibility at 5.77 miles.
Completing the top 10 is Exeter in Devon with a score of 57.84 out of 100. The city stands out for having the most affordable camping among the top 10, with a median price of just £16 per night, and the highest average visitor rating of 4.75 out of five.
The 10 best camping spots in the UK
| Location | Score (Out of 100) | Number of Campsites | Median Price (£) | Avg. Monthly Google Searches | |
| 1 | York, North Yorkshire | 63.40 | 53 | 30.00 | 4,116 |
| 2 | Weymouth, Dorset | 61.83 | 20 | 22.50 | 8,833 |
| 3 | Skegness, Lincolnshire | 61.55 | 28 | 20.00 | 4,278 |
| 4 | Shrewsbury, Shropshire | 60.47 | 24 | 24.00 | 2,352 |
| 5 | Norwich, Norfolk | 59.86 | 27 | 25.00 | 974 |
| 6 | King’s Lynn, Norfolk | 59.76 | 23 | 21.00 | 237 |
| 7 | Lincoln, Lincolnshire | 59.21 | 20 | 20.00 | 969 |
| 8 | Newquay, Cornwall | 58.95 | 40 | 43.00 | 10,992 |
| 9 | Helston, Cornwall | 58.61 | 47 | 20.00 | 459 |
| 10 | Exeter, Devon | 57.84 | 21 | 16.00 | 1,080 |
At the other end of the scale, Ambleside in Cumbria is the least suitable destination with a score of just 26.30 out of 100. Despite being a popular tourist location, Ambleside suffers from high accommodation costs with a median price of £330 per night.
Llandeilo in Wales ranked second-last with a score of 27.78 out of 100, primarily due to its high prices (median of £147 per night) and high precipitation (2.26 mm).
Bridlington in East Yorkshire is third from the bottom with a score of 31.69 out of 100, suffering from high wind speeds of 25.94 km/h and high prices (£115 per night).
Barnard Castle in County Durham and Beaworthy in Devon complete the bottom five, with scores of 32.81 and 33.24 respectively, both hampered by unfavourable weather conditions and limited camping infrastructure.
Nodar Giorgadze, CEO of Gamblorium, commented on the findings:
“This data shows that the ideal camping location balances several crucial factors. The popularity of York as a top camping destination highlights how important it is to have a good number of quality sites alongside reliable weather conditions.
“What we found particularly interesting is that affordability doesn’t always correlate with quality. For example, Exeter offers the cheapest median price in our top 10 at just £16 per night, yet maintains one of the highest average ratings at 4.75 out of five.
“For those planning camping trips in the UK, looking beyond just the popular tourist hotspots can lead to discovering excellent camping experiences that offer better value and potentially more favourable conditions.”
