Campsites near Coventry
This Midlands city surprises with waterways where narrowboating, walking, and campsites await.
Popular camping styles for Coventry
Campsites near Coventry guide
Overview
Coventry is the third-largest city in England’s built-up Midlands and perhaps not the first destination that comes to mind for camping. But ironically, it is Coventry’s industrial heritage that has furnished it with some fine green escapes, like the Grand Union Canal. Narrowboating makes a popular outdoor pursuit hereabouts, but Coventry is also circled by campsites and its own attractive rural footpath, the Coventry Way. If you idle the afternoon away at a picturesque canalside pub, you’ll see that this region actually boasts some mighty idyllic scenery. The best camping can be found just south of Coventry near the River Avon.
Where to go
Coventry Way
This 40-mile circumnavigation of the city by foot reveals the attractive countryside beyond Coventry's suburban sprawl. Hook up with the footpath near Bedford railway station—it uses the Oxford Canal and River Avon to complete its loop. Then pick your own camping spot at one of any of the nearby campsites, many south of Coventry.
Grand Union Canal
The UK’s longest canal runs under 12 miles to the west of central Coventry at Knowle, and is also easily accessed from close-by Dorridge railway station. The 137-mile waterway linking Birmingham to London is full of surprises, showcasing quieter, more verdant sides of the big towns it passes through, and crossing particularly pretty countryside on this Solihull to Warwick stretch. Narrowboat, walk, or cycle the towpath, visit canalside pubs, and camp at small, private campsites and caravan parks nearby.
River Avon
Another one of Coventry’s green gills is the River Avon, which skirts the southern edge of the city around Ryton-on-Dunsmore. Much of it can be walked via the Shakespeare’s Avon Way, Centenary Way, and Coventry Way footpaths, making up bucolic routes from Coventry to Rugby (east), Warwick (southwest), and afterwards, Shakespeare’s birth town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Close to Coventry, various campsites let you pick your own spot, many by the riverside.
When to go
May through September sees average high temperatures in the Coventry area of 17°C or more, providing the balmiest weather for campers. Yet April, May, and September all have tolerable average temperatures too, plus less rainfall and fewer crowds than the height of summer. The countryside around Coventry (particularly in hotspots like the Grand Union Canal) gets very popular in July and August. July’s three-day music extravaganza, Godiva Festival, is the calendar highlight of Coventry.
