Riverside campsites in the UK

Whether you're looking to cool off with a river swim, launch a canoe or build a dam in a stream, this collection of exceptional riverside campsites lets you jump straight in and splash around among our very favourite riverside campsites in the UK, France and Europe.

96% (3015 reviews)

96% (3015 reviews)

Popular camping styles for United Kingdom

Under £50

Graig Wen - Wild Snowdonia Escapes

32 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents45 acres · Gwynedd, North Wales

Succumb to the tranquil hills of Graig Wen. Smart, sustainable and quite simply, lush.

Hale Farm

38 units · Glamping, Tents56 acres · East Sussex, South East England

A family-run, working farm in East Sussex offering spacious, traditional camping with no set pitches

Pytingwyn Woods

6 units · Motorhomes, Tents4 acres · Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales

Almost-wild camping on the banks of the River Honddu, edging the Brecon Beacons

The Hop Farm

50 units · Motorhomes, Tents500 acres · Brenchley, England

The Hop Farm is set in 500 acres of unspoilt Kent countryside, known as the Garden of England. Flat grass fields and surrounded by private woodland and also fields abut the River Medway, ideal for paddleboarding and kayaking. Campers have access to newly refurbished facilities, state of the art showers, toilets and washing facilities. Raised BBQ's and raised firepits are permitted. It's the ideal location for a peaceful escape with endless skies providing memorable sunsets and stars unhindered by artificial light.

The Meadow @ Waples Mill

12 units · Tents8 acres · Dunmow, England

Spacious grass pitches in the green Essex countryside A 15-minute drive to Chelmsford; 40 minutes to Audley End Tractor rides on site; firepits provided for campfires. Rural walks, How about proper farm activities like tractor rides (ask site staff for details)? The place to find all this is The Meadow at Waples Mill, an Essex farm site between Chelmsford and Dunmow (and about 15 minutes’ drive from both). This family-friendly site is handy for walks on the Essex Way and other local footpaths, and tractor and trailer rides around the farm are organised on alternate days to give guests a glimpse into agricultural life. Activities complete for the day, it's time to chill out, and that should be easy here – all pitches have access to toilets and hot showers in a trailer close by, and firepits are provided so you can have a safe campfire (with wood available to buy on site and a great farm shop 10 minutes’ drive away for fireside snacks). Pitches themselves are large, well kept and well spaced within a meadow that backs onto the River Roding. Dogs are welcome, and there are plenty of places to take them for a walk nearby. London folk looking for a quick escape to the countryside, this is a place to bear in mind – it’s only about an hour and quarter by road from the city.

Star Hosts in United Kingdom

Graig Wen - Wild Snowdonia Escapes

32 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents45 acres · Gwynedd, North Wales

Succumb to the tranquil hills of Graig Wen. Smart, sustainable and quite simply, lush.

Hale Farm

38 units · Glamping, Tents56 acres · East Sussex, South East England

A family-run, working farm in East Sussex offering spacious, traditional camping with no set pitches

Pytingwyn Woods

6 units · Motorhomes, Tents4 acres · Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales

Almost-wild camping on the banks of the River Honddu, edging the Brecon Beacons

The Meadow @ Waples Mill

12 units · Tents8 acres · Dunmow, England

Spacious grass pitches in the green Essex countryside A 15-minute drive to Chelmsford; 40 minutes to Audley End Tractor rides on site; firepits provided for campfires. Rural walks, How about proper farm activities like tractor rides (ask site staff for details)? The place to find all this is The Meadow at Waples Mill, an Essex farm site between Chelmsford and Dunmow (and about 15 minutes’ drive from both). This family-friendly site is handy for walks on the Essex Way and other local footpaths, and tractor and trailer rides around the farm are organised on alternate days to give guests a glimpse into agricultural life. Activities complete for the day, it's time to chill out, and that should be easy here – all pitches have access to toilets and hot showers in a trailer close by, and firepits are provided so you can have a safe campfire (with wood available to buy on site and a great farm shop 10 minutes’ drive away for fireside snacks). Pitches themselves are large, well kept and well spaced within a meadow that backs onto the River Roding. Dogs are welcome, and there are plenty of places to take them for a walk nearby. London folk looking for a quick escape to the countryside, this is a place to bear in mind – it’s only about an hour and quarter by road from the city.

Camping at Cardewlees

37 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents1 acre · Carlisle, England

A welcoming, family-run farm campsite between the Lake District and Hadrian's Wall

12 top river, stream, or creek campsites in United Kingdom

The Hop Farm

50 units · Motorhomes, Tents500 acres · Brenchley, England

The Hop Farm is set in 500 acres of unspoilt Kent countryside, known as the Garden of England. Flat grass fields and surrounded by private woodland and also fields abut the River Medway, ideal for paddleboarding and kayaking. Campers have access to newly refurbished facilities, state of the art showers, toilets and washing facilities. Raised BBQ's and raised firepits are permitted. It's the ideal location for a peaceful escape with endless skies providing memorable sunsets and stars unhindered by artificial light.

Pytingwyn Woods

6 units · Motorhomes, Tents4 acres · Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales

Almost-wild camping on the banks of the River Honddu, edging the Brecon Beacons

The Meadow @ Waples Mill

12 units · Tents8 acres · Dunmow, England

Spacious grass pitches in the green Essex countryside A 15-minute drive to Chelmsford; 40 minutes to Audley End Tractor rides on site; firepits provided for campfires. Rural walks, How about proper farm activities like tractor rides (ask site staff for details)? The place to find all this is The Meadow at Waples Mill, an Essex farm site between Chelmsford and Dunmow (and about 15 minutes’ drive from both). This family-friendly site is handy for walks on the Essex Way and other local footpaths, and tractor and trailer rides around the farm are organised on alternate days to give guests a glimpse into agricultural life. Activities complete for the day, it's time to chill out, and that should be easy here – all pitches have access to toilets and hot showers in a trailer close by, and firepits are provided so you can have a safe campfire (with wood available to buy on site and a great farm shop 10 minutes’ drive away for fireside snacks). Pitches themselves are large, well kept and well spaced within a meadow that backs onto the River Roding. Dogs are welcome, and there are plenty of places to take them for a walk nearby. London folk looking for a quick escape to the countryside, this is a place to bear in mind – it’s only about an hour and quarter by road from the city.

Graig Wen - Wild Snowdonia Escapes

32 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents45 acres · Gwynedd, North Wales

Succumb to the tranquil hills of Graig Wen. Smart, sustainable and quite simply, lush.

Hale Farm

38 units · Glamping, Tents56 acres · East Sussex, South East England

A family-run, working farm in East Sussex offering spacious, traditional camping with no set pitches

Camping at Cardewlees

37 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents1 acre · Carlisle, England

A welcoming, family-run farm campsite between the Lake District and Hadrian's Wall

The Barn KT9

21 units · Glamping, Tents3 acres · Greater London, South East England

A unique rural campsite in Surrey, a stone's throw from London's Zone 6

Whitlingham Broad Campsite

72 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents5 acres · Norfolk, East Anglia

Laid-back camping and glamping a stone's throw from Norwich and at the gateway to the Norfolk Broads

Smugglers Cove Boatyard

7 units · Glamping, Tents1 acre · Gwynedd, North Wales

Camping and rustic glamping in a working boatyard with an exceptional waterside location on the Dyfi estuary

Westland Farm

21 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents27 acres · Barnstaple, Devon, South West England

Camping and glamping on a working farm, with yurts, huts with hot tubs, and simple, spacious, sociable camping pitches

Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

10 units · Motorhomes, Tents10 acres · Strathdon, Scotland

Pitches and pods in the Cairngorms National Park

Cornish Tipi Holidays & Camping

127 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents20 acres · Cornwall, South West England

Wake up to the sound of birdsong, go swimming before breakfast in the clear water of a secluded lake. Cook your bacon and eggs over an open fire while you plan your day, or just laze it away in the peace and quiet of your own personal tipi. You can always go fishing tomorrow, and walk along the cliffs the day after that… The site is a unique woodland valley folded around a clear, spring-fed lake created from the old Tregildrans Quarry. Our tipis and tent pitches are dotted about this secret 20 acres full of ferns, bluebells, oak and meadowsweet. Left in peace for many years there's been no modern chemicals or poisons on the land, meaning we've got bluebells, dormice, Red Admirals and shy woodland Jays for you to spot. It’s a place set apart from the rush and clutter of the modern holiday experience, with an atmosphere that makes you forget the world outside, and just lounge, ramble, or potter about in a boat. We're committed to giving you a genuinely individual service from first contact to your time staying with us. We established CTH in 1996. This was the first and we believe still is the best tipi holiday site in the UK. We know our area inside out and can always help with local knowledge or contacts if you need them. We want to offer our guests a sustainable holiday. A return to real camping means the lowest possible impact on the land and environment - our tipi poles don’t even break the surface of the earth. Your footprint while here could only be bettered by a survival expert. You don't have to fly! a major bonus, and we source all our wood, fish and canvas locally and work with local people wherever possible.

Cooking equipment

Dog-friendly getaways

The Barn KT9

21 units · Glamping, Tents3 acres · Greater London, South East England

A unique rural campsite in Surrey, a stone's throw from London's Zone 6

Camping at Cardewlees

37 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents1 acre · Carlisle, England

A welcoming, family-run farm campsite between the Lake District and Hadrian's Wall

Graig Wen - Wild Snowdonia Escapes

32 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents45 acres · Gwynedd, North Wales

Succumb to the tranquil hills of Graig Wen. Smart, sustainable and quite simply, lush.

The Hop Farm

50 units · Motorhomes, Tents500 acres · Brenchley, England

The Hop Farm is set in 500 acres of unspoilt Kent countryside, known as the Garden of England. Flat grass fields and surrounded by private woodland and also fields abut the River Medway, ideal for paddleboarding and kayaking. Campers have access to newly refurbished facilities, state of the art showers, toilets and washing facilities. Raised BBQ's and raised firepits are permitted. It's the ideal location for a peaceful escape with endless skies providing memorable sunsets and stars unhindered by artificial light.

Pytingwyn Woods

6 units · Motorhomes, Tents4 acres · Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales

Almost-wild camping on the banks of the River Honddu, edging the Brecon Beacons

Available this weekend

The Meadow @ Waples Mill

12 units · Tents8 acres · Dunmow, England

Spacious grass pitches in the green Essex countryside A 15-minute drive to Chelmsford; 40 minutes to Audley End Tractor rides on site; firepits provided for campfires. Rural walks, How about proper farm activities like tractor rides (ask site staff for details)? The place to find all this is The Meadow at Waples Mill, an Essex farm site between Chelmsford and Dunmow (and about 15 minutes’ drive from both). This family-friendly site is handy for walks on the Essex Way and other local footpaths, and tractor and trailer rides around the farm are organised on alternate days to give guests a glimpse into agricultural life. Activities complete for the day, it's time to chill out, and that should be easy here – all pitches have access to toilets and hot showers in a trailer close by, and firepits are provided so you can have a safe campfire (with wood available to buy on site and a great farm shop 10 minutes’ drive away for fireside snacks). Pitches themselves are large, well kept and well spaced within a meadow that backs onto the River Roding. Dogs are welcome, and there are plenty of places to take them for a walk nearby. London folk looking for a quick escape to the countryside, this is a place to bear in mind – it’s only about an hour and quarter by road from the city.

Graig Wen - Wild Snowdonia Escapes

32 units · Glamping, Motorhomes, Tents45 acres · Gwynedd, North Wales

Succumb to the tranquil hills of Graig Wen. Smart, sustainable and quite simply, lush.

The Hop Farm

50 units · Motorhomes, Tents500 acres · Brenchley, England

The Hop Farm is set in 500 acres of unspoilt Kent countryside, known as the Garden of England. Flat grass fields and surrounded by private woodland and also fields abut the River Medway, ideal for paddleboarding and kayaking. Campers have access to newly refurbished facilities, state of the art showers, toilets and washing facilities. Raised BBQ's and raised firepits are permitted. It's the ideal location for a peaceful escape with endless skies providing memorable sunsets and stars unhindered by artificial light.

Pytingwyn Woods

6 units · Motorhomes, Tents4 acres · Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales

Almost-wild camping on the banks of the River Honddu, edging the Brecon Beacons

Cairngorms Glamping and Campsite

10 units · Motorhomes, Tents10 acres · Strathdon, Scotland

Pitches and pods in the Cairngorms National Park

Value Prop

Value Prop

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

From the bonny banks of a burn in Scotland to riverside gems in France, uncover the best riverside campsites here.

Riverside campsites in the UK guide

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Related Guides

Want a riverside somewhere specific? If you've got a specific location in mind or you want to narrow down your riverside camping options further, take a glance at some of our related guides...

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From the banks of a burn in Scotland to a canoe-launching riverside in the Norfolk Broads, discover the very best riverside campsites for wild swimming, dam building, canoeing, kayaking and generally messing about in the water.

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