Our enduring love affair with the great British holiday park began in the Victorian era — with Cunningham Camp opening on the Isle of Man in 1894 — and really blossomed after World War II.
This was thanks to tourism entrepreneurs such as Billy Butlin, Fred Pontin and Wally B. Hoseason taking up the concept of offering good-value accommodation and plenty of family activities and running with it. Fast forward more than 120 years and the classic British holiday remains a budget-friendly way to enjoy some of the UK’s most popular tourist hotspots.
Meanwhile, the quality of rooms has improved steadily. It’s now possible to stay in converted shepherd’s huts, static caravans and glamping tents at some parks – many of which have pet-friendly policies.
Expect entertainment galore for the whole family, with heated pools, crazy golf and West End-style cabarets.
Here’s our guide to some of the best…
FANCY SHEPHERD’S HUTS
Here’s our guide to some of the best holiday parks in Britain, including Shorefield’s Wilksworth site in Dorset, which is home to a pair of hand-built shepherd’s huts (above)
When GP Dr Robert Pollock couldn’t find a decent pitch for his family’s annual break in the 1950s, he bought a small holiday park on the South Coast — and for the next 18 years he ran it as a sideline.
Fast forward to 2023, and Shorefield is still family-owned, having expanded to eight parks offering mostly caravans and lodges across the New Forest, Hampshire and Dorset.
New at the Wilksworth site in Dorset is a pair of hand-built shepherd’s huts.
Meanwhile, at the nearby Oakdene Forest Park, families can sign up for two free Go Active+ experiences including archery, go-karting and mini jet-ski sessions.
BOOK IT: A seven-night stay at Oakdene Forest Park’s Superior+ lodge with a hot tub, which sleeps four, costs from £2,168 in August (shorefield.co.uk).
BLOWN AWAY BY BUTLIN’S
Children will love the huge range of activities on offer across each Butlin’s site. Above is the waterpark at the Butlin’s in Bognor Regis
Britain’s most famous holiday park brand, Butlin’s, has reinvented itself in recent years, adding upmarket hotel rooms to its cheap-and-cheerful chalets. But one thing will never change: the famous Redcoats, who lead the show at its three beachside sites in Skegness, Bognor Regis and Minehead.
Children will love the huge range of activities on offer, including archery and traditional fairground rides. Evening entertainment this year includes a version of ITV’s The Masked Singer, featuring a ‘mystery’ celebrity cast.
Bognor feels like the flagship, with its £40 million Splash pool complex.
BOOK IT: A four-night stay in the Wave Hotel at Butlin’s Bognor Regis, sleeping four people, costs from £711 room-only in August (butlins.com).
HOT-TUB LUXURY
A week in a lodge with a hot tub at Lovat Parks’ Penmarlam Lodge Retreat in Cornwall costs from £1,796
A boutique chain with a strong focus on sustainability, Lovat Parks — which has sites in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cornwall and the New Forest — has refined the concept without inflating prices. Luxury caravans and glamping with hot tubs are the big draws. Electric vehicle charging points have been introduced across all of its parks.
Entertainment is positively wholesome — for example, at the dog-friendly Green Hill Farm Holiday Village in the New Forest you can fish, toast marshmallows on campfires, and even go on ranger-led adventures.
BOOK IT: A week in a two-bedroom lodge with a hot tub at Penmarlam Lodge Retreat in Fowey, Cornwall, in August costs from £1,796, based on four sharing (lovatparks.com).
TRY A TIPI
Hoseasons, which was started as a boating holiday firm by Norfolk harbourmaster Wally B. Hoseason in post-war Britain, now welcomes around 1.75 million customers a year.
A stylish lodge in a tucked-away green valley? A tipi with a woodburner near the beach? You can stay at both of these, and more, with Hoseasons.
With hundreds of parks in the likes of Norfolk, Dorset and Snowdonia, Hoseasons has much of the UK covered. Breaks are sold under in-house brands such as Bouja (affordable luxury) and Daisy Door (cottages and apartments).
BOOK IT: A two-bedroom lodge with a hot tub at Calthwaite Hall Lodges, Cumbria, costs from £895, based on four sharing for three nights in August (hoseasons.co.uk).
TOP SAFARI TENTS
Park Holidays has more than 50 sites, including Riviera Bay Holiday Park in Devon (pictured)
Park Holidays snapped up rival Bridge Leisure in 2021, expanding its reach to more than 50 sites. Many are on England’s South Coast, but there are some in the likes of Yorkshire and Scotland, too. There are safari tents, standard statics and, at certain parks, luxury caravans where perks include king-size beds, fluffy robes and private decking.
Super-fast wifi is standard at all sites, as are pools and family entertainment centres.
BOOK IT: Seven nights in a two-bedroom Gold Plus caravan at the Hedley Wood park in Devon in August costs from £929, based on six sharing (parkholidays.com).
SUPER IN THE SOUTH
Hoburne Holidays is a family-run operator founded by a diversifying farmer in 1912.
It now boasts eight sites across southern England including a cliff-top park on the fringes of the New Forest and three locations in Devon and Cornwall. Big on family fun, tots and teens are equally well catered for, with pets welcome, too — there’s no additional charge for dogs.
Grown-ups in the party will love the chance to book a hot tub at many of the parks.
BOOK IT: A deluxe two-bedroom lodge sleeping four at Hoburne Blue Anchor in Somerset costs from £1,743 for seven nights in August (hoburne.com).
CORNISH BARGAINS
Guests of Parkdean Resorts can stay in caravans, lodges, chalets, apartments, glamping, maisonettes, bungalows and cottages. Above is the company’s Eyemouth Holiday Park
Parkdean Resorts has 66 UK sites from Lizard Point in Cornwall to Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands. Prices are reasonable, with caravans, lodges, chalets, apartments, glamping, maisonettes, bungalows and cottages offered.
Entertainment is a strength. The largest sites offer multi-sports facilities, arts and crafts, adventure playgrounds, gyms and spas.
BOOK IT: Three nights for four people in a two-bedroom lodge at St Minver Holiday Park in Cornwall cost from £689 in August (parkdeanresorts.co.uk).
CORKER IN YORKSHIRE
A caravan at Haven’s Blue Dolphin site (above) in Filey, North Yorkshire, in August costs from £1,685 for seven nights
Another big hitter, Haven has 38 sites, mostly in coastal spots around the UK.
There are two price bands: ‘Haven Hideaway’, which enables guests to use the site purely as a budget holiday base; or ‘Haven’, which includes activities and entertainment.
A Signature lodge is the top accommodation option, and comes with a dishwasher, full-size fridge-freezer and 40in flatscreen television.
BOOK IT: A three-bedroom Signature Lakeside caravan, sleeping six, at the Blue Dolphin site in Filey in August costs from £1,685 for seven nights. Price includes swimming and entertainment passes (haven.com).
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