Campsites Near Towns/Cities

Hello all, can anyone recommend campsites near towns or cities in the southern reagion (say south of the M4 corridor!) please? My other half fancies a few days away in November to somewhere in close proximity to a town/city. She's not keen on using public transport until the Covid rates are much reduced so any site needs to be within a bike ride of the town/city.
I've spotted that Bristol Baltic Wharf has been given a lifeline and sounds ideal. Anywhere else recommended? Cheers Andy

As you have said, Baltic Wharf in Bristol would probably be ideal. Plenty to see and do in Bristol, and it’s quite central. Bath Marina is a walkable distance from the city centre as well, if you have no mobility issues. There is a park and ride bus you can take nearby I believe, but I walked.

Hunters Moon CAMC site, 2.5 miles from Wareham.

Tredegar House CAMC - near Newport / Cardiff/ the Valleys 
Cardiff City, Sophia Gardens - ditto
Gowerton CAMC - near Swansea and The Gower

all near M4 and towns

Cymro

Cymro wrote:Tredegar House CAMC - near Newport / Cardiff/ the Valleys 
Cardiff City, Sophia Gardens - ditto
Gowerton CAMC - near Swansea and The Gower

all near M4 and towns

Cymro

Just to add to Cymro post, Tredegar house and gardens are well worth visit, stunning park land, fascinating period hose and craft workshops ,ASDA nearby. 
Boaby

Gowerton closes 1st November.

If you don’t mind the uphill ride through the park back to the site, CAMC at Brighton is easily accessible by bike along the seafront. Some even walk.

If you brave it north of M4 then CAMC at Cirencester is a short walk into the town. 

If you choose Bath Marine watch the LEZ zone, not sure if it’s inside or not.

Bath Marina site is outside the Clean Air Zone (CAZ), but you need to carefully plot your route to it in order not to enter the zone.

Salisbury C&CC site is just a 25 minute walk from the centre of the city and is now open all year round.

Tim

Good morning everyone, many thanks for those great ideas. I think we'll look at Bristol, Bath (thanks for the warning about the 'exclusion zone!) and Brighton. Wales also looks like worthy of investigation!
Cheers, Andy

Whilst all of the many recommendations are most welcome, may I introduce my own perspective specifically about the categories, here are our personal experience of sites where we have stayed in the past..

Level 1. Campsites within walking distance of the town centre
Hawes in North Yorkshire, the CAMC site
Leyburn in North Yorkshire, the CAMC site
York Roundtree Park, the CAMC site
Castleton in Derbyshire, the CAMC site
Morton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds, the CAMC site
Broadway in the Cotswolds, the CAMC site

Level 2. Campsites within easy bus ride of the Town centre
Baltic Wharf, river taxi, from the CAMC site available until it closes
Brighton from the CAMC site, with lots of other options to travel by bus to go along the coast with your free bus pass.

That all said, this could be an amazingly useful database, please keep it coming. Perhaps worthy of a sticky?

There's also the negative site. I remember we stayed once near Bognor Regis and the bus service was about one bus a day in the morning.

Canterbury Dover Road Park & Ride has an Aire cost includes the bus into the city center

you will find Bath Marina has now been rebranded as Aquavista

Relaxez-Vous wrote:That all said, this could be an amazingly useful database, please keep it coming. Perhaps worthy of a sticky?

I believe that there was a thread on this topic a few years ago. Needless to say, my attempt to search for that thread was unsuccessful.  But if someone can find it, it may suggest some other suitable sites.

Relaxez-vous's suggestion for a "sticky" list on the Forum is to be welcomed and encouraged. 

Cymro

I have only just got around to reading this thread which is a useful one.  

I would add the CAMC site at Minehead to the list and its open all year.  We have had two very successful winter trips to it.  All the facilities of a town are on the doorstep plus some excellent country and coastal walks including to NT Dunster Castle.  

The CAMC site at Henley-on-Thames is also open all year and ticks the box just N of the M4.

As someone who lives in Salisbury I can definitely recommend its CACC site, even though I am not a member of the CACC and have never stayed at the site.  It has excellent walking and cycling along the River Avon S into Salisbury past one of the best Waitroses outside of London (incl. free motorhome parking for 3 hours) and N past Old Sarum up the attractive Woodford Valley.  

We have been to the CAMC site outside Brockenhurst several times - the last 3 in Nov/Dec.  It's a difficult site to book and it is closed in Jan/Feb.  It's a rural site but within walking and cycling distance of the large villages of Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst and cycling distance of the town of Lymington.  There are also buses and trains to catch from Brockenhurst and excellent New Forest walks in all directions.

Melrose Caravan Club site. Hopping Distance
South Medows walking distance Belsay
Helmsley- car park allows motorhomes walking distance
Braemar, Ballater, Grantown Caravansites
Keswick camping and caravan Club site.
A number of sites around Ingleton and the Tourist Info car park
Hawes Cattle Market

If anyones in the area I can highly recommend the Borough Arms in Lymington as an overnight pub stop.(Found it on search for sites) very friendly landlord,a few minuets to high street and short walk down to very attractive waterfront,both very nice. Good food in pub and free overnighter. We asked if we could arrive in morning and leave van to visit lymington and have meal in evening.No problem with that.

Tewkesbury CAMC site, few minutes walk
St. Neots C&CC site, 10/15 minutes walk
Brecon CAMC site, 20 minutes canalside walk.
West Midlands Showground Shrewsbury, 10/15 minutes walk

Kdc wrote:If anyones in the area I can highly recommend the Borough Arms in Lymington as an overnight pub stop.(Found it on search for sites) very friendly landlord,a few minuets to high street and short walk down to very attractive waterfront,both very nice. Good food in pub and free overnighter. We asked if we could arrive in morning and leave van to visit lymington and have meal in evening.No problem with that.

Thanks, not far from us, will give it a go. Don't like driving far on our roads.

Got to go to Hamble motors soon for service, that's far enough for me.

----------
Richard

rgermain wrote:

Kdc wrote:If anyones in the area I can highly recommend the Borough Arms in Lymington as an overnight pub stop.(Found it on search for sites) very friendly landlord,a few minuets to high street and short walk down to very attractive waterfront,both very nice. Good food in pub and free overnighter. We asked if we could arrive in morning and leave van to visit lymington and have meal in evening.No problem with that.

Thanks, not far from us, will give it a go. Don't like driving far on our roads.

Got to go to Hamble motors soon for service, that's far enough for me.

----------
Richard

Just looked at their website:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

We are frequent visitors to Lymington by car and have not seen it before.  Lymington is a great place to visit or stay, including in the winter where there are good flat and relatively dry walks around the salt marshes towards Keyhaven with excellent birdwatching.

Wow, the list is getting bigger! Many thanks to all contributors. Like Caraman, we are close to the New Forest and Lymington (played cricket against Lymmo many times back in the day!) and usually drive there; it would be lovely to spend more than a couple of hours and even have a drink/meal as we usually head home too early! Similarly Salisbury and know the walk along the river, but an overnight stay would be very attractive!
Thanks again all, Andy

Hartsholme Country Park, Lincoln.  Open March to October + Xmas market.
Its about 3 miles from Lincoln centre.
Bus stop to town is about 10 min walk away.  Fairly frequent.
I would think easy to cycle in - but the old town/castle etc is at the top of the hill - Steep Hill.  You couldnt cycle up that.

We love Lymington and often park in one of the car parks to the back of the high st and cut through one of the small alleys onto the high street itself. We then walk down to the harbour.
We pass the Borough Arms on the way to the car parks, it’s not central but Lymington isn’t a massive place and everywhere would be within a 15-20 min walk from the pub.
St Neots is also one of our go to sites as it’s less than an hour away. Right on the river and a lovely place with plenty of park walks around the town.

Cheddar Bridge or the CAMC site next door. 5 mins walk to the bus stop.

It's worth adding the Fowey CL site to the list.  Open all year and good hardstanding. Its on the edge of Fowey which is a town - just - from which there are ferry and bus links elsewhere.  I can endorse its very good reviews.

Have just found this thread which no doubt adds to the list:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Seeing thread back has just jogged my memory - New Mills canalside site, run by the marina. Showers/toilets and hook up.
And Salisbury C&CC site if not mentioned before.