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If you’re looking for a staycation in the UK, then a family friendly lakeside campsite may be the answer. Surrounded by nature, wildlife and local produce, these campsites are perfect for walking, cycling, exploring and relaxing with the family, whilst offering spectacular views and options for those in tents, caravans or motor homes. So here are our top 10 family friendly lakeside campsites in the UK:

1. Loch Ness Shores Club Site, Inverness, Scotland

Starting strong in our top 10 family friendly lakeside campsites in the UK, this 5* campsite offers stunning scenery right on the banks of Loch Ness. With views of the loch and surrounding mountains, as well as woodlands, forestry and flora, it is the perfect campsite for families to visit this summer. The Loch Ness Shores offers pitches with electricity for mobile homes, camper vans and caravans, grass pitches with or without electricity for tents and wigwam cabins which are suitable for up to four or five people. The campsite also offers an indoor eating and drinking area, a bistro, shop and reception as well as accessible toilets and showers, a gift farm shop, chemical disposal, a laundry room and an enclosed children’s play area to keep the kids amused. Loch Ness Shores Club is also a fantastic holiday choice for those looking to stay in the UK as it focuses heavily on being a ‘Green’ holiday, with solar thermal energy and water pump heating system, its limited use of plastics, well insulated wigwam cabins and its effort to source local produce for the restaurant and shop. Click here for more information on how to book.

2. Keswick Club Site, Lake District, England

For families who can’t get enough of the great outdoors and activities such as walking and cycling, Keswick Club Site may be the perfect option for you. Located on the shore of Derwentwater and only a couple of minutes’ walk from the centre of the popular market town of Keswick, this campsite offers shoreside pitches with views of the water. You can choose between grass pitches for campers and tourers or hardstandings which are just for those in caravans and motorhomes. Open all year, Keswick Club Site has lots of facilities and amenities, such as electric hookups, disabled access, drinking water, a kids playground, internet access, laundry facilities, showers and toilets, and allows pets too. In terms of the town of Keswick, there is plenty to do and see including Castlerigg Stone Circle, several restaurants, cafés and it even boasts its own brewery. To contact the site or find out more information, click here.

3. Kingsbury Water Park Club Site, Warwickshire, England

Surrounded by over 15 lakes and pools in Kingsbury Water Park, this area creates the perfect setting for a family-friendly campsite where you can relax and have lots of fun! The base boasts tranquillity with grass and hardstanding pitches with electric, suiting those with tents and tourers. There are also spacious and furnished safari tents which offer one double bed, one set of bunk beds, a sofa and kitchen/dining facilities, ideal if you are more suited to glamping. The Water Park itself has open spaces, woods, walking trails, a children’s farm, two children’s play areas and one of the largest fisheries in the Midlands. There is also an Outdoor Education Centre opposite the site entrance which offers a variety of activities for both adults and children including abseiling, canoeing, climbing and rafting. On site facilities include internet access, drinking water, laundry facilities, toilets, W.C. disposal, showers, disabled facilities, electric hookups and pets are allowed. To enquire about booking, visit here.

4. Delamont Country Park Caravan Park, County Down, Northern Ireland

This is a 5*, award-winning caravan and camping site which sits adjacent to the stunning Delamont Country Park in a peaceful and rural location and is a strong contender in our top 10 family friendly lakeside campsites in the UK. A level site offering a place to stay for campers, caravan and motorhome owners, Delamont is ideal for beautiful walks such as up the hill to the Strangford Stone where you will be rewarded with fantastic views over Strangford Lough to the Mourne Mountains. It is also ideal for family picnics, barbecues and games with specially designated areas, an outdoor adventure playground, miniature railway and heronry. On site, there is a modern washblock, a small shop, showers, a flushing toilet, WiFi, dedicated accessible facilities and pets are welcome. There is also a variety of pitches to choose from including grass pitches with no electric hook-up, grass pitches with electric hook-up, hardstanding, jumbo grass pitches and super service hard standing. Be aware that at the caravan park there is limited car parking so for second cars or visitors, you can find more parking in Delamont Country Park. More information on booking can be found here.

5. Horsley Club Site, Surrey, England

Another choice for our top 10 family friendly lakeside campsites in the UK is this gorgeous campsite which lies just north of the Surrey Hills, popular for the network of footpaths that criss-cross them, including the long distance North Downs Way. In a tranquil location, Horsley is tucked away down the end of a quiet lane, however it is still a large site with some 120 pitches. There is lots of wildlife to see here too, including foxes, deer, rabbits and ducks, there is also a children’s play area, dog walk and a recreation room. For days out in the area, you can visit the National Trust’s Polsden Lacey which is a stunning Edwardian Manor House near Dorking, RHS Garden Wisely which is the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society or you could take a trip to one of the nearby theme parks such as Chessington World of Adventure, Legoland or Thorpe Park. At Horsley, there are different pitches to suit each family, including grass with or without electric hook-up, hardstanding with electric hook-up and jumbo grass pitches. Facilities include showers, a shop, washbasins, dedicated accessible facilities and flushing toilets. Click here to book.

6. Skye Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Isle of Skye, Scotland

You will find the Skye Camping and Caravanning Club Site on the beautiful Isle of Skye next to Loch Greshornish boasting an idyllic location where campers can enjoy stunning views over the water to the hills beyond. Set on a working croft, where you can expect to see magnificent Highland cattle and sheep close by and where you are able to buy freshly laid duck and hen eggs at the shop, this site offers hardstanding pitches for those travelling in caravans and motorhomes, grass pitches or glamping pods and yurts. If you and your family are keen to get stuck in to the local way of life, you can visit Edinbane Inn which serves local produce (and has regular live Scottish music) or venture into Portree, the main town of Skye or if the weather is looking good take a trip down to Caligan Coral Beach. As with the previous sites, Skye Club has many facilities and amenities such as showers and flushing toilets, and if you are looking for somewhere which will accept your furry friends this place is dog-friendly. If this sounds like the place for you and your family, click here.

7. Eskdale Campsite, Cumbria, England

Set in the heart of the Lakes, this National Trust campsite is a tranquil base for outdoor lovers and is perfect for exploring the region’s stunning crags, woods and waterfalls. Set in eight acres of meadow grassland in the Eskdale valley, this charming site sits at the foot of England’s steepest road, the Hardknott Pass and offers three flat meadow areas on which to camp. All pitches are dual-use for campervans and tents, with options for electric hook-up, or you can forget the tents and book a pod, which are nestled in little wooded areas with a small play place nearby. There is also a campsite shop and a modern facility block which includes showers, toilets, washing up areas, drying and laundry rooms and an information room. From the campsite, if you follow the river along past St Catherine’s Church where you can make your way across on stepping stones, there are rock pools to cool off in or you can carry on up to Stanley Ghyll Force which is a 60 foot high waterfall. A short walk will take you to the village of Boot where there is a great choice of pubs and restaurants. Click this link to enquire about booking or read more about one of our top 10 family friendly lakeside campsites in the UK.

8. Hereford Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Herefordshire, England

Within driving distance of the Malvern Hills and Wye Valley, the Black Mountains and the Forest of Dean, is this campsite which boasts an idyllic rural location next to the Millpond, a stunning three-and-a-half acre fishing lake. The vast site caters for up to 102 units and has spacious pitches overlooking the fishing lake as well as modern amenity blocks, a playing field and a dog walk. Perfect for an afternoon stroll with the children, Hereford is a quiet market town with many black and white buildings, a Cathedral, cafes, restaurants and pubs. There are also regular farmer’s markets in Hereford, Ledbury, Leominster and Ross-on-Wyre where you will find local breads and meats as well as honey and apple juice. Hereford Camping and Caravanning Club Site offer grass pitches with or without electric hook-up, hardstanding pitches and jumbo grass pitches, there is also WiFi, flushing toilets, washbasins, showers, a shop, dedicated accessible facilities, washing machines and storage facilities. If you are interested in booking, click here.

9. Great Langdale Campsite, Ambleside, England

National Trust’s Great Langdale is a relaxed site set in the heart of the Great Langdale Valley, a top UK campsite which has 175 pitches for tents, motorhomes, campervans and pods, allows two dogs per pitch and requires a minimum stay of two nights. With the towering Langdale Pikes looming above it, this campsite is a spectacular spot for people who love the great outdoors and is ideally located for walkers keen to explore the Lake District, with the site actually offering orienteering courses too. The owners of Great Langdale also have their own pub, the Sticklebarn, which is just a 10 minute walk away. The site boasts two newly upgraded toilet and shower blocks, washing-up areas, a laundry and drying room, barbecue facilities, chemical disposal and a shop. If sleeping in a tent isn’t really your thing or you do not have a campervan or motorhome, there is the option to stay in one of their cosy pods built locally from wood and providing an attractive, dry and spacious camping area. To book or find out more, click here.

10. Thorney Lakes Caravan and Camping Park, Somerset, England

A family run business established in 1993, Thorney Lakes is a haven of tranquillity and relaxation and attracts a vast amount of wildlife including otters, badgers, rabbits, deer and 70 species of birdlife. Just a short level walk from the caravan park you will find the two miles of nature trails where you can enjoy a walk or bike ride with the family, there is also ample parking, a thatched shelter and disabled access. The lakes on site cover approximately four acres and are well stocked with a selection of coarse fish including large carp. At Thorney Lakes, there aren’t set pitches, just space, so you can pitch where you like and can park next to your tent or caravan anywhere on the seven-acre campsite. Because the campsite is on a traditional Somerset Cider Orchard, all pitches are level with plenty of electric-hookups, the site also welcomes groups of families and friends. Around Thorney Lakes expect to find several venues and attractions such as pubs and restaurants, museums and churches and community shops. If this sounds like the ideal campsite for you and your family, click here.