We are planning for a holiday in the south of England. To provide some detail on ‘we’: A Dutch couple of about 70 yrs old plus border collie, touring in a 5m40 bus camper. We like to be in nature (more than in cities). We mostly stop over at campsites, preferably small ones. The plan is to make a tour from Dover to Cornwall. We haven't set a departure date yet, but it will be the last week of August, or the first week of September. We know that school holidays in England do not end until the last week of August. We are also aware of the bank holiday on the 25th. So we assume that it will still be quite busy at the campsites at the end of August. What is your experience, will it already be a bit quieter? Or should we wait till September? Any advice is welcome.
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Personally, I would avoid the last 2 weeks of August.
Even if you could find availability during this time, tourist attractions such as beaches and theme parks will be heaving with people, and roads to and from those areas could be busy too.
DK
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I'd be tempted to wait until after the bank holiday as families will be starting to go home after that. Though schools in England won't be back until September so that's another week.
But I don't know anything about camping in that area. The last 25 years we've gone to France at that time.....
The last two weeks of August are definitely best avoided, in my opinion. As others have said, the roads will be jammed, everywhere will be packed, and prices will be astronomical! We never go away anywhere in Britain in August for those reasons. I would definitely wait until September when things will be much quieter.
On some sites, the first 2 weeks in September can be extremely busy. We were on a site in Dorset a few years ago in the first two weeks of July and a few days before we left, I was chatting with one of the site managers and I asked if they were ready for the busy school holidays which started the following week. She laughed and said that their busiest time was the first 2 weeks in July (the two weeks before the English school holidays) and the first 2 weeks in September (the two weeks after the Kids go back to school). Lots of older and retired people avoid the school holiday period but as soon as the kids go back to school, they are all out in full force!
If you like small sites, you might look into joining the Caravan and Motorhome club. As well as their big club sites (which are very expensive) they also have a huge network of independently owned and managed CL sites which are small sites that are allowed to take a maximum of 5 vans. These vary a lot in terms of facilities. Some just have a stand pipe for water and an Elsan point in a big grassy field and others have toilet facilities, hardstandings and fully serviced pitches. These sites tend to be much cheaper that the main club sites. You could pay as little as £10 a night for a basic CL with no electric but the average is about £25. If you are going to be here for a few weeks, the cost of joining the club could be offset by the savings you make by using CLs.
Thanks for the replies you all gave so far. We will reconsider our options. And with respect to the Caravan and Motorhome Club: We are member of campingkeyeurope, which is affiliated with the Caravan and Motorhome Club.
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
We live in Cornwall and it's VERY busy down here. We struggle to find parking spaces in our local town (Bude). Getting around isn't easy most days either but it's the price we pay to live down here!
Most campsites are full in this area (but Cornwall is a big county!) but you will find availability, depending on the type of site you want/need.
Like many others have said, September is much nicer down here. We tend to get out and away in September once the roads quieten down, even if the campsites don't!
Good luck and whenever you manage to get down here, enjoy, it's stunning!
------------- More adventures in 2026 -
Feb - Steamer Quay CAMC, Totnes
May - Cheddar & Dulverton
June - Lake District
July - Devizes, New Forest & Dorset
September - TBA
Christmas - Ayr, St Ives
New Year - Hillhead CAMC, Brixham
We always wait until mid September before going away in Caravan and you should then have no problem finding sites. We always stay at home during August school holidays which we have always called the silly season. We have the rest of the year Caravanning. Everywhere crowded,prices sky high, even ice cream prices go up and struggles parking. Best of luck with your trip and hope you enjoy.
Ronald. Ignore the pessimists . There are lots of sites with vacancies. Even the Caravan and Motorhome Club can’t fill most of its sites. They have an online list of late availability which shows you where the vacancies are. For them you can book on line a few hours in advance. For independent sites just take a phone and call them to ask about availability.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Campsites full in last week of August?
via mobile 17/8/2025 at 4:32pm
