The vast majority of Club Sites are open to non-members, subject to a nightly pitch fee on top of that charged to members - see the websites of the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan Club for details. (You could, as an overseas visitor, take out temporary membership of the C&CC, but probably not worth it for a couple of weeks).
To use the usually basic, privately owned Certificated Sites/Locations of the Clubs, you would need to be a member of the appropriate one, but you'll find plenty of other commercial sites listed on this website - you'll probably find Camp Site Search useful.
There are quite a few heritage railways in addition to the Severn Valley Railway mentioned in the above post; if you don't want to go as far as Bridgnorth/Bewdley/Kidderminster consider the Swanage Railway which goes past "chocolate box" Corfe Castle in Dorset, or perhaps the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch narrow-gauge line in Kent. Plenty more ng in Wales but perhaps a little beyond your intended range!
Edit Don't like pre-booking personally, but then I'm not usually bothered a about a particular site, and have usually managed to find somewhere in the same area if my first choice site was full, but if you want a specific site, especially in the latter half of July when most English and Welsh school holidays start, yes, I think it would be advisable.
I would definitely recommend booking if you're going to a popular touristy area (altho you may not know if you are or not!) - see what the campsites recommend.
Are you interested in anything in particular, for example certain sports (there may be an event you'd like to catch), history (do you have any family historical connections in any area or a special interest in, for example, wars/army?), culture (you may want to visit theatres or galleries), food (think about types of restaurant - there are some ace seafood places on the south coast or in East Anglia).
The Camping and Caravan club sites are a good base as they're pretty reliable and straightforward - we stayed at a handy one in Oxford a couple of years ago.
Hi, this site is a mine of useful info regarding campsites.
When I visited Australia we worked out where we HAD to be (ie party and arriving and departing) and worked out an itinerary from there. Although we stayed in B&B's and not a camper it still worked well.
You will certainly not do everything you want, and the mistake I made in Aus was to do too much mileage.
You don't cover your interests, UK has just about everything on offer somewhere....
150 miles from London covers a huge piece of the country, taking in historical places like Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford upon Avon, Portsmouth, Stonehenge plus umpteen places in Kent and Sussex mostly within 50 miles ish from London.
The way I did it was plan my start point, plan my meeting with family members and plan my departure point.
I went in a circle(ish) so as not too overlap my route.
I then got maps and Google is great for this and looked at places I fancied visiting. We landed in Sydney and spent 2 days without transport seeing the city (might be worth considering if you want to see the sights of London) you don't need transport in the city.
Once you have a rough route penciled on a map, contact the Tourist Information Centers (TIC) for the relevant area. They will happily send you info and advice(that is there job). Then look on this site for Campsites in the area, read the reviews and most will book on line. Some will want a deposit, some will not. The sites will also give advice about their area and also pubs and restaurants if you want them.
Once you have a rough idea where you are visiting, come back on this site and put up your itinerary (before booking anything) and let people advise and give suggestions.
Hope this helps, I found the planning was almost as much fun as the trip itself!
------------- Jan and Simon and Jet and Amber
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
Hi, this suggestion may be a bit late be we a family of 4 went to Lincoln Park in Oxfordshire this year for a week in August and it's the best site I've been to in my 6 years of camping and caravaning, it's a Best of British site immaculate amenities beautiful site, not far from Oxford, and Blenheim palace
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: visiting UK for the first time
