My partner and I are looking to do some winter camping. We’ve never camped in winter before, although I have fished overnight in winter so know what to expect . I was wondering if anyone could recommend any back to basics campsites that are open all year. Anywhere in England as far up as the Peak District will be fine.
Any recommendations will be much appreciated.
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Try the Site Search centred on where you fancy going, tick on Open All Year - and anything else you want on this back to basics site. Then focus on the sites with 10 stars reviews, or no less than 9. If you’re in either of the Clubs, their Certificated Sites / Locations are small & would probably suit, but independent sites can be excellent.
There will be dozens of suitable sites, as other UKCS members will prove with their recommendations.
What are you camping in? Do you need hardstanding? Grass sites can get mighty squidgy in winter and you don't want your vehicle getting bogged down hence you might want to consider a site with hardstanding.
We camp all through the winter, at least once a month, we were out last weekend when Storm Arwen hit, we were down south which didn't suffer as much as elsewhere in the country, we got rocked around a bit but it wasn't too bad.
We are planning to camp in a small tent, I have a Land Rover so I’m not to concerned about getting stuck. It’s also big enough to sleep in if the tent gets squashed by a storm. I hadn’t thought too much about squidgy pitches, but now I’d probably take an extra ground sheet if we went. We are just at the planning stages at the minute I’m not sure if it’s going to be doable but we both feel like we need a bit of a getaway/2 night adventure away from the hum drum.
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It’s doable. Just don’t go so far from home that you can’t just pack up & come back in the middle of the night if needs be. Treat it as a trial run & find out what else you need next time you go winter camping, if anything. There’s something magical about opening the tent door to snow.
As for gears, make sure you use propane or liquid fuel for winter camping, as butane does not burn well a sub-zero temperatures!
Be very careful about using naked flames inside your tent though!
Plenty of layers and waterproofs, and spares as you may not have room or time to dry them if they get soaked.
A good sleeping system is key, and I would advise getting the best self-inflating mattress that you can afford for comfort as well as good insulation from the ground.
Also good sleeping bags.
If you have EHU, then consider taking a small fan heater, again be careful about using it inside a tent.
Good luck - it can be great as the colder months are quieter, just need some careful considerations.
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Remember that more than likely any water you have will freeze and the container may burst. This could also apply to any facilities and taps around the camp site will freeze up. We have often camped in the winter, but we have a caravan. It is a whole new ball game camping in the winter.
I love winter camping. We use poly cotton and now pure cotton tent - means you can heat it properly without drowning in condensation. Plenty of lighting to cheer it up a bit - it’s dark most of the time.
Something to be wary about: a lot of sites which say they’re open all year will refuse a tent in the winter. Some which say they’re not open all year will still let you pitch a tent - always worth contacting the site to check.
As you’re likely to be the only tent campers on site, even a commercial place can feel quite basic, but might have a heated facilities block where you can dry wet stuff / wash up in comfort etc.
Goes without saying, but go in a tent whose limits you know well and keep an eye on the weather forecast.
Heating the tent hadn’t even crossed my mind, the plan was to take a small tunnel tent. Thick SIM with high R rating and a good double sleeping bag. We’re only going for 1 or 2 nights so didn’t want to take loads of gear. How do you heat your tent? Is it a large tent?
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We normally go for a week at a time in winter, so yes we take the full holiday setup. It takes a lot of heating so we double up the EHU if we can, but it means there’s always a pleasant environment if the weather’s bad. Would definitely take hot water bottles if not on EHU!
Can I ask what tent and heater you have? This is all new to me! I fished a lake in Oxford years ago and the bailiff til us it was minus 5 in the night. I had a bed chair and duvet like sleeping bag. But was only in a single skin bivvy. To be honest it’s my girlfriend I’m concerned about more than me.
We had an old Outwell Concorde M, but now have a Karsten 350. Most effective heating for a larger tent is a fan heater. A good smaller tent for winter would be a Vango Force Ten Classic. I gave my daughter a 2nd hand one last Christmas and she was out in it for a few nights with a little oil filled radiator before new year. Hmm perhaps we’re not a normal family.
I was planning on taking a Robens voyager 3. The idea was to camp in a farmers field, or somewhere similarly basic. The idea of EHU etc seems to defeat the object in my mind. Although if I were freezing I’d think otherwise !
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Topic: Winter camping advice
via mobile 02/12/2021 at 11:25pm
, but now I’d probably take an extra ground sheet if we went. We are just at the planning stages at the minute 
I’m not sure if it’s going to be doable but we both feel like we need a bit of a getaway/2 night adventure away from the hum drum.
