York has been named Britain's top camping destination in new research that analysed 144 locations across the country. The historic city achieved a score of 63.40 out of 100.
The study evaluated destinations based on 10 different criteria, including campsite numbers, weather patterns, visitor ratings, pricing and online search popularity.
York's top ranking was bolstered by its 53 available campsites, extensive daylight hours averaging 856.35 minutes daily, and moderate pricing at £30 per night.
The North Yorkshire city outperformed traditional coastal favourites and popular tourist destinations across southern England.
GETTY | York came in at the top of the list
Coastal resort Weymouth secured second place with 61.83 points, whilst Skegness claimed third position, scoring 61.55. The Dorset town benefits from minimal rainfall at 0.85mm and attracts 8,833 monthly Google searches, whilst Lincolnshire's Skegness offers budget-friendly camping at £20 per night with the lowest precipitation levels.
The UK's top camping destinations
- York, North Yorkshire - 63.40
- Weymouth, Dorset - 61.83
- Skegness, Lincolnshire - 61.55
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire - 60.47
- Norwich, Norfolk - 59.86
- King's Lynn, Norfolk - 59.76
- Lincoln, Lincolnshire - 59.21
- Newquay, Cornwall - 58.95
- Helston, Cornwall - 58.61
- Exeter, Devon - 57.84
Exeter stands out as the most affordable option at £16 per night whilst maintaining the highest visitor rating of 4.75 out of five. Newquay attracted the most online interest with 10,992 monthly searches.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Ambleside in Cumbria recorded the lowest score at 26.30 out of 100, despite its popularity with tourists. The Lake District town's median camping price of £330 per night proved prohibitive.
Llandeilo in Wales placed second-last with 27.78 points, hampered by costs of £147 per night and heavy rainfall at 2.26mm. Bridlington scored 31.69, struggling with wind speeds of 25.94 km/h and prices of £115 nightly.
CEO of Gamblorium - who conducted the research - Nodar Giorgadze said: "This data shows that the ideal camping location balances several crucial factors. The popularity of York as a top camping destination highlights how important it is to have a good number of quality sites alongside reliable weather conditions.
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GETTY
|York's top ranking was bolstered by its 53 available campsites, extensive daylight hours averaging 856.35 minutes daily
"What we found particularly interesting is that affordability doesn't always correlate with quality. For example, Exeter offers the cheapest median price in our top 10 at just £16 per night, yet maintains one of the highest average ratings at 4.75 out of five.
"For those planning camping trips in the UK, looking beyond just the popular tourist hotspots can lead to discovering excellent camping experiences that offer better value and potentially more favourable conditions."
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