Who doesn’t love a bank holiday? It’s time to pack up your things and head off for some much-needed relaxation with a camping trip to one of our perfectly positioned properties.
Frills-free camping or great glamping. Traveling with good friends or with family. August bank holiday in bell tents by the beach or an action-packed Easter weekend up a mountain with a bivouac on your back. Whatever your ideal getaway, read on for four of our favourites spots for bank holiday breakers, day off daredevils and long weekend wanderers…
Blue seas and white sands: beaches and glamping in Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire
An eco-friendly and affordable alternative to the Atlantic coast of Portugal, picturesque Pembrokeshire provides visitors with similarly glorious beaches and breath-taking blue seas with no need for the carbon-heavy budget flight.
Located just steps from a sandy Blue Flag beach, YHA Broad Haven provides easy access to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path for all the walking, cycling, swimming and sunbathing you could want on a warm bank holiday weekend. And should the weather turn there’s the family friendly Blue Lagoon water park and Folly Farm nearby too.
Arguably one of the UK’s finest spots for watersports, Pembrokeshire offers everything from paddleboarding experiences to surfing lessons. Kayaking through caves and into coves is a must, while coasteering adventures, incorporating cliff diving, scrambling and wave dodging, provide a unique way to experience this stunning seaside location. Prefer a gentler break? Boat trips out to Ramsey and Skomer Islands, spotting puffins, porpoises, whales and dolphins along the way, should be top of your bank holiday itinerary.
With comfortable space for two adults and two children, the land pods at YHA Broad Haven are ideal for a short family getaway. There’s no need to pack sleeping bags– cosy bedding is provided –and you needn’t worry about that famous West Wales rain either, these comfortable and spacious pods are completely weatherproof, although the roofs open fully to allow for seaside stargazing on clear, warm evenings.
Landpod guests have complete access to all of YHA Broad Haven’s great facilities, including a self-catering kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the coastal-themed licensed café. But with a firepit and bench seating right outside your door you won’t want to leave the great outdoors. Instead, stock up on marshmallows for toasting and warm your salty toes under the stars at one of our most picturesque glamping locations.
May Day the English way: a May bank holiday camping trip to Street, Somerset
There aren’t many YHA locations more classically English than YHA Street in Somerset. A stone’s throw from Glastonbury with its atmospheric tor and its eponymous music festival, YHA Street is perfectly located for experiencing the best of the South West, including some very traditional May Day celebrations.
A stunning Swiss-style chalet, this hostel offers traditional hostel accommodation alongside the option to pitch up with your own tent in the extensive National Trust-owned grounds or to rent a self-contained, heated glamping pod complete with cooking facilities and outdoor deck for BBQing. The oldest hostel on our books, YHA Street is a long-time favourite, offering dog friendly family camping facilities along with all the comforts you’d expect from a hostel, including well-equipped bathrooms and reliable Wi-Fi, plus easy access to some of the UK’s most famous historic sites, including Wookey Hole, Cheddar Gorge and Bridgwater, home to the famous Guy Fawkes Carnival.
Pay a visit to this Somerset location over the May Day Bank Holiday for easy access to two wonderfully historic celebrations of the change of seasons. Start your day with a very early morning drive (just under an hour) to the famously phallic Cerne Abbas Giant. Each May Day morning at sunrise, the Wessex Morris Men descend on the giant to perform a fertility stick dance right over his head.
Even closer to your bank holiday home – Kingsbury Episcopi is a 30 minute drive or an hour away by bicycle – the Kingsbury May Festival is a celebration of the oncoming summer, complete with hog roast, maypole dancing, a fancy dress pram race, egg throwing and traditional ‘tossing the sheaf’. And of course, no olde English May Day festival is complete without a garland draped Green Man, the star of the Kingsbury show.
Munching and mountain biking: foodie friendly camping in Helmsley, North Yorkshire
The windswept North Yorkshire Moors are a stunning setting for a break at any time of year. With local attractions including the atmospheric Rievaulx Abbey, the imposing Castle Howard and the brilliant North York Moors Steam Railway, there’s always something to do.
Ideal for cycling enthusiasts, the area around YHA Helmsley is unbeatable mounting biking country, offering miles of bike trails suitable for all ages and abilities, from the extensive Sutton Bank Centre with its combination of family-friendly and more challenging mountain bike trails to the spectacular Moors to Sea Cycle Network, which takes you through the dramatic moorlands and on to the striking wave-pounded coast.
Less than thirty minutes by car or around an hour and a half by bicycle (longer if you choose to take the scenic route) from YHA Helmsley you’ll find yourself in the pretty town of Malton, known as Yorkshire’s food capital. As well as a host of tempting food shops, restaurants and pubs, Malton is home to regular foodie events, including a monthly food market and an early December Christmas Festival. Visit over the late May or August Bank Holidays, however, and you’ll be treated to probably the most delicious event on the town’s calendar the Malton Food Lovers Festival. Known as ‘Yorkshire’s food Glastonbury’, this huge foodie festival brings together a myriad of food and drink stalls along with chef demoes, live music and kids’ activities, plus organised feasts and Q&As with some of the biggest names in the food industry.
With your belly full of local produce you’ll be ready for a good snooze. Pitch your tent on the dog friendly lawned camping area outside YHA Helmsley and enjoy 24 hour access to the hostel’s well cared for facilities, including showers, a drying room, laundry and bike storage.
Tradition meets luxury: Oak Apple Day glamping at Castleton, Peak District
Stunning scenery? Check. Long rambles? Check. Picturesque villages and traditional country pubs? Check. Activities galore? Check. Hope Valley is without doubt one of the most beloved areas in the Peak District, offering everything the average happy camper needs for a perfect bank holiday getaway. With the unforgettable walks of the Winnats Pass, the Great Ridge and Mam Tor nearby it’s little wonder that YHA Castleton Losehill Hall is one of the association’s most beloved locations.
A grand gothic mansion, this hostel has been fully refurbished to provide all mod cons for travellers, including a licensed bar, restaurant and self-catering kitchen as well a cycle store and shared drying room. With LED lighting and cosy bedding provided, Losehill Hall’s land pods bring a touch of luxury to your camping experience. These family-friendly pods open to the sky for stargazing and come with a BBQ firepit for al fresco dining, giving you the complete glamping experience at an affordable YHA price.
In addition to the sights of Peveril Castle, Chatsworth and Blue John Cavern, all nearby, this hostel is also the perfect base for hiking, climbing, caving and abseiling breaks. And should you pay a visit over the late May bank holiday you’re likely to be in a prime location for Oak Apple Day. Also known as Garland Day, this traditional Castleton festival is a traditional English May event taking place every year on May 29th, which means it often overlaps with the May Day bank holiday weekend. As part of the festivities, visitors don an oak leaf sprig and a couple is paraded through the picturesque village on horseback, wearing period dress, the man sporting an enormous garland of late spring flowers. With a brass band, Maypole dancing and, of course, plenty of opportunities to stop for a pint along the way, this procession is a must-see for any lover of English history and traditions.
Bank holiday camping and glamping breaks with YHA
Staying with YHA gives you the freedom to experience the best of England and Wales at your pace and within your budget. With a whole host of accessible properties, dog friendly locations and the option to book holidays for large groups, YHA breaks are perfect for bank holiday staycations with unrivalled locations in some of the country’s most stunning countryside.
As well as hostels, many YHA locations offer the option to camp using your own tent or to hire glamping pods, bunk houses, tipis or bell tents. Select properties even include safari tents and Airstream caravans. Check out our best camping destinations to find the perfect bank holiday break for you.
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