Van Miles

Most combine somewhere simple to stay with a good walk, cycling route, village, coast or pub stop. They’re mainly across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, the Peak District and Lake District, so they’re ideal for a two or three-night campervan escape in the north of England.

Some are perfect if you want an active weekend, while others are better for a slower trip with an easy walk and somewhere nice to explore.

Quick guide to these campervan weekends

New Mills – canals, easy walking and the Millennium Walkway.

Northwich – Whitegate Way, Anderton Boat Lift and easy cycling.

Haworth and Hebden Bridge – characterful towns, cafés and countryside.

Barley and Pendle – reservoir walks and Lancashire scenery.

Buttermere – spectacular Lake District views and walking.

Helwith Bridge – a simple Yorkshire Dales base.

Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay – coast, cycling and seaside walks.

Dalby Forest – forest walking and cycling.

Windermere and Ullswater – a classic Lake District trip.

Heysham – an easy Lancashire coastal escape.

1. New Mills, Peak District

New Mills is a great option if you want a Peak District campervan weekend without needing to climb a mountain.

We stayed at Lane Side Farm pop-up campsite near Buxworth. It was a simple campsite with countryside views, two portaloos and a sink.

One of the things we liked was being able to walk from the campsite. Buxworth War Memorial Club was around a 13-minute walk away and welcomed dogs.

The main reason to visit New Mills has to be the Millennium Walkway.

The walkway hangs above the River Goyt and connects with several walking routes around the town, including the Sett Valley Trail.

We also did a relaxed canal walk of around three miles.

This is a good weekend if you want plenty of scenery without having to plan anything too strenuous.

Read more: A Weekend in New Mills – Walks, Canals and the Millennium Walkway.

2. Northwich, Cheshire

Northwich turned out to be a really good campervan weekend.

We stayed at Acorns Caravan Park for two nights. It was a simple site without toilets or showers, but Whitegate Way ran right alongside it.

That meant we could leave the van and walk straight onto the trail.

We followed Whitegate Way towards Whitegate Station and also visited Anderton Boat Lift.

Northwich town itself is worth exploring too, so this is a good choice if you like combining walking with cafés, pubs and somewhere to wander around.

We originally visited over New Year, but it would work at any time of year.

Read more: New Year in Northwich by Campervan – Our Weekend Guide.

3. Haworth and Hebden Bridge

Haworth and Hebden Bridge work really well together for a campervan weekend.

Haworth is best known for the Brontë family, but even if you’re not interested in the history, the village itself is lovely.

The steep cobbled Main Street is lined with independent shops, pubs and cafés, while the surrounding moors give you plenty of walking options.

Hebden Bridge has a completely different feel.

There are canals, independent shops, cafés and lots of places to explore.

If you have time, nearby Heptonstall is also worth adding.

This would be my choice if you want a weekend that mixes walking with interesting towns rather than spending the entire trip in the countryside.

4. Barley and Pendle, Lancashire

Barley is a lovely little Lancashire village and a good base for exploring the Pendle area.

There’s a large village car park with toilets and a café. When we visited, parking was £1.50 for three hours or £3 for the day.

There’s also a stream beside the car park with picnic benches.

Rather than climbing Pendle Hill, we chose a countryside walk towards the reservoir before following the route back into Barley.

Another option is the Pendle Sculpture Trail, which is around a 45-minute walk each way from the village car park.

Barley is also closely connected with the story of the Pendle Witches, so there’s quite a bit of local history to discover.

The Pendle Inn is right in the village if you fancy finishing with a drink or something to eat.

Read more: A Day Out in Barley – Reservoir Walk, Parking and Things to Do.

5. Buttermere, Lake District

Buttermere is probably one of the most scenic places on this list.

We parked at Gatesgarth Farm Car Park at the southern end of Buttermere for our walk towards Warnscale Beck.

This is where you’ll find the pools often called the Buttermere Infinity Pools or Warnscale Beck Infinity Pools.

Even if you don’t walk up to the pools, the scenery around Buttermere itself is spectacular.

There are options ranging from a fairly gentle lakeside walk to much more challenging fell walks.

For us, this is one of those places where the drive alone starts to feel like part of the trip.

Read more: Buttermere Infinity Pools Walk – Where to Park, Route and Walking Time.

6. Helwith Bridge, Yorkshire Dales

Helwith Bridge is a great place for a simple Yorkshire Dales campervan weekend.

It works particularly well if your idea of a good trip is parking up, doing a walk and finishing somewhere for a drink or food.

You’re also well placed for exploring the wider Three Peaks area.

Pen-y-ghent, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Settle are all within easy reach, giving you lots of options depending on how much walking you want to do.

I like this sort of weekend because you don’t necessarily need a huge itinerary.

Park up, enjoy the scenery and decide what you fancy doing when you get there.

7. Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay

Whitby is probably one of the easiest places on this list to fill an entire weekend.

On one of our Yorkshire campervan trips we stayed at Broadlands Caravan Park in Whitby.

From there we walked into town, explored the harbour and, of course, had fish and chips.

Another day we took the bikes and cycled to Robin Hood’s Bay.

The route was around 14 miles. Robin Hood’s Bay itself is beautiful, although the steep climb back out definitely gets the legs working.

We also parked near Whitby Abbey and walked part of the coastal path.

If you want a weekend with plenty to do without constantly moving the van, Whitby is a really good choice.

Read more: Our Yorkshire Campervan Road Trip.

8. Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire

Dalby Forest is ideal if you want a more active campervan weekend.

There are miles of walking and cycling routes running through the forest.

When we stayed there, the weather wasn’t exactly on our side.

We arrived to heavy rain but put the waterproofs on and still managed a seven-mile walk.

The following day the sun finally appeared, so we did another walk followed by a 14-mile bike ride.

There are routes for lots of different abilities, so you don’t necessarily have to spend the weekend doing long distances.

It’s a great option if you enjoy being outdoors and want most of your activities right on the doorstep.

Read more: Our Yorkshire Campervan Road Trip – Harrogate, Dalby Forest, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay.

9. Windermere and Ullswater

You can’t really write a list of campervan weekends without including the Lake District.

On one of our trips we combined Windermere and Ullswater, using a mixture of campsites and campervan stops.

We stayed around Windermere at Rayrigg before moving across to Ullswater and staying at Park Foot.

The two areas give you quite different experiences.

Windermere has plenty of cafés, shops and places to visit, while Ullswater feels much more open once you get away from the busiest areas.

There are walks for almost every ability, so this is an easy weekend to tailor depending on the weather and how energetic you’re feeling.

10. Heysham, Lancashire

Heysham is probably one of the most underrated places on this list.

It’s particularly good when you want to get away in the van but don’t want a long drive.

We did a coastal walk of around 3.4 miles here, with views across Morecambe Bay.

You could easily combine it with Morecambe or Lancaster and make a full weekend of it.

It’s not the dramatic scenery you’ll get in Buttermere, but sometimes an easy coastal walk, a coffee and a night away in the van is exactly what you want.

Which campervan weekend would I choose?

If scenery was the priority, I’d choose Buttermere.

For walking and cycling, I’d choose Dalby Forest.

For an easy relaxing weekend, New Mills or Northwich.

For villages, cafés and places to explore, Haworth and Hebden Bridge.

For the coast, Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay would be difficult to beat.

That’s what I like about campervan travel. A good weekend doesn’t need a packed itinerary or a huge drive.

Sometimes all you need is somewhere nice to park, one good walk and somewhere for a coffee or a drink afterwards.