Luckily camping is a great way to not only have a great holiday but a holiday that is kinder to the environment too - especially if you choose to stay in the UK for your camping holiday.
Camping is a holiday style that is loved by many for how it helps you to get back to nature, relax and recharge, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. There is no better way to have a stress free holiday than packing up your tent or caravan and heading out to somewhere beautiful.
Choosing to relax on the campsite, read a book and taking the time to recharge is a time well spent. Or, you can pack your holiday full of long relaxing walks along beautiful coastlines or through stunning scenery. You can even take in a tourist hotspot or two. However you choose to relax, you will be able to find a camping holiday to match.
A green camping holiday allows you the same relaxation you get on any camping holiday but with the added benefit of knowing you are doing your bit for the environment too. Green camping holidays encourage you to spend less time travelling and worrying about all the extra trips and costly excursions and allow you to spend more time relaxing - perfect!
We have some great ideas on how to ensure you have an eco-friendly camping holiday in the UK, so keep reading to find out more.
You might be wondering how to have a greener camping holiday experience. The UK is more environmentally aware than ever before, and campsites are doing their best to become as green as possible. This can include having easy access to recycling or even considering how to heat water for showers and facilities.
Whilst a green camping holiday is very much about the location and campsite, there are many things you can do to help the environment while on holiday. Here are a few tips to help you choose and have a greener camping holiday.
The first step to any eco-friendly holiday is to limit your travelling. On a camping holiday, this can be easy to achieve. There are so many to choose from, and they are situated in some beautiful areas.
Take your pick from coastal parks with views of the sea or inland campsites where you get fantastic views of rolling hills and green fields.
If you want to be even more eco-friendly, try picking out a campsite that is local to your home! Who says you have to travel far to have a great holiday? By choosing a campsite within an hour or two of your home, you can save yourself a lot in travel time and spend some time appreciating your local area. Most of us never have the time to spend visiting local tourist attractions or beauty spots, so this is your chance to find out the best things about your local area and help the environment too.
We have made finding a local campsite easy. You can use our online campsite finder and look for campsites in England, Scotland or Wales or use our handy campsite finder tool. So go ahead and choose your campsite in the UK for your next camping holiday.
In the UK, you don't usually have to search too hard to find a great campsite that works hard to be as environmentally friendly as possible. So, you should be spoilt for choice! Just search for your chosen destination area and take a look at the campsite facilities and amenities available.
To find a green campsite, you need to be looking for campsites that advertise themselves to do the following or allow access to these items:
Recycling facilities onsite
Composting toilets
Solar Power or alternative powered showers and facilities
Recycled water
Campsites that have an environment policy
Local shops or farmers markets
You may not find a campsite that does everything, but every little helps and a campsite working towards sustainability is a great place to stay if you are looking for a greener holiday.
Pick out the environmentally friendly facilities that are most important to you and find a campsite that caters to these as well as provides the ideal base for a great holiday. It's essential not to forget that you need to enjoy your holiday, so find the right balance between a green holiday and one that will help you to relax and enjoy yourself.
One of the best methods for sustainability and being environmentally friendly is still by using the common system we all know so well - reduce, reuse and recycle. You can easily follow the three R's of recycling even while on holiday.
To start with, reduce the amount of things you bring with you - especially if they are disposable items. Disposable plates and cutlery are a convenient idea, but these are often made of plastics that are difficult or impossible to recycle. You can either choose to buy environmentally friendly disposable items (usually made of bamboo) or reusable items.
You can reuse your camping equipment too. If you need to buy tents, caravans or any camping gear, then try and buy what you can secondhand. A quick search of online auction sites or classifieds can usually bring up some fantastic camping equipment at great prices.
Make sure wherever you go, you recycle as much as you can. Remember to recycle when you're out and about, not just onsite. This might mean taking your rubbish home or back to the campsite with you to pop into the recycling bins rather than throwing your recyclable rubbish into a general bin.
However, it is becoming more common to find recycling bins whilst out and about so make the most of these wherever you see them.
One way you can support a local area and the environment at the same time is by buying local. The less a product has to be shipped around the world, the more environmentally friendly it is!
Not to mention the fuel you need to use if you have to travel to the next town or city over to find a supermarket. By shopping local, you will be helping the environment and the local economy by shopping from the small businesses within the area of your campsite. So keep your shopping as local as possible.
Pop into the local grocery shop instead of choosing to travel to the next town to pick up some basic groceries. You might be surprised at the quality of the products and the variety you can find.
If you can find one, a local farm shop or farmers market is even better. You can get everything you need to create healthy and hearty meals whilst supporting the local area.
Technology surrounds us every minute of every day, and it isn't always good for us or the environment. Every item that has a battery uses electricity, so your phones, laptops, tablets and e-readers are all using energy every day. This isn't easy, but a holiday is an excellent opportunity to take some time to digitally detox.
When you get to your holiday destination, consider switching off your gadgets. This can help you to relax and appreciate the beauty around you, and by not using up your batteries, you won't need to charge them either! This is great for a greener holiday and can save you the hassle of worrying about finding charging points.
If you do need to take your gadgets with you on holiday, then invest in some solar panel charging devices. Then, you can charge up your phone and use the power of the sun to do so!
Are you ready to choose your next camping holiday? You can read more about holidaying in the UK in this article on UK camping or take a look at the most exciting campsites in the UK.
It is always worth checking out our latest holiday information page for the latest travel advice available.
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You may also be interested in:
10 Tips for an Eco-Friendly Camping Holiday
AR Guide to: Solar Panels for Caravans and Motorhomes
Or read our Environmental Policy
Ben Tully
Visual Design & Content Creation
Ben deals with all things design, working on the visual design of our annual guides, Destinations magazine, information leaflets, social media and email campaigns, and much more across the Alan Rogers, Rallies and Worldwide brands. He also produces written content for our blogs alongside our other contributors.
