When to camp: a month-by-month guide
Lambing, bluebells, regattas, orchards and frost: the three counties change costume every month. Time your trip to the good bits.
Every month below is a real answer to the question "should we go camping this month?". The honest summary: May and September are the champions, August is the crowd-pleaser, February belongs to the lambs.
January
Frost, mud and empty sites. The all-year parks (Mayfield, Blackland Lakes, Coombe) are peaceful for hardy caravanners, and winter walks from Burford's site to a quiet wildlife park have their own magic. One for the brave.
February
Lambing begins at Cotswold Farm Park, the single best reason to camp in winter. Lincoln Farm Park reopens with its indoor pools and steam room, the clever February half-term play.
March
The season creaks open: the riverside sites return, with Ye Olde Swan's island and Cotswold View's fire-pit terraces leading the way. Wild daffodils, brown trout streams and mud. Pack double wellies and go anyway, March campfires taste better.
April
Bluebell woods glow across the three counties, and Easter lamb feeding peaks at Cotswold Farm Park. Cool nights, bright days: the classic first-trip-of-the-year month.
May
The insider's month. Two bank holidays, warm days, light evenings and none of the summer crush. May half-term at Hardwick Parks or Swiss Farm before the pools get crowded is as good as UK camping gets.
June
Longest days: it is light until nearly ten, so the campfire crowd (Holycombe, Abbey Home Farm) wins June. Book Swiss Farm well ahead, Henley Regatta takes over the town in very late June and early July.
July
School holidays begin and the big parks hit full song. Hoburne Cotswold's pools and beach earn their keep, and river swimming at Stowford Manor Farm is finally warm-ish. Book everything early.
August
Peak everything: peak fun, peak crowds, peak prices. Go small and off-grid (Evelyn's Garden, Holycombe) to dodge the crush, or lean in at Hoburne with the aqua park. Pick-your-own starts at Hayles Fruit Farm.
September
The second-best month. Warm days, quiet sites, wasp-free orchards heavy with apples at Hayles, and the Ridgeway at its golden best above Court Hill. If your children are not yet school-age, September is your superpower.
October
Half-term at the all-year sites: Burford for the wildlife park's autumn colour, Moreton-in-Marsh for cosy market-town camping. Fires, conkers and hot chocolate weather.
November
The season closes almost everywhere. Blackland Lakes and the hardiest all-year parks keep a few fires burning, and dark-sky stargazing at Coombe is spectacular on clear, cold nights.
December
A handful of caravans, a lot of frost and the quietest countryside of the year. One for motorhome owners with good heating, everyone else: plan next year from the sofa with our compare table.
Timing questions
When is the best time to go camping in the Cotswolds with children?
May and September are the sweet spots: warm days, light evenings, quieter sites and lower prices than the school summer holidays. For toddlers not yet at school, September is the superpower month. February to April is lambing season at Cotswold Farm Park.
When is lambing season at Cotswold Farm Park?
Lambing at Cotswold Farm Park near Guiting Power typically runs from February to April, with bottle feeding and lambing barn sessions. Camping on site opens in March, so late March and April campers catch the tail of it.