Camping in Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water sits in a stretch of the Cotswolds with several established campsites and glamping sites within a short drive, though there is nothing directly in the village itself given its compact, largely built-up centre. As with the rest of England, wild camping is illegal without the express permission of the landowner, so pitching up informally on farmland or verges around the village is not an option; stick to licensed sites, of which the wider Cotswolds has a good spread.

The terrain around Bourton is gentle by Cotswold standards, a mix of open farmland and river meadows rather than the steeper wolds further north, which makes it comfortable walking and cycling country for anyone camping nearby and wanting to explore on foot. Nearby sites range from simple, family-run touring and camping fields to more established caravan parks with better facilities, and several offer easy access to the Windrush Way and Monarch's Way long-distance footpaths that pass close to the village.

Late spring through early autumn is the practical camping season here, with April to October the reliable window for pitching a tent; conditions can turn wet and cold outside that period, as in the rest of the Cotswolds. For those who would rather skip the tent altogether, glamping has taken hold strongly in this part of Gloucestershire, with shepherd's huts, safari tents and converted horseboxes available on farms within a few miles of Bourton, offering proper beds and, often, a wood-burning stove or hot tub while keeping the countryside setting.