Camping in Meriden

Meriden's setting on the old Forest of Arden makes it a pleasant base for campers exploring the Warwickshire countryside between Coventry and Birmingham, even though the village itself has little formal camping right on its doorstep. As in the rest of England, wild camping is not permitted without the landowner's express permission, so it is worth planning ahead and booking a recognised site rather than pitching in fields or woodland around Packington Estate or the wider Arden landscape. The terrain here is gentle, lowland countryside — a patchwork of hedged fields, parkland and scattered woodland rather than dramatic hills — which makes for easy, low-effort camping and straightforward cycling or walking from a base near the village.

Warwickshire's inland location means summers can be a touch warmer and drier than in much of the country, and campsites in the area tend to be at their best from late spring through to early autumn, when hedgerows and woodland along routes like the Heart of England Way are in full leaf. The annual Cyclists' Memorial Service each May, drawing riders from across the country to the village green, makes a spring camping trip a good way to combine a stay with one of Meriden's most distinctive traditions. Given the proximity to the NEC and Birmingham Airport, sites in the wider area also see a good number of visitors combining a countryside stay with events or travel.

For those who would rather not put up a tent, glamping options across Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands countryside offer a comfortable alternative — anything from shepherd's huts to safari tents — usually with the same easy access to Meriden's green, Packington's parkland and the motorway network that makes this corner of England so convenient to explore.