Camping in York

Camping around York is easy going. The Vale of York is flat river-plain country, so pitches are almost universally level and well drained where sites have invested in hardstandings. That flatness is a real advantage for anyone towing a caravan or pitching a large family tent, and it makes cycling into the city genuinely pleasant rather than a workout. The trade-off is that the low-lying land beside the Ouse can flood in a wet winter, which is why most sites near the river close from late autumn until March.

Weather is the usual English compromise. The Vale of York is one of the drier parts of the north, sheltered by the Pennines to the west, but you should still expect rain on roughly a third of days in any month and pack accordingly. May, June and September are the sweet spot: warm enough to sit out in the evening, dry enough to strike a tent without wrestling wet canvas, and quiet enough to get a riverside pitch without booking a year ahead. July and August are warmest but busiest, and the school holidays fill family-oriented parks completely.

Wild camping is not legal in England without the landowner's permission, and that applies fully in and around York. There is no Dartmoor-style exception here, and the farmland of the Vale is all in private hands. Stick to a proper site, of which there are plenty within four to six miles of the centre.

What to bring: a groundsheet or footprint, because the clay soils hold water; long pegs, since the ground bakes hard in a dry summer; midge repellent for riverside pitches in June and July; and a bike, because the traffic-free Sustrans route beside the Ouse from Naburn into the city is the best way in. Glamping is thinner on the ground here than in the Dales, so if you want a pod or a safari tent, look at the parks further out towards the Howardian Hills. For tents, note that several of the closest sites take caravans and motorhomes only, so check before you set off.