You Can Sleep Overnight in Cardinham Woods for £16 a Night

Fancy waking up in ancient woodland just outside Bodmin? For a few weeks this summer, you can, as long as you have a campervan.

Forestry England has launched a Forest Campervan Road Trip for summer 2026, opening up selected forest car parks for overnight campervan and motorhome stays. Cardinham Woods near Bodmin is the only Cornwall site taking part.

How the road trip works

Running from 16th July to 14th September 2026, the scheme invites campervan and motorhome users to plan a route through seven forest locations, pairing overnight stays with daytime adventures. Visitors can stay for up to two nights at each car park, with a maximum of 48 hours, giving people a rare chance to experience the forests from dusk through to dawn.

What it costs

Stays are priced at £16 per night, or £14 a night for Forestry England members. Kielder Castle in Northumberland is the exception. It is the only site where pre-booking isn’t required, and it costs £15 per night for members and non-members alike.

The stopovers are designed as simple off-grid stays, though many sites have nearby visitor centres with cafés, toilets and family-friendly facilities. For anyone wanting showers and waste disposal, Forestry England also runs 14 forest campsites that can be built into a longer trip.

What you’ll find at Cardinham

Forestry England describes Cardinham Woods as peaceful ancient woodland where hidden history and nature come together. Across the wider road trip there is plenty for all ages, from woodland walks and trails for every ability to Gruffalo sculptures and Room on the Broom experiences for families, world-class mountain biking at Gisburn and Thetford Forest, and activities like Go Ape, disc golf and forest play areas.

The full list of forests

• Bedgebury National Pinetum, Kent
• Jeskyns Community Woodland, Kent
• High Lodge, Thetford Forest, Suffolk
• Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire
• Cardinham Woods, Cornwall
• Gisburn Forest, Lancashire
• Kielder Castle, Northumberland

What you need to know before booking

Bookings opened on 21st May for stays between 16th July and 14th September only. Pre-booking is essential at every site except Kielder Castle, and spaces are limited.

The stopovers are for fully self-contained campervans and motorhomes only, and size limits apply. Tents and caravans are not permitted. Visitors can stay for a maximum of 48 hours and are asked to follow Forestry England’s Forest Code and leave no trace. Overnight campervan or motorhome stays are not allowed in any other Forestry England car parks.

A wider shift in UK breaks

The trial comes as more people rethink how they take UK holidays and short breaks, looking for spontaneous, affordable and nature-led escapes closer to home. Rooftop tent brand TentBox says the move points to a growing appetite for outdoor experiences, while arguing you don’t need an expensive campervan or motorhome to take advantage of them.

Nicola Thompson, CEO of TentBox, said: “We’re seeing a real shift in how people think about travel. Rising costs and uncertainty are pushing people to look for alternatives that give them more freedom and better value. With TentBox, you’re not locked into one expensive trip a year, you can get away again and again, on your own terms.”

TentBox was founded in 2016 by Ollie and Neill, who came across rooftop camping on a road trip across Europe and spotted a gap in the market for high-quality roof tents built for everyday cars. The brand now calls itself the global market leader, with more than 100,000 TentBoxers signed up to its “Fast, Easy Adventure” approach.

For now the road trip is a one-off summer run. The car parks close to overnight stays again on 14th September, and after that, bedding down in a Forestry England car park anywhere in the country goes back to being off limits.