What's Behind The Massive Surge In UK Glamping And Camping Bookings This July?

Ever get that feeling? You know the one. You’re staring out the window, the sun is actually shining for once, and you just feel an overwhelming urge to pack a bag, escape the routine, and just… get away from it all. Well, it turns out you’re definitely not alone.

It seems like the entire country has had the exact same idea at the exact same time, because right now, Brits are going absolutely wild for camping holidays. We’re not just talking about a few extra tents being sold. We’re talking about a record-breaking, jaw-dropping stampede to book a spot under the stars. And we’ve got the inside scoop on just how mad it’s been.

What’s with all the bookings?

So, let's get into the numbers. We got some fascinating data sent to our media team here at yorkshire.com from a company called Pitchup.com. If you’ve ever looked for a pitch for your tent or a fancy pod for a bit of glamping, you’ve probably used their website. They are the biggest booking platform for outdoor stays in the UK, so when they see a trend, it’s a big deal. And what they’ve seen recently isn’t just a trend; it’s a full-blown phenomenon. They’ve seen a massive surge in people making a booking.

Get this: on Sunday, 6 July, they recorded a mind-boggling 8,076 bookings in a single day. To put that into perspective, at its busiest point that day, the platform was processing one booking every two seconds. Think about that. In the time it takes you to read this sentence, two different families or groups of mates decided, "Yep, we're going camping!" This incredible day smashed their old record from way back on 31 July 2024, which was 7,657 bookings. The growth has been huge.

It's not just a one-off

Now, you might think that was just one ridiculously sunny Sunday when everyone had the same idea. But it wasn’t. That record-breaking day was just the start of it. In that same week, they beat the old 2024 record on five separate days. That's not just a blip; that’s a whole new level of enthusiasm for the great outdoors across England and Wales. The camping bookings just kept coming.

Just have a look at the data for that week. It’s pretty incredible.

Date	No. bookings	No. people
Sunday 6 July	8,076	20,594
Monday 7 July	7,715	19,519
Tuesday 8 July	8,039	20,660
Wednesday 9 July	7,917	20,188
Thursday 10 July	7,778	19,912

And with each booking being for about 2.6 people on average, that’s tens of thousands of happy campers heading off to enjoy the sunshine in just a few days. It's a proper camping revolution!

The great british getaway is more spontaneous than ever

So, who are all these people? Are they super-organised holiday planners booking months in advance? Actually, not so much. The report, which was forwarded to us on Monday, 14 Jul 2025, mentioned something called 'lead time'. Basically, that’s the gap between when you click 'book' and when you actually show up at the campsite. The average is about 16 days, which makes sense as it lines up perfectly with the start of the main school summer holidays across England and Wales. Families are getting that last-minute trip sorted.

But here’s the really fun part. Half of all people making a booking are heading off within a week. And even better, 9% are booking and arriving on the very same day. Imagine that! Waking up on a grey Tuesday morning, seeing the forecast has suddenly changed, and just deciding, "Right, that's it, we're going." By teatime, you could be sitting outside a tent, listening to the birds, with a cuppa in hand. This huge surge shows we're becoming a nation of spontaneous adventurers, and we love to see it. It makes any trip feel like a mini-adventure. This kind of spontaneous trip is powered by an easy-to-use booking platform.

Just how big is this growth?

The year-on-year growth is where things get truly staggering. On Tuesday 8th July, the number of camping bookings was up by 106% compared to the same day last year. Let that sink in. That means that for every one person who made a booking on that day in 2024, more than two people did so this year. It's more than double the demand! That’s an absolutely massive leap. The platform was peaking again on Wednesday the 9th of July, when it once more hit a rate of one booking every two seconds. It shows a real shift in how we want to spend our free time.

This information comes to us from an email sent by Laura Marfell-Williams, who is an Account Director at a PR company. Her job is to get this exciting news out to the world. And we’re glad she did! Here at Yorkshire.com, where our Director is the brilliant Linda Scott, we’re passionate about showing off the best of the UK, and this boom in outdoor holidays is fantastic news for everyone. It shows that people are keen to explore the amazing places right on their doorstep. You can even check out our site via the secure https link: https://www.yorkshire.com/.

So, is everyone camping now?

It certainly feels like it! This huge surge in both traditional camping and the slightly more luxurious glamping suggests that Brits have fallen back in love with the simple pleasure of a UK-based holiday. Maybe it’s the glorious weather we’ve been having, or maybe it’s a desire to reconnect with nature after being cooped up. Whatever the reason, the data from the Pitchup booking platform shows a clear picture: the great British camping trip is more popular than ever. And with stunning countryside from the tip of Cornwall to the top of Scotland, and of course, right here in wonderful Yorkshire, who can blame us? Maybe it's time you made a booking too.