What is Social Camping

Social Camping is a term the Club uses to describe the Meets and Temporary Holiday Sites organised and managed by our District Associations, Regions or Special Interest Sections.

We chose this term because it explains what this style of camping is all about – camping events run by passionate members, for members who share the same interests. Social Camping offers some of the most inexpensive camping available, and you’ll always be guaranteed a warm, friendly welcome.

District Associations and Regions

A District Association (DA) is made up of members who operate on a voluntary basis to form a group; this group organises temporary camping events for up to 5 days (a Meet) or up to 28 days (a Temporary Holiday Site) usually with entertainment and activities planned. These events can be held anywhere in the UK, and members are welcome to attend any Meet, whether it’s organised by your own DA or a different DA elsewhere in the country.

Upon joining the Club you are automatically assigned to your local DA based on your home postcode, however, you can change this to whichever DA you wish to be registered with. Simply contact the Secretary of the District Association you would like to move to, and they will send you an Opting Form to complete.

About our Regions

The Club’s District Associations are grouped into 13 Regions, each covering Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Each Region organises a whole host of camping opportunities including Meets and Temporary Holiday Sites.

An elected representative from each Region, District Association and Special Interest Section sits on the Club’s National Council, the Club’s governing body of elected members who make the Club’s policy decisions on behalf of members.

Special Interest Sections

Sections are voluntary clubs within the Club, and organise extra Meets, social events and activities for their members based around a particular hobby, interest or unit type.

The Club currently has nine Special Interest Sections, with annual fees between £5.00 and £7.00 all offer great value:

Association of Lightweight Campers
Boating Group
British Caravanners’ Club
Canoe-Camping Club
Folk Dance and Song Group
Motor Caravan Section
Walking and Cycling Section
Photographic Group
Trailer Tent and Folding Camper Group

Each Section has its own regular magazine or newsletter with information about forthcoming Meets, Temporary Holiday Sites and events, member letters and useful articles.

What is a meet?

Organised and run by the Club’s Regions, DAs and Special Interest Sections, Meets offers thousands of opportunities each year for members to enjoy idyllic surrounds locally or further afield.

Offering minimum facilities, a Club Meet will normally take place over a weekend, but can last for up to five days. Members can stay for a night or the entire duration, and all fees paid go back into the Club to ensure that we can continue to offer future events for members.

Many offer entertainment or are organised with a particular theme, however some Meets sole purpose is to enjoy the peace and quiet in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Club Meets are only available to our members, so you can guarantee a ‘Friendly Club’ welcome, while being surrounded by like-minded campers who take the same pleasures from camping and caravanning that you do.

What is a Temporary Holiday Site?

Situated in popular holiday destinations, seaside resorts and countryside retreats, Temporary Holiday Sites offer members the chance to camp affordably throughout the UK.

Organised and run by the Club’s Regions, DAs and Special Interest Sections, Temporary Holiday Sites offer alternative pitches to commercial sites by utilising land exclusively available to the Club. Stewarded by experienced members who are always at hand to help with the friendly approach our Club is famous for.

While the majority of sites have basic facilities of fresh water and somewhere for waste disposal, others will have additional facilities such as toilets, showers and electrical hook ups.

You can stay for a night or the entire duration and all fees paid go back into the Club to ensure that we can continue to offer future events for members.

You are also welcome to bring non-members along who can stay in your unit for a small fee. Or they can join on site, enabling them to also experience life in the Friendly Club.

With over 350 to choose from, there is a perfect THS for every member, no matter where or how they camp.