This site uses cookies - see our privacy policy. Ads & links in bold may give us a small payment from the seller, at no cost to the buyer. However, this never affects our views - if we like it, we recommend it.
Best Caravan Holiday Parks And Lodges Near Nottingham And Derby 2026
Author: Robbie Lane | Last updated: 18 January 2026
Getting to the coast is a monumental effort from Nottingham and Derby, but there are some highly rated inland holiday parks and lodges in picturesque locations, which are only a short drive away. It's perfectly possible to find yourself in the rolling hills of the Peak District or the woodland landscape of North Nottinghamshire in about 30 - 60 minutes.
If you want a holiday park near Derby, you'll find a decent choice around Ashbourne, Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton. Needless to say, the focus here is on walking and cycling rather than sandcastles and candy floss. If you're lucky you'll get a hot tub.
The Peak District is also a good choice for a holiday park near Nottingham. However, you also have the choice of some classy woodland lodge resorts near Sherwood Forest and Clumber Park. These tend to be quite spacious and have better than average accommodation.
Our guide includes driving times to help you make your mind up, as well as advice on review scores and facilities. We've visited most of these holiday parks ourselves, so you can hopefully offer some proper insight!
If you want a holiday park near Derby, you'll find a decent choice around Ashbourne, Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton. Needless to say, the focus here is on walking and cycling rather than sandcastles and candy floss. If you're lucky you'll get a hot tub.
The Peak District is also a good choice for a holiday park near Nottingham. However, you also have the choice of some classy woodland lodge resorts near Sherwood Forest and Clumber Park. These tend to be quite spacious and have better than average accommodation.
Our guide includes driving times to help you make your mind up, as well as advice on review scores and facilities. We've visited most of these holiday parks ourselves, so you can hopefully offer some proper insight!
Holiday Parks Near Nottingham and Derby: Our Top Picks For 2026
Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park, Peak District
- 35 minutes from Derby or about 1 hour from Nottingham
- Scenic setting within the Peak District National Park
- A few minutes from the Dovedale stepping stones and other good walks and cycle routes
- Facilities include a small indoor swimming pool, playground and onsite shop
- Run by Park Holidays UK, which has 40+ resorts around the country
- Reviews of 82% overall, including 3.9/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.3/5 on Google Reviews
- In our league table of Park Holidays UK, it came 19th out of 45 - which is a mid-table position.
- We've been to Ashbourne Heights and enjoyed its easy access to the Tissington Trail.
Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park is in a leafy area with gorgeous walks nearby
|
The park has a small swimming pool - but it's mostly about exploring and walking
|
Our visit to Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park
"You'll find Ashbourne Heights in a pretty rural part of Derbyshire, a couple of miles outside of the upmarket town of Ashbourne. As we came off the main road, we began to climb up a long steep hill. This is always a good sign when you're going on holiday because it means you're likely to get good views from your accommodation."
Read the full review from our visit to Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park
Read the full review from our visit to Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park
Clumber Park Lodges, North Nottinghamshire
- 60 minutes from Nottingham, 60 minutes from Derby or 45 minutes from Sheffield
- Down the road from the National Trust's Clumber Park, which is excellent for walking and cycling
- Modern lodges, several of which have hot tubs
- Mixture of two bedroom, three bedroom and four bedroom lodges. The largest lodge sleeps eight people.
- Owned and run by Away Resorts, which is a big name in the holiday resort market (check our offers page, as we often have discount codes for Away Resorts).
- Visitors get a discount at a nearby 18 hole golf course.
- Good review scores of 79%, including 3.9/5 on TripAdvisor and 4/5 Google reviews
These modern lodges are near to a popular National Trust site
|
Lodges are a lot more spacious than your average caravan
|
Our visit to Clumber Park Lodges
"As we got to know the site, we were really impressed with how clean, tidy and neat it is. A good number of the lodges at the site overlook a lake and give it a really lovely setting."
Read the full review from our visit to Clumber Parks Lodge Park
Read the full review from our visit to Clumber Parks Lodge Park
Newhaven Holiday Park, near Bakewell and Buxton
- 40 minutes from Derby, 1 hour 10 minutes from Nottingham
- Perfectly places for walks in the Peak District
- Owned and operated by a big name brand called Park Holidays UK, which has about 50 holiday parks around the UK and also owns Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park
- Rolling hills and lovely countryside nearby
- Only very basic facilities onsite. There isn't a swimming pool or restaurant.
- Dog friendly accommodation.
- Scores 4/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.4/5 on Google Reviews - which works out as a very positive 84%
Newhaven Holiday Park is a simple holiday park good reviews
|
It's a top choice if you're looking for rolling hills
|
Our visit to Newhaven Holiday Park
"If you're looking for a beach holiday park with endless activities, which mean you won't need to leave the site....then I would not visit Newhaven. Hopefully you haven't been looking at a Derbyshire holiday thinking that you will be spending your time at the seaside. Instead, Newhaven is a well kept, tidy and friendly holiday park that provides a good base for exploring."
Read the full review from our visit to Newhaven Holiday Park
Read the full review from our visit to Newhaven Holiday Park
Forest Holidays Sherwood Forest, North Nottinghamshire
- 40 minutes' drive from Nottingham or 55 minutes from Derby
- High quality lodges and treehouses with hot tubs in leafy woodland setting
- More expensive than most holiday parks, but much classier
- Exceptionally good review score of 89%, including 4.3/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.6/5 on Google Reviews.
- Limited facilities but they do offer archery lessons and it's close to lots of good cycling routes
- Some of the larger accommodation sleeps 10 people, so it's good for a family gathering
- On the same site as Go Ape Sherwood Pines
Forest Holidays has a number of lodges and treehouses with hot tubs in Sherwood Forest
Our visit to Forest Holidays Sherwood Forest
"As you arrive and head towards the reception, you see several of the lodges nestled in between the trees. We arrived when it was getting a little dark and many of the lodges had their lights on, which made them look particularly cosy and appealing."
Read the full review from our visit to Forest Holidays Sherwood Forest
Read the full review from our visit to Forest Holidays Sherwood Forest
Sandybrook, near Ashbourne
- 30 minutes from Derby or 50 minutes from Nottingham
- posh lodges, some of which have hot tubs
- formerly part of Landal Greenparks, which is a popular chain across Europe
- indoor swimming pool as well as lots of activities
- outstanding reviews of 95% (4.8/5 on Google Reviews and 4.7/5 on TripAdvisor)
Landal's Sandybrook resort offers several sports and activities, as well as lodges with hot tubs
|
We ran out of time to try out the minigolf course at Sandybrook!
|
Our visit to Sandybrook Lodges
"Sandybrook sits on a fairly busy road just outside of the upmarket Derbyshire town of Ashbourne. However, it is set back far enough from the road that we didn't find it to be particularly noisy. Our first impression upon arriving was that this is a leafy and classy holiday park, which is much more in the lodge category than the caravan category."
Read the full review from our visit to Sandybrook Lodges
Read the full review from our visit to Sandybrook Lodges
Darwin Forest, near Matlock
- 50 minutes from Nottingham, 40 minutes from Derby
- Sister-park to Sandybrook but is a little bit larger and has more facilities
- Activities onsite include an indoor swimming pool, gym, large soft play area, playground, tennis and restaurant
- Dazzling reviews of 4.7/5 on Google Reviews and 4.6/5 on TripAdvisor (93% overall)
- When we visited Darwin Forest, we loved the lodges amongst the tall trees and the high quality facilities
There's something of a mini-Center-Parcs atmosphere at Darwin Forest
|
The local area is rural and there are various tracks to explore
|
Our visit to Darwin Forest
"As we explored and got to know Darwin Forest a little better, we figured out that there are quite a few facilities that are used by guests and also by non-guests. This is a good model because it means that they can provide good facilities but don't just have to rely on bookings, which may well slow down during the winter months."
Read the full review from our visit to Darwin Forest
Read the full review from our visit to Darwin Forest
Sherwood Castle Holiday Forest, North Nottinghamshire
- 35 minutes from Nottingham or 45 minutes from Derby
- good value lodges, cheaper than most in the area.
- indoor swimming pool and play area
- sports as well as mountain bikes, animals onsite and orienteering
- quite good review score of 77%. That's a good score, but it's not as positive as some resorts.
These lodges in North Nottinghamshire get reviews of about 8/10
Center Parcs Sherwood Forest, North Nottinghamshire
- 50 minutes from Derby or 40 minutes from Nottingham
- Woodland lodges, some with hot tubs
- Dozens of family activities, mostly charged extra
- Impressive indoor swimming pool with flumes and slides
- Excellent overall review scores of 85%.
- See our guide to Center Parcs and our suggestions for cheaper alternatives.
- Read about our visit to Center Parcs Sherwood Forest.
Center Parcs' Nottinghamshire resort is a large site with lots of activities and a big swimming pool
|
The choice of sports is huge at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest
|
Our visit to Center Parcs
"For a lot of people, the swimming pool is the main reason to visit Center Parcs. I'm certainly in that category and we made the most of the Subtropical Paradise Pool. Overall, we visited five times - including on our arrival and departure days (you can use the facilities all day, even when you aren't yet checked in)."
Read the full review from our visit to Center Parcs
Read the full review from our visit to Center Parcs
Most of the photos on Holiday Park Guru are original photos that we’ve taken ourselves from our own visits to 100+ holiday parks around the UK. Please don’t use them without permission. Other photos on this page are from Hoseasons.
