Camping at Silverstone can be a bit of a minefield. Where to stay, how the campsites compare, whether to go with an official or private site, what kind of pitch you need, how much to spend… the questions are endless.
This article provides a complete guide for new and experienced motorsport fans who are interested in grabbing the best Silverstone camping or glamping spots, with all the information you need to book and enjoy your trip.
Contents
Where can I camp at Silverstone?
There are no campsites within the Silverstone circuit boundary itself. If you want to camp for one of the big race meetings such as the F1, MotoGP, Silverstone Festival (Classic) or BTCC you need to use one of the official Silverstone campsites near to the circuit, or one of the other nearby private campsites. Some are as little as a 5 minute walk away.
All of these options are show on the interactive map below, and each is reviewed in more detail further down this page. The official Silverstone campsites are the blue pins, the private campsites are the red pins and the spectator entrances are the yellow pins.
How does camping at Silverstone work?
For the official Silverstone campsites, you can book your camping option directly through the Silverstone website (links below).
For the private campsites, you must book your camping tickets through the website of the campsite (links below) – these have nothing to do with Silverstone themselves.
Whichever camping option you choose, you will also need to get your tickets for the event you’re attending, whether that’s the expensive Silverstone F1 tickets, MotoGP tickets or something else.
These can be purchased through the Silverstone website. Make sure you have purchased your general admission tickets before you buy your camping tickets for the big events as they can sell out quickly!
If you are just looking for parking, check out our seperate Silverstone parking guide.
Silverstone F1 tickets
If you still need admission tickets for the F1 at Silverstone I’d suggest buying tickets through StubHub. They always have a great stock of tickets for sale, including many single-day options. Tickets can also appear for sale cheaper than list price in the run-up to the event.
I have used StubHub for F1 tickets numerous times over the last couple of seasons, including when I went to the Las Vegas GP in 2023. I’ve always had a great experience using them and will definitely do so again next time I go.
They also have a very good ‘FanProtect guarantee’ which means your tickets and money are always very well protected.
Official Silverstone campsites
The three official Silverstone campsites are the ones that can be booked directly through the Silverstone website for select headline events. The three sites are:
- Silverstone Golf Club
- The Ridings
- Cartmel fields
Silverstone Golf Club campsite
There is official camping at the Silverstone Golf Club for the three big events in 2023: F1, MotoGP and the Silverstone Festival (used to be the Silverstone Classic). Above are the links to each of the relevant info pages on the Silverstone website.
Of the three official campsites the Golf Club is the most lively. It has a large tent with entertainment in the evening, and there are no family zones or loud zones.
It’s less lively than the private campsite Woodlands which is just the other side of Dadford Road, so this is a better option of those two if you prefer a slightly earlier and more peaceful sleep but still want some things to do in the evening.
The nearest spectator entrance to the Silverstone Golf Club campsite is Gate 15, close to Vale and Club corners, which is just a 5 minute walk away from the exit of the campground.
There is a bridge across Dadford Road which gives you direct access to the entrance. Bear in mind that once you get to the entrance gate you could then have a much longer walk through the circuit to get to your desired viewing point or the inner track entrance.
See our post on Silverstone spectator entrance gates for more details on their locations.
For the F1 at the Golf Club campsite they offer both camping and glamping options. The glamping tents are fairly basic – they just provide beds with all bedding and pillows, and you can choose from electric or not. See the full pricelist for camping and glamping options.
For the MotoGP at Silverstone Golf Club campsite there are only camping options available, no glamping. The full pricelist is here.
For the Silverstone Festival at the Golf Club campsite they offer camping pitches. There is no glamping in yurts, however EmpireRV offer luxury RV hire instead. The size of the camping pitches at the Golf Club are slightly different during the festival than at the other events. Full details can be found on the offical price list here.
The Ridings glamping & camping
There is glamping The Ridings site for the F1 and MotoGP events at Silverstone. The Ridings is the best option out of the three official campsites if you are looking for a wholesome, relaxing weekend with a touch of luxury.
Their glamping options are a step up from what’s on offer at the Golf Club as the tents are much more furnished and welcoming. With morning yoga classes, healthy breakfasts, shuttle services and pampering areas this is the perfect campsite to be able to watch some racing and then chill out in your private nature spot.
At the MotoGP there are both camping and glamping options at The Ridings. The same selection of pre-built tents and yurts is available but at lower prices, plus there are some normal camping options as well. The campsites can be non-EHU or EHU for an extra cost, and are available from either Thursday or Friday until Monday.
The closest spectator entrance to the Ridings campsite is Gate 10 by Stowe corner. This is roughly a 5 to 10 minute walk at most depending on where in the campsite you are. You can see how close it is to the circuit in the image below.
Cartmel Fields camping
Cartmel Fields is only available for the F1. It’s a fairly quiet campsite but there is still some live entertainment in the evenings and a bar. Campsite pitches can come with an electrical hook up for an extra fee, and you can choose between a 3, 4 or 5 night stay. Tickets are currently only available for F1 ticket holders.
The owners of this campsite run a pretty active Facebook page here, so keep an eye on that in the lead up to the event for any updates.
Cartmel Fields is at the other end of the circuit to the Golf Club and the Ridings. It is further up Dadford Road, closer to the A43. It is around a 10 to 15 minute walk to get to the main entrance via a bridge across Dadford Road.
Private campsites near Silverstone
In addition to the three official campsites listed above, there are a number of private campsites all within walking distance of the circuit that offer great alternative camping options. Most of these are a lot cheaper than the official sites above.
The nearby private campsites can also be seen on the interactive map at the top of this page and are the following. These are all reviewed in more detail below.
- Silverstone Woodlands Campsite
- Dadford Road Campsite
- Whittlebury Park
- West End Paddocks
- Hamilton Fields
- Windmill Farm
- Pavillion GP Camping
- Silverstone Farm Campsite
Silverstone Woodlands Campsite
- Link to website
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 5 minutes from closest point. Shuttle bus for further points
This is a fan favourite and is definitely the most lively of all the camping options at Silverstone, resembling a festival more than a campsite. It is also the closest private campsite to the circuit, covering a massive area close to the Club and Vale sections of the circuit.
It offers camping for some of the main Silverstone events throughout the year: F1, MotoGP, Silverstone Festival, BTCC, BSB.
For the major events like the F1 and MotoGP it has its own massive music stages, its own fair ground complete with ferris wheel and dodgems, a pub called ‘The Petrol Head’, loads of food and drinks vendors and countless entertainment options for you to enjoy late in to the evenings.
Don’t forget that Silvertone has its own official concerts during the Grand Prix weekend.
You can select between ‘Lively’ and ‘Family’ areas when booking your ticket. The Family area is a little further away from most of the entertainment noise to help your young ones get a better night sleep. The Lively area is exactly that, so don’t expect much peaceful shut-eye. Both have pitches very close together.
Due to its popularity, location and entertainment options it’s usually the first of all the private campsites to sell out. Check out their aftermovie from the 2022 British Grand Prix to see just how much fun it is for the whole family.
Types of pitches available:
- Tent pitches
- Electrical hook up tent pitches
- Electrical hook up live-in vehicles (standard and large pitches)
- Pre-pitched tents
- Glamping
The nearest circuit entrances from Silverstone Woodlands are gates 10, 12 and 15. Check these out on the interactive map at the top of the page. From the closest parts of the campsite these are only a 5 minute walk but from the far end they are much further. The campsite offers a free shuttle service to the circuit’s main entrance to help those out pitched at the far end.
On Google reviews Silverstone Woodlands scores a 4.4 out of 5 with over 530 reviews. The toilet and shower facilities sometimes come in for some criticism, especially the length of the shower queues and how close together some of the pitches are. But if your expectations are more festival than 5* hotel then you’re unlikely to be dissapointed.
Dadford Road Campsite
- Link to website
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU: Yes, additional cost, furtherst pitches away from the track
- Walking time to circuit: 10 minutes to 1 hour
Dadford Road Campsite is not much further away than Woodlands. It’s on the other side of Dadford Road, just south of the Silverstone Golf Club campsite, but it’s a massive site so there can still be up to 1 mile to walk to the nearest entrance.
It is open all year round and accomodates everything from tents to massive RVs. It ramps up its facilities for the big events like the F1 and MotoGP, even so they are more basic than Woodlands. It’s also quieter; there is no evening entertainment here so it generally offers a much more relaxed experience for camping at Silverstone.
One of the best things about Dadford Road is that you get to pick your own site. In the non-electrical areas the pitches aren’t marked out so their is no limit on the size of your vehicle or camp setup. You can also park right next to your mates and set up a big camp. Having said that there is still a limit on how many people / vehicles you can have per pitched booked.
If you do book an electrical hook up site, these are in the furthest fields away from the entrance. So rather than a 10 minute walk, it can be a mile to the nearest entrance (gate 15) which might end up being closer to an hour’s walk. A better option would be to bring a generator, get there early on the first day the site is open before the weekend and bag a spot close to the entrance.
Food and drink options are much thinner on the ground than at Woodlands. In 2022 there was only one food truck which was crazy busy all weekend. So bring your own provisions, a BBQ and all the cooking, eating and drinking gear you need to last your the whole weekend.
It gets a 4.4 out of 5 on Google reviews, with over 430 people having rated it. A lot of the more negative comments seem to be based around the long time it took for people to leave the car park at the end of the F1 race day in 2022.
Whittlebury Park Camping
- Link to website
- Link to dedicated Whittlebury camping Facebook group
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 5 to 25 minutes
Whittlebury Park is the home of a large 4-star hotel, spa retreat and golf course. For the F1, MotoGP and Festival they convert in to a campsite. They also offer pre-pitched tents and glamping options.
Depending where you pitch up it will be anywhere from a 5 to 25 minute walk to the circuit entrance.
A lot of people who tried camping at Silverstone Woodland and decided it’s a bit too lively for them have converted over to Whittlebury. It’s a more relaxed campsite, set in lovely grounds, but still has live entertainment, a beer tent, a number of food and drink stalls dotted around the site and a giant TV screen to watch the action from.
The map below shows all of the different areas to camp in. Atrium is a popular choice as the pitches are allocated and on flat ground, so you won’t be crammed in or roll off your bed. Plus you are right next to to the golf club facilties which include a restaurant, bar, proper showers and toilets.
Lakeside is one of more lively areas, with the Beer Tent hosting the live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The giant TV screen is usally near the Pavillion.
The Farm area is pretty much the longest walk to get to the circuit, around 25 minutes from Gate 9 – Becketts entrance. There’s also another footpath from the more northern section of the site that leads to the Copse Corner entrance, Gate 6.
Whittlebury campsite gets a 4.5 out of 5 on Google reviews but only with 8 reviews as most of them are mixed in with the general Whittlebury Park place.
West End Paddocks
- Link to website
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 20 minutes
A smaller, relatively new campsite that is only open for the F1 and MotoGP, West End Paddocks offers the options of lively and family areas for camping at Silverstone. But don’t expect the lively area here to be anything like it is at Woodlands, as all noise has to be stopped by midnight. There is a bar and food truck onsite, but no planned live entertainment.
They offer EHU and non-EHU sites for everything from tents to motorhomes. There are also glamping options available, all of which run from Wednesday to Monday.
West End Paddocks is located just north of the A43. It’s around a 20 minute walk to Gate 19 by Luffield. If you want to view by Stowe or Becketts it’s at least an extra 30 minutes to get around the other side of the track.
It also gets great reviews on Google which are all pretty recent thanks to how new the site is.
Hamilton Fields
- Link to website
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 30 minutes
The aptly named Hamilton fields offers a nice mix of entertainment and relaxation. It has a pub “The Chequered Flag”, a giant TV screen and live music or entertainment every evening. At the same time the pitches are fairly well spread out and most noise is stopped by midnight. There are quiet and lively areas but it never gets as rowdy as Woodlands.
There are also pre-pitched tents and glamping options available here, as well as electrical hook ups but these are only found in the quiet area. They’ll accomodate tents, caravans, motorhomes and everything in between.
The biggest drawback of Hamilton Fields is the distance from the circuit. At best it’s a 30 minute walk to Copse Corner, gate 5, but the further corners of the track can take over an hour. There is a campsite run taxi service which charges a couple of quid, but often there’s a big wait for it and it can be equally as slow due to the gridlock on the surrounding roads. A useful tip is to bring your pushbike instead.
It gets great reviews on Google, and fans often come back here year after year. Just be prepared for the walk.
Windmill Farm
- Link to website
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 20 minutes
Another option for quiet camping at Silverstone is Windmill Farm campsite. Set on a working farm, this is only available for the F1 and MotoGP. For the the F1 weekend they also offer pre-built glamping tents.
You can pick between EHU and non-EHU sites. The EHU sites are 8m x 8m, the non-EHU have no size restriction, within reason. Some of the fields can be a little hilly in place so if you want to get a nice flat spot get there early on the first day as they let you pick your own pitch.
You normally reserve your pitch online and then pay for it on the day you arrive, so take some cash.
In 2022 they had one food truck and a small bar. There is no entertainment provided, so this is definitely on the quieter and more peaceful end of the Silverstone camping scale.
To walk to the circuit it’s about 15 or 20 minutes through a footpath alongside some adjacent fields. That gets you to entrance gate 5 up by Copse Corner.
The campsite has been running for years, and whilst it’s a little basic in a few areas, like using portaloos only, it gets good reviews on Google. A lot of people compliment it for always having good hot showers and clean facilities.
Pavillion GP camping
- Link to website
- Glamping options: Yes
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 30 minutes
Pavillion camping is a fairly new site (I think 2022 was their first year) located in Silverstone village, on the cricket club grounds, and offers camping pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes for the F1 weekend only. They also offer some pre-pitched tents.
It’s around a 30 minute walk to the circuit through footpaths that take you through the village and to gate 5 by Copse Corner. In 2023 some people were cycling to the track, locking their bikes up outside, and then cycling back again in the evening.
It’s also well located to be able to escape the area at the end of the weekend whilst avoiding the worst of the traffic, by heading across country.
The cricket clubhouse facilities are available to use, including the bar, and its cafe provides breakfasts. There are additional food and drinks vendors outdoors along with a large screen to catch up on the day’s action.
They offer live evening entertainment, but expect it to be a much more low-key affair than Woodlands (everywhere is quiet compared to there!).
As it’s so new there are no Google reviews, but search for Pavillion in this Facebook group and you’ll see a bunch of positive reviews.
Silverstone Farm campsite
- Link to website
- Glamping options: No
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 30 minutes
A fairly small campsite again in the village of Silverstone run by a very friendly and accomodating family. I believe it’s open all year round, but they put on some extra facilities for the F1 and MotoGP like breakfast and dinner, a bar, an entertainment tent and a free shuttle bus near to the Copse Corner entrance in the mornings.
They have standard pitches and EHU pitches for tents, caravans or motorhomes. There is fully built washing building with proper individual shower cubicles, hairdryers and toilets.
Again it’s around a 25 to 30 minute walk from the Copse Corner entrance to the circuit. The village shop and local pub are only a 5 minute walk away. The campsite’s location really makes you feel like you’re on a countryside retreat, with the bonus of only being a short walk to the circuit.
It gets near perfect Google reviews, with most people saying the family who run the site are incredibly welcoming and accomodating, it has a wonderful atmosphere and that they’re likely to return.
CampingF1
- F1 prices start at: £216 for a standard pitch with 4 people sharing and 1 car space + tent / caravan, non-EHU, Wednesday – Monday
- Glamping options: No
- EHU available: Yes, extra cost
- Walking time to circuit: 30 minutes
Camping F1 has two sites nearby for camping at Silverstone during the F1 weekends only; Needles Hall and Winterhill. These are both in quite different places, but they can be found on the interactive map at the top of the page.
Winterhill is pretty much adjacent to Windmill Farm but slightly closer to the circuit, so only a 5 or 10 minute walk to the gates. Needles Hall is further away, about a 1 mile walk from gate 15 going across country.
The Winterhill site is more lively, with DJs and entertainment every evening, and in 2022 they even had Eddie Jordan up on stage providing some musical amusement. Although I am not sure if this site is running from 2023 onwards? if you know, leave a comment below.
Needles Hall is new for 2023 and is likely to be a queter spot with no planned evening entertainment, but a central marquee lounge with small bar and TV screens replaying the day’s on-track action.
Both sites offer camping pitches with or without EHU for tents, live-in vehicles, pre-erected tents and glamping options. The Needles Hall site also offers American RV parking.
The Winterhill CampingF1 site had some issues in 2021 and had to cancel people’s bookings at the last minute. I’d get in touch with the company before booking to speak to someone about what they’re offering going forward.
Campsites to avoid
Avoid ‘Motorsport Camping and Glamping’ at all costs. In 2021 they advertised as offering camping and glamping near Silverstone for the F1. When guests turned up the glamping tents were empty, the shower blocks weren’t built, there were no toilets or food facilities. Police were on hand to try and calm things down, and all the guests had to try and find space elsewhere.
There’s even a Facebook group set up for people who were caught up in the mess. I don’t think they’re trading any more, but if you see that name anywhere, avoid!
CampingF1 also went out of business just before the 2023 British Grand Prix was due to start.
Buying / selling camping tickets
If you have missed out on tickets to your favourite campsite, or you’ve had a change of plan and need to sell yours, the best site for reselling is Tixel. Search for Silverstone Camping on the home page and some options should appear.
Can I sleep in my car at Silverstone?
You cannot sleep in your car at Silverstone if you are parked in one of the official spectator car parks for a large race weekend such the F1, MotoGP, Festival, BTCC or BSB.
If you are a member of a race team for a smaller club event then you are often allowed to sleep overnight in support vehicles in the paddock. Contact your racing club for more information.
If you are spectating at a big event and want to stay overnight you need to find accomodation near the circuit, either in a hotel or one of the best campsites listed in this article.
Best silverstone campsites
All the different campsites around Silverstone offer very different experiences. Everyone has their own preference and opinion, so do you research on Google reviews and this Facebook group to get more of a feel for what each is like. It’s hard to name the best campsites as each one offers something different. Here’s a few suggestions:
- If you’re looking for a party all hours of the day and night then Woodlands Campsite is the best.
- If you want a nice relaxed stay, in beautiful grounds close to the circuit with nice facilties then Whittlebury Park is probably the best campsite near Silverstone.
- If you want a smaller site, run by a welcoming family but are happy to have a bit of a walk then Silverstone Farm campsite may well be the best place to stay.
Excellent guide fella, very helpful.
Thanks Andy