When ‘van owners are planning which of the best motorhome sites to head to, something that is likely to factor in is what there is to see in the vicinity. One of many things the UK does very well is museums, offering everything from vast venues packed with global treasures, to outdoor living museums that offer a taste of daily life in the past.
They can also be a great attraction to visit on any rainy days you experience on tour, offering an alternative to watching TV on your campervan projector or ‘van’s television.
London is packed with options and you can spend days walking around all the best museums. But it’s worth seeing what you can find in smaller towns and cities, too.
Reading Museum, for example, is home to Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry, painstakingly stitched by Victorian embroiderers, while Derby’s Museum of Making is housed in what was the world’s first modern factory.
Here are nine of the UK’s finest museums, with a great open-all-year campsite to stay at when you visit – alternatively, take a look at our pick of the motorhome sites for fishing if you fancy a tour where you enjoy a spot of angling.
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Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Hampshire, England, historicdockyard.co.uk
Located within Portsmouth Naval Base, this museum is home to some truly iconic ships, which you can explore inside and out.
Learn the story of Henry VIII’s ill-fated Mary Rose, or step aboard HMS Warrior, the steam-powered jewel of the Victorian Navy, and HMS Victory, which served as Nelson’s flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Stay at: Concierge Camping
Natural History Museum
London, England, nhm.ac.uk
Arguably the best-known museum in the UK and open since 1881, the Natural History Museum is well worth a trip to South Kensington to discover the history of life on Earth.
It’s a good idea to plan your ‘must-sees’ among the more than 80 million items in the collection. There are four zones to help you navigate, depending on your interests, from dinosaurs and mammals, to Earth’s geography and fossils.
Take time to marvel at the building itself; the terracotta facade (chosen to be resistant to the Victorian smog) is covered with sculptures of creatures great and small. Before you visit, check the special exhibitions and events, because these vary throughout the year.
Stay at: Lee Valley Camping and Caravanning Park
Merseyside Maritime Museum
Liverpool, England, liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museum
If you’re interested in the story of life at sea, then don’t miss this museum’s interactive, expansive look at maritime history from the perspective of the seafaring people of Liverpool and the ships that set sail from the dockyard. There are plenty of exhibitions and interesting insights to explore here, spread over four fascinating floors.
Stay at: Lady Heyes Holiday Park
The British Museum
London, England, britishmuseum.org
The British Museum is famous for being the first national public museum in the world, with displays covering all areas of human knowledge.
The museum’s great collections include Egyptian sculptures and African cultural artefacts, items from the Roman Empire, and objects embedded in the legends of Greek mythology. There is an audio app available, too, through which you can purchase a full or a themed tour.
Stay at: Abbey Wood Club Campsite
Black Country Living Museum
West Midlands, England, bclm.com
This open-air museum might seem quite familiar to fans of Peaky Blinders – some of the popular show was filmed here.
The shops and streets have all been carefully reconstructed for an accurate insight into life in the Black Country from the 1850s to the 1960s.
Immerse yourself in the sights, smells and sounds of reimagined industrial town life, including heritage vehicles, live demonstrations, and a traditional pub.
Stay at: Lickhill Manor Caravan Park
National Railway Museum
North Yorkshire, England, railwaymuseum.org.uk
The National Railway Museum in York is currently undergoing a huge six-year transformation project, to turn it into an unrivalled global engineering attraction.
The highlight of the museum has to be the Flying Scotsman, the world-famous locomotive that was the first to achieve 100mph and the first to haul a non-stop London to Edinburgh service.
However, there are also plenty of other historic locomotives, memorabilia and interactive exhibitions to discover.
Stay at: Cherry Tree Cottage Caravan Site
National Museum of Scotland
Lothian, Scotland, www.nms.ac.uk
This important National Museum is the premier place to find out all about the long history of Scotland.
In addition, it offers carefully curated exhibitions looking at other nations, cultures and the natural world.
There are more than 12 million items in the collections, so it’s worth planning your visit in advance, especially around the special exhibitions and events that are held throughout the year.
Stay at: Mortonhall Caravan and Camping Park
Titanic Belfast
County Antrim, Northern Ireland, titanicbelfast.com
Although there are many cities with links to the doomed liner, along with dedicated exhibits, Titanic Belfast is right at the heart of the story, located where the ship was designed, built and launched.
The building itself is striking, styled after the vessel’s design, and thoughtfully devised exhibitions explore everything from the ship’s conception and construction, to its maiden voyage and tragic end. From above, it forms a star in reference to the White Star Line.
Stay at: Jordanstown Caravan Park
St Fagans National Museum of History
South Glamorgan, Wales, museum.wales/stfagans
Wales is home to many great museums, but if you only have time to visit one, make sure it’s St Fagans, based at St Fagans Castle and Gardens, which you can also explore, near Cardiff.
There are more than 40 original buildings to see, including houses, a school, farms and a chapel. You can view galleries dedicated to the history of Wales, and the working museum, where you can enjoy demonstrations of traditional skills.
Stay at: Llandow Caravan Park
For entertainment fans out there, you may be interested in visiting TV and film locations to visit in the UK
Lead image: Alamy
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