A small independent UK campsite reception hut with a hand painted campsite rules sign outside

If you've got a spare paddock, a corner of a farm, or a quiet field behind the pub, and you like the idea of welcoming a handful of tourers each summer, starting a CS site is one of the simplest ways into the campsite business in the UK. You don't need a full site licence. You don't need a shower block. You don't need to give up your day job. What you need is a bit of suitable land, a good relationship with the Camping and Caravanning Club, and a willingness to look after your guests properly.

This guide walks through exactly how to start a CS site, from your first phone call to the Club through to welcoming your first booking. Expect around two to three months from application to certification, and budget for fairly modest setup costs depending on the state of your land.

What is a CS site, and is your land right for one?

A Certificated Site, or CS, is a small campsite certified by the Camping and Caravanning Club. Like its cousin the CL, it's limited to a maximum of five units at any one time, whether that's tents, caravans or motorhomes. That five unit cap is what keeps a CS refreshingly informal. There's no need for a warden's office, a shop, or acres of hardstanding. Just a well kept patch of ground and a warm welcome. If you want the fuller picture of how a CS differs from a CL and what running one day to day looks like, our guide to what a CS site actually is covers that in more depth.

Before you get in touch with the Club, it's worth asking yourself a few honest questions about your land:

If most of those are a yes, you're a strong candidate. The rest really is just paperwork and preparation.

How to apply to the Camping and Caravanning Club

Start with a phone call or email to the Club's Certificated Site team before you spend a penny. They'll talk through your land, send over their current information pack, and flag anything that might be a problem early on. Be upfront about tricky access, covenants, or protected land designations. It saves everyone time later.

Once you're ready, the formal application will ask for:

There's a modest administration fee due with the application. Fees are reviewed periodically, so check the current figure on the Club's website or ask the CS team directly rather than relying on an old number you've seen quoted elsewhere.

The site inspection and getting certified

After you apply, a Club inspector visits your land. They're checking that it's safe and suitable, that pitches will be well spaced and well drained, that access works for a family towing a caravan, and that water and waste arrangements meet the required standard. They'll also talk you through what's expected once you're up and running, things like keeping accurate booking records, maintaining the pitches, and dealing sensibly with any complaints.

If your land isn't quite there yet, most inspectors will suggest practical fixes rather than turning you away outright. Common changes before certification include installing an outside water tap, creating a proper chemical toilet disposal point, levelling a boggy corner, putting up a Club approved sign, and marking a clear entrance. Once everything's signed off, the Club issues your certification and lists you in their directory, which is where a large share of your early bookings will come from.

Do you need planning permission for a CS site?

Short answer: probably not for the certification itself, but sometimes yes for the groundwork. Because CS sites are certified by an exempted organisation, the Camping and Caravanning Club, you don't need the standard site licence from your local authority to operate one under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. Planning permission is a separate matter, though, and you may need it if you're installing a permanent structure, laying a hardstanding or new access road, or if your land sits inside a National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or a Conservation Area.

You may also come across the 28 day rule while researching this. It's a separate permitted development right for short, seasonal camping and it doesn't apply to CS certification, which is a year round permission for up to five units under the Club's exemption. If you're weighing up a seasonal pitch alongside a year round CS, a quick call to your local planning authority will clear up how the two interact.

Insurance and costs: what to budget for

Public liability insurance is non negotiable. Phone your existing insurer, tell them exactly what you're planning, and ask specifically about public liability cover (commonly at least £2 million, often £5 million), employer's liability if anyone helps you, and cover for any buildings or facilities guests will use. If your current insurer won't cover a working campsite, specialist providers deal with small sites like this routinely. Our CS sites page and campsite insurance guide both go into this in more detail.

On cost, a firm, level field with an existing water tap and a suitable drain might see you certified for a few hundred pounds, covering the application fee, a basic sign, and your first insurance premium. Needing a new water pipe, a proper disposal point, and better signage typically pushes that into the low thousands. Adding electric hookups, gravelled pitches or a new access road can take you higher still, though spending more rarely means earning more in year one. Most successful CS owners start simple and reinvest once real guest feedback tells them what's actually worth adding.

Your first season: what to expect

Your first season is a learning curve, and that's completely normal. Bookings tend to trickle in slowly until you're indexed in the Club's directory and showing up in search results, so don't panic if the phone is quiet in week one. Bank holidays and school holiday weekends are gold: expect the peak six or seven weekends of the year to account for a disproportionate share of your season's income. Guests on a CS are generally Club members, which means seasoned, considerate campers who look after your land and are genuinely interested in the area, so the occasional awkward guest really is the exception rather than the rule.

Because you only have five pitches, there's zero room for a booking mix up. A missed cancellation or a double entry in a paper diary that would be a minor headache on a 200 pitch park means turning a family away at your gate on a CS. Whatever you use to track bookings, whether that's a well organised diary or a simple digital booking system, the goal is the same: one single source of truth that everyone helping you actually checks.

The key takeaway

Starting a CS site is genuinely one of the most accessible ways to get into the UK campsite business. There's no shower block to build, no site licence application to wrestle with, and no need to quit your day job. What matters is suitable land, an honest conversation with the Camping and Caravanning Club, and a simple, reliable way to keep track of your five pitches once the bookings start coming in.

If you want that tracking sorted from day one, try CampSuite free today. It's built specifically for CS and CL sites, completely free for up to five pitches, and takes about fifteen minutes to set up with no card required.