Campervan & Motorhome Hire in Preston

Preston — a city worth exploring

Preston sits on the River Ribble in the heart of Lancashire, a city that earned its official title in 2002 and has been surprising visitors ever since. This is the birthplace of Sir Richard Arkwright, the inventor who helped kick-start the Industrial Revolution, and that spirit of innovation still runs through the place today. Whether you arrive in a compact campervan or a full-sized motorhome, Preston makes a brilliant base for exploring the whole of North West England.

Start your visit at the Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library, a grand Neoclassical building on Market Square that recently earned an outstanding 90% quality score from VisitEngland. Inside you will find fine art, archaeological treasures and a 10,000-year-old elk skeleton from the Ice Age. From there, stroll to Winckley Square, a leafy Georgian quarter lined with elegant townhouses, and continue south to Avenham and Miller Parks. These two Victorian parks, designed by Edward Milner in the 1860s, flow down to the Ribble and feature a Japanese Garden, a rose garden and a beautiful belvedere pavilion. The 21-mile Preston Guild Wheel cycling and walking route circles the entire city, linking parks, the river and open countryside.

Down at Preston Docks, you can ride a heritage steam train at the Ribble Steam Railway, browse the marina shops and grab lunch by the waterfront. Just east of the city, Brockholes Nature Reserve offers 250 acres of wetland, woodland and lakeside trails with a floating visitor centre right off Junction 31 of the M6. Football fans should head to Deepdale Stadium, home of Preston North End — one of the twelve founding members of the Football League back in 1888. With the M6 and M55 motorways right on the doorstep, you can be at the coast, the Lake District or the Yorkshire Dales within an hour, making Preston an ideal starting point for your next road trip.

There are plenty of campervan and motorhome-friendly campsites in and around Preston. Most offer electric hook-ups, water points, waste disposal and hardstanding pitches suitable for vehicles of various sizes. Expect to pay between £20 and £35 per night at formal sites, while smaller farm-based stopovers start from around £12. Several sites are open year-round, so you can visit Preston by motorhome even in the quieter winter months.