Cycling in the tracks of Britain’s camping pioneers: from Oxford to Surrey

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Camping and Caravanning Club (CCC). To celebrate, a traveler embarked on a 60-mile cycling and camping trip, starting from Oxford – the city where the organization was born – and heading to Walton-on-Thames to stay at one of the oldest campsites in the CCC network.

The CCC originally started as the Association of Cycle Campers in 1901. Founder Thomas Hiram Holding, an avid camper, was visiting his friend Rev. EC Pitt-Johnson's Oxford home when they decided there was enough demand to form a club. Holding invented much camping gear, including early lightweight tents and folding poles.

The traveler used an e-bike rented from Bainton Bikes in Oxford. Her first overnight stop was at Bella Vista Camping in Radnage, a family-run club site on the Chiltern Cycleway. After dinner at the Crown Pub and a quiet night while the bike battery charged, she continued to Walton-on-Thames. The Walton CCC campsite opened in 1913 and was described in a 1963 Golden Jubilee booklet as a place full of "homemade tents, bamboo poles, hurricane lamps and wood fires."

During the journey, the author noted that while motorhomes now dominate campsites, Bella Vista still has a large field for tents, with hot showers and proper toilets in a big mess tent. The Walton site has no facilities and is mainly used by motorhomes and caravans, but the traveler brought her own eco-friendly toilet.

The next day, she swapped pedals for oars thanks to Andy of Hampton Court Paddle Sports, spending most of the day on the water sightseeing at a slow pace. She concluded that while much has changed in camping – tents, transport, and even the River Thames has been rerouted – not all change is bad. Previously, strict gender rules would have prevented a lone woman from making this trip, and an e-bike made the experience more enjoyable.

Holding called cycle camping a "power" that popularized camping, and CCC membership has grown from its initial 150 to over 300,000 households. Although bicycle camping is now a minority pursuit, the author believes the best journeys are still powered by pedals and curiosity.