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Small charcoal BBQ for camping

Updated: 16.10.2026

You are packing for a UK pitch, or looking at a forest car park, and you need to know if charcoal is allowed before you choose a shape. A small charcoal BBQ for camping is useful only where a raised reusable barbecue is permitted. That permission is the site’s rule, not a line in the product title. The [small charcoal BBQ comparison](/hub/portable-grills/small-charcoal-bbq) is the hardware. The Products Compared editorial team read Forestry England, Newgale, Hook Farm, Cherry Tree Farm, and the London Fire Brigade, for this page on 16 October 2026. Lighting stays on the [how to use](/hub/portable-grills/small-charcoal-bbq/sub/small-charcoal-bbq-how-to-use) page. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Not every UK campsite allows charcoal.

You are packing for a UK pitch, or looking at a forest car park, and you need to know if charcoal is allowed before you choose a shape.

Our top picks

Weber Weber Go-Anywhere

Best overall

Weber Weber Go-Anywhere
9.0/10about £100.79
View offer
Charmline Charmline 34 × 23 cm, black

Preis-Tipp

Charmline Charmline 34 × 23 cm, black
8.2/10about £22.34
View offer
Weber Weber Smokey Joe Premium

Alternative

Weber Weber Smokey Joe Premium
8.4/10about £84.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Ask the site, not the product title
  2. 2.Raised charcoal, not a disposable tray
  3. 3.What you can actually carry
  4. 4.After cooking

Ask the site, not the product title

There is no single UK rule that says yes to every charcoal barbecue. The pitch confirmation is the document that counts, and it can be stricter than the last place you stayed. A listing that says camping, or a HOMION title that says caravan, is a shop description. It is not permission to cook inside a van. If the site allows only gas, a charcoal kettle is the wrong luggage. A curfew or a height off the grass beats a five-star review. If the confirmation is silent, ask before you pack the grill.

Raised charcoal, not a disposable tray

Where these touring parks publish a rule, the pattern is a reusable grill lifted off the grass, and a ban on disposable trays. Newgale allows barbecues if they are raised and the grass is unmarked, and it refuses disposable barbecues. Hook Farm asks for at least 6 inches off the ground, charcoal only, no wood, and an end by 10.30 pm. That height is Hook Farm’s rule, not a British Standard. Cherry Tree Farm wants purpose-built units off the ground and warns of a fine or being asked to leave. Forestry England’s page says barbecues are not allowed in the forests it describes, except a reusable grill with onsite accommodation. A pitch beside a wood is not the wood.
Weber Weber Go-Anywhere

Testsieger

Weber Weber Go-Anywhere
9.0/10about £100.79
View offer

What you can actually carry

Weight decides which grill is camping kit and which is a patio kettle that fits in a car. The black Charmline is about 2.3 kg and folds to 34.7 × 23 × 7.6 cm, with 667 cm² and no lid. That is a tray for a pitch that allows raised charcoal and a direct cook for one to three people, the listing’s claim. The Go-Anywhere is 5.22 kg in the stored file, with a lid. BBC Good Food weighed one at 6.78 kg. Keep the two weights apart. The Smokey Joe Premium is 5.44 kg if you accept the enamel chips UK reviews report. The Compact is 9 kg, a poor choice for a walk across a pitch. Once the site has said yes, lid against folder is the kettle versus folding grill page. Shape, before names, is on the buying guide.

After cooking

The cook ends outside, and it ends cold. The London Fire Brigade says never to barbecue in a tent, and never to take the coals inside, because charcoal keeps producing carbon monoxide. An awning is the same problem. Empty ash only when it is cold, into the container the site names. A folder has no lid, so it will not damp down as fast as a kettle. Do not pack warm charcoal into the Charmline case. If the site wants the barbecue off the ground, that includes the cooling hour.

Common questions

Are charcoal BBQs allowed on UK campsites?
Some pitches allow them and some do not. There is no single national yes. Newgale, Hook Farm, and Cherry Tree Farm each publish their own conditions, and your confirmation can be stricter. A title that says camping is not the permission. If the email says gas only, leave the charcoal at home.
Why do sites ban disposable trays?
The parks cited here ban disposable barbecues by name, because foil trays sit on the grass and are easy to abandon hot. Cherry Tree Farm warns of a fine or being asked to leave. A reusable grill still has to be raised, and used only where that site allows charcoal.
Does the grill have to be off the grass?
On the sites that publish a height rule, yes. Hook Farm asks for at least 6 inches off the ground. That number is theirs, not a British Standard. Newgale wants the barbecue lifted and the grass unmarked. Measure a folder’s feet against your confirmation before you travel.
Can I use it under the awning or in the tent?
No. The London Fire Brigade says not to barbecue in a tent, and charcoal keeps producing carbon monoxide while it cools. An awning counts as enclosed for this purpose. GOV.UK’s outdoor fire guidance also rules out tents, awnings, and caravans. Wind or rain is not a reason to slide the grill under canvas.
Can I barbecue in a Forestry England wood?
Forestry England’s picnic and barbecue page says barbecues are not allowed in the forests it covers. Disposable barbecues are refused. A reusable barbecue is mentioned with onsite accommodation, not beside a trail. A partner campsite is the exception, and only on the accommodation’s terms.
Is a 9 kg kettle a camping grill?
The Weber Compact at 9 kg is a patio kettle with wheels. You can drive it to a pitch if the site allows charcoal and the ground is firm. It is a poor match for a walk from the car or for soft grass. The Charmline at about 2.3 kg to 2.5 kg, and the Go-Anywhere at 5.22 kg, are the camping weights in this set.
What do I do with the ash?
Wait until the ash is cold, then use the bin the site names. Do not tip warm ash onto the grass or into a plastic sack. A kettle with closed dampers cools faster than an open folder, and both stay outside for the whole wait. Hot ash is still a fire risk and a source of carbon monoxide.

Related pages

Disposable barbecues on club sites

Small charcoal BBQ

Best small charcoal BBQ: top pick or best value

Small charcoal BBQ buying guide: kettle or folder

How to use a small charcoal BBQ, step by step

Kettle BBQ vs folding charcoal grill, lid or tray

Sources

Public UK sources and the stored amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 16 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the UK figures in the display file.

  1. GOV.UK: Smoke control areas, the rules (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: Smoke control area enforcement (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: Nuisance smoke (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. London Fire Brigade: BBQ safety (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. London Fire Brigade: Carbon monoxide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Food Standards Agency: Cooking your food (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Forestry England: Picnics and barbecues (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  9. BSI: BS EN 1860-1:2024 solid-fuel barbecues (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  10. Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part III (retrieved 16 October 2026)