Touring

A fairly standard start to the weekend, apart from having to pick the car up from the garage, where it was getting it’s cameras calibrated. This cut time a little short, so we decided not to take the bike, as the site is fairly small as well, negating the need further. So we collected the ‘van and toodled off down the A1. Managed to get straight across the A690 into the site on this occasion, first time ever I think! Our favourite pitch #21 had just been bagged by someone before us, so we decided to plumb for a new pitch to us, namely #76. This has an open aspect on the awning near side, so quite roomy and spacious when enjoying the outdoors.

We didn’t have anything planned for the weekend, just to relax. The new awning seemed to be fine, so that was good. Glad to report that the weather played ball, especially on Sunday when the sun shone quite warmly with a clear blue sky. Due to the clear sky, Monday morning was a little fresh, the heating had worked quite hard all night. Fingers crossed this bodes well for our week trip away in a fortnights time.

• Date: 26th September 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 76
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Fri: Packing up for the weekend, usually a set routine, but since the bike and roof rack, it’s all a little different. Bags on the roof rack and tying down with the ratchet straps, learnt from last time and now seems a little easier. Bike in the car on top of the wheel, nearly there!. I managed to slice my finger open in the process, something to learn from next time, like wear gloves and roll the bike in. Every day’s a school day 🙂

Following this, we had a good journey to the campsite, albeit the usual delay on the A66 near the farm shop. Upon arrival, I booked in and we headed for our favourite area, the new section. We bagged the same pitch as last time and began the set-up routine. Wind was very strong, so the awning took a little doing. But we got there in the end and relaxed for the evening. Cath even took a trip on her bike to the toilet block for the first time, yeah!

Nothing planned for the rest of weekend. Weather remained a mix bag, rain, sunshine and wind. I had a chilled birthday on Sunday, watched some movies. Monday morning pack-up routine all went to plan, starting to get a little routine going with the roof rack now. The new ratchet straps on the boxes inside also worked well, keeping everything secure and stopping the boxes from sliding about. The only snag during all of this was that the wind was very strong and managed to rip the awning whilst taking it down 🙁

• Date: 12th September 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 86
• GPS: 54.546167, -1.941226

Sat: Everything a bit new this time. With taking Cath’s new bike and having the roof rack to accommodate some extra storage, it was all a bit up in the air! The original plan was to have teh bike on the roof, but the weight of the bike put an end to that. So with a bit of a bit of juggling around, we decided on the spare wheel and bike standing upright and the awning and clothes bags on the roof. This seemed to work well, apart from the bike moving a little (needs breaks on). Still, possibilities to work through. The roof rack opens up opportunities to move a lot of stuff from inside the car to on top. The roof rack itself and the ratchet straps worked very well however, very pleased with them.

The journey to the site didn’t take us past Wetherby, so we had to find a new resting point. This turned out to be Leeming Bar Rest Point. A rest point, as it isn’t really a service stop. It’s really a non-event. We parked up next to the coach bays which was fine. We could have used the old truck area, but the inclines looked a little ‘grounding’ to say the least. There is a Costa here, but apparently the coffee machine waw broken, so no coffee, go figure! Anyhow, glad to to be out of here and we made headway to the campsite. The A61 Ripon road was not very good either, quite twist, bumpy and narrow in places, but there you go. Onto the A59, much the same and then the final approach to the site. This was okay in general, just the final section post Grassington where the road becomes very narrow, but fine taking your time. We pulled into the site and were warmly greeted. Not many pitches free, a very popular site it seems. But we found a nice pitch, albeit near the play park. A quick reverse on and we began our holiday with our usual routines. Although a little different, with the stuff being on the roof this time!

Sun: A relax onsite day. Glorious weather again, we enjoyed breakfast outdoors as we usually do. I then decided to put the satellite dish up as the TV signal here is non existent, even from the booster. Having fixed the cable run in the ‘van last trip, I was confident it should be an easier gig now. And, especially as I have a new satellite finder unit. This bad boy can power the LNB and also show pictures of channels received. All this standing by your dish, it makes life so much easier. After keying in a correct transponder, I instantly found the Astra birds, swapped the cable over to the ‘van and hey presto – instant satellite TV. That’s the easiest I’ve ever done it. The only downside to today, was the fact that I got bitten on my head, arms and legs 🙁

Mon: A trip to Skipton Castle had been booked, so off we went following breakfast. Parking is adequately taken care of with the Castle’s own dedicated car park. I booked the car park with the castle trip, so upon arrival I gave my name to the attendant there and voila, in you go. Same with the castle, give your name and you’re in. No tickets, QR codes or jumping through hoops, it simply works well. The castle is well worth a visit, as it is a fine example of such an important historic building. You can see all the rooms and how the castle actually operated, you really get a very good sense of the castle and it’s ‘time’. Following this, we enjoyed a coffee on the high street and then returned back to base.

Tue: No time for breakfast, time to get to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway. Actually there would have been time, but Cath didn’t get up until near 9am! Honestly, you’d think we were on holiday 🙂 Back down the B6265 and off to Embsay station. Plenty of free parking spaces, we booked in again just as efficiently as at the castle with the online system I had used then, very impressed with this. Then following a nosy around the station we boarded the train for our 20min journey to Bolton Abbey. Not a great deal to see enroute, but as always, very pleasant – bar screaming kids and people scoffing food – but that’s just me. Following a 20min turnaround, a donation to a locomotive being rebuilt and then the return journey, we were soon finished and heading towards Tesco in Skipton. Here we picked up a couple of items and then returned to the site. Weather has been a little cloudy, but dry mostly.

Wed: No booked trips arranged for today, so instead we took a leisurely stroll around Grassington, after trying to find a space in their rather busy carpark. This we did and then walked along to the village main street, passing ‘Chuffers’ the cat along way. It’s a very small village with not much to see, although they do have a lovely Christmas shop. We didn’t explore too far, as it was quite hilly in nature. Within an hour we returned back to the site. Following tea we took the bike for a good ride up and down the long driveway, ideal for Cath to get used to it.

Thu: Canal cruising was the order of the day. I had booked a boat for 12pm, so we duly arrived and parked at the car park quite literally outside the canal itself. As usual with all of the bookings this trip, tickets were swiftly collected with no problems at all. The boat was a covered one, it was full and we had the pleasure of kids in front of us! Not the best for me, I would have much preferred an open, smaller boat. But lesson learnt for next time. Returning back to the site, I filled up at the Spar/Shell just down the road from the site and then we relaxed for the rest of the day.

Fri: Usual last day routine – do nothing! Weather wasn’t the best in the morning, but it picked up later on. Chilled for the day, although the activity on the site was picking up for the bank holiday weekend. Glad in respect to be going home tomorrow, a bit too much for us, especially being right next to the playground.

Sat: Our usual pack-up apart from it wasn’t! Bike and roof rack now have to be worked into this routine. We got there though, roof rack quite easy now, having gotten used to the ratchet straps. The bike, we laid onto the spare tyre laying flat rather than upright as on the inbound journey. This worked well and we had a ‘solid cargo’ ride back home. Might still get some more ratchet straps for the boxes to kepp them in check as well.

Overall the site was very nice, it’s been a great place to visit with lots to do, maybe could have done with a few more days to take it all in at a relaxed pace. Negatives to note: Pitch etiquette doesn’t exist here, everyone, his dog and child wanders freely around the pitches, the easy route is the one taken here it seems 🙁 Also, our pitch was the toughest ever to whack your pegs into. I bent 4 rock pegs putting the awning up and even then, I couldn’t get them all the way in. Not sure if every pitch is like this, or just ours and a few more recent upgrades? Despite, a site worth visiting if you’ve never been here before.

• Date: 16th August 2025
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 80
• GPS: 54.074128, -2.030130

Arrival: A59 > B6265 > B6160 > The Drive > Grass Wood Lane

Fri: Picked the ‘van up and headed for the site. All went to plan as usual and we enjoyed a nice evening on our favourite pitch 21 (RIP pitch 36).

Saturday: A slow start weather wise, but things improved as the day went on and we enjoyed a BBQ and a lovely evening sat outside playing games and enjoying the sun setting. I cleaned the ‘van and polished the windows with some Meguiares Ultimate Restorer for the first time. What a great job it did, as it removed some marks/scratches that I’ve never been able to shift before. Still on the DIY vibe, I also fixed the front satellite connector, which had become detached at the splitter under the offside front seat.

New for the site this year, is a food van on Friday & Saturday evenings – the ‘Uppercrust Deli’. Cath tried a cake from here on Saturday and was quite pleased. Good to have this, something that’s been missing for quite a while, hope it does well.

Monday: A pack-up in the rain as Storm Floris was upon us!

• Date: 1st August 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 21
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

A slightly different start to this weekend, as the ‘van was in for servicing at Motorhome Kings. So we picked the ‘van up from there on Friday and headed direct to Thirsk.

A lovely weekend at Hillside again, so glad it’s back on our radar. The pitches are really spacious and open in the new section and this is where we like to be!

Weather has been a mixed back over the weekend, from glorious sunshine to torrential rain and thunder storms. All good fun 🙂

Finally sussed out the ‘disappearing’ tv reception. The site is covered by three transmitters, one being Pontop Pike which our aerial naturally falls on due to the orientation of the pitches. This is a variable reception transmitter for here though, hence the sudden loss of signal, The other two transmitters, whilst being fairly consistent, lack a good signal and choice of channels. A satellite site me thinks now!

• Date: 18th July 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 38
• GPS: 54.297324, -1.304653

We fast tracked in via a warden outside? Go figure that one. Then onto the new section of the site and found a nice pitch. Site was quite full already, but maybe a few will be going tomorrow. Setup was really quick as only a few things were actually packed away. Soon we were enjoying some cooler weather and the start of our second week of our summer holiday.

Sun: Early doors, great weather, perfect skies. I took a wander around the site and snapped some photos. They always look better with a blue sky! Then, following breakfast, we picked up some shopping from Tesco’s to top up supplies. Plenty of units have left today, so the site is a lot quieter.

Mon: Good weather again, so we headed off to the walk along the promenade of Bridlington. We parked in the Sewerby car park and then walked along into the town. It really is a lovely place, very clean and welcoming. In the harbour/town we stopped for a coffee and then returned back to the car park via the ‘Land Train’. This is a great feature and is a joy to aid in the adventure of travelling around the town and beaches.

Tue: Not a very good start weather wise, but regardless we decided to push on and visit the seaside town of Hornsea. This was a shortish drive south from Bridlington. There’s not much there to be honest, so we didn’t spend much time here. But we did enjoy a walk along the promenade and a coffee in the Hornsea Hub.

Wed: A pleasant start to the day. Had a coffee and a read outside as I normally do and then brought the laptop outside onto the table, to enjoy some alfresco admin! This worked well and will be something I’ll do more of in the future. Following breakfast we took a trip out to the South promenade, which we didn’t get to last time we were here. Again it’s a very nice place, a pleasant walk along the promenade. As usual, there are plenty of shops, cafes and toilets – all well kept, tidy and clean. This is Bridlington as a whole though, a well kept, active town. The council do a good job here from our perspective.

Thu: A visit to Danes Dyke today. This is just a 5 minute drive up the road from the campsite. It’s accessed via a single track (1 way), which then leads to the car park. From here you have access to walks and the beach itself. We did the latter, although it was quite a steep descent down. On the beach there are rocks a plentiful, with tremendous views across to Bridlington and Flamborough. We wandered the beach a while and then returned back to the car park, slowly up hill. A quick detour following this to fill up at Tesco’s, ready for the return journey tomorrow.

Fri: As usual, a final relax-on-site day. We cleaned the ‘van interior and then chilled for the rest of the day.

Sat: More good weather, pack-up and return journey home was fine. Wetherby was full, but we were advised to park in with the lorries by the attendant, so at least we got a break! It’s been a great week, we really enjoy Bridlington. The weather has been great over the past two weeks, in fact a little too hot sometimes. Indeed, Europe is suffering a heatwave at the moment. Looking forward to the next visit to the Yorkshire Riviera sometime in the not too distant future.

• Date: 21st June 2025
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 125
• GPS: 54.114394, -0.157315

Sat: Lovely journey to the site, good weather and traffic. We stopped as usual at Wetherby, enjoyed a good 1hr stop here, as arrival time at Flaxton was 2pm. It’s nice to have a longer rest than the usual 30min stops, taking things easier. We were parked next to a horse trailer, whose horse wasn’t too happy and kept lashing out inside the van with its rather powerful hooves! This caught the attention of a few vanners and the attendant, but the owner eventually showed up and left. Following this and a brief delay on the A64, we arrived at Flaxton Meadows. Entry is via a barrier which is monitored so opens automatically. We were then greeted at reception and shown to our pitch. A nice grass pitch in some nice weather, just what you want for your summer holidays. The pitch was serviced with water and grey water – empty somewhere on the pitch! The wind had picked up a little, so pitching the awning was a challenge, but managed, if albeit a little wonky!

Sun: Another nice day, wind has died a little, but first thing in the morning, it looked like France with the grass and the trees behind us. We chilled for the day and relaxed into the holiday. Unfortunately, we were parked next to the owner of the site, who stated that our car was too close to their van and needed to be moved in front of out porch awning. This didn’t reflect the instructions given by the wardens or the information sheet. A little off hand to be honest, but we’ll ignore that and enjoy the rest of the stay.

Mon: A trip into York via the Park & Ride, bus number 9 for future reference! We alighted at the train station and then waded through the road works to get to the National Railway Museum. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, so it was good to catch up again with what is going on. And by the looks of it, there seems to be a lot of development going on. We enjoyed a coffee and then headed back as the walking was getting a little too much for Cath. Weather has been great again. Back on site, I did the utilities. Elsan point is a one and only for the whole site and it’s just a toilet with push water and finger hose. So basically, it requires two hands to get the water out, so you can’t hold anything, not the best. Grey water is deposited on your pitch! Very French like, but makes life a little easier. Water on the pitch, so basically we are fully serviced. Toilet block is very nice, but not without faults. No private sinks, showers are push button and only one hook for clothes. Water temperature was a little hit and miss also. The two open sinks were a little tired looking, but functional. Music playing is always good in my books,

Tue: A relax on site day. We were subjected to a site electric failure at midday, so a couple of hours without the leccy. Not too much of a bother, we put the fridge on gas and then enjoyed the remaining battery life of our devices. Cath replaced the bungee cording on her Lafuma, which was getting a little worn after numerous years of use. Weather was more cloudier today, but still very warm.

Wed: Another relax on site day, as best as you can with the noise. The Pea Hen makes a racket from dawn ’till dusk. Road noise, works by the farm buildings, dogs barking – not exactly countryside peace. Weather this week has been just like France, a little too hot! No doubt it will rain next week.

Thu: A trip into York again, this time to take in a river cruise, something we’ve never done before. We picked up the boat at the station bridge, it was quite busy, especially with having a school trip on board as well. It’s a 45min cruise which takes you a little up the Ouse, down and then back to one of the two landing points. Very pleasant, especially on such a nice day. We called into the supermarket on the way back home to pick up a couple of things, filled up with diesel and then returned to the campsite. On the way back in one of the grass cutters shuffled up to my car which I couldn’t see being in a blind spot. So the warden again wasn’t too happy with this and we exchanged a few words. I’ve heard of bad wardens before, but this trip was making that very apparent of how some people shouldn’t be in a position of ‘power’.

Fri: Relax on site day, but finished the day with a games evening. It was a lovely temperature to sit outside in and play a few games of cards and connect 4 3D. Brought back some good memories.

Sat: A gentle pack-up and we left the site approaching 12pm. Weather was too hot again, so we took things as easy as we could. Thank goodness for the air con in the car. We had a good journey over to Bridlington and arrived just gone 1pm. The usual bottleneck at Stamford Bridge helps to delay the journey a little!

• Date: 14th June 2025
• Nights: 7
• Pitch #: 20
• GPS: 54.045385, -0.990777

Approach: A64 > Scotchman Lane > Bull Moor Lane > York Lane

Cheeky weekend time again. Nice weather and a new satnav to test out! The screen on this one is a little larger and makes viewing and entering details that little bit easier. So with this running sweetly we arrived at Durham Grange and swung straight in off the A690, first time not having to wait for a suitable opening!

Booking in was a little different, we were met by a warden who checked our details and then let us into the site. I have to say this is a good idea and helps prevent the inevitable queue that forms near 1pm. Indeed, the wardens all seem new, as I don’t recognise any of them, but evident that they are doing a good job. I noticed that the bollards have pitch numbers for the EHU points and the little grass area behind our favourite pitches has been reserved for a wildlife ‘no mow’ area. All good improvements and along with this, the reception has been renovated. After a while of becoming a little disappointed with the site, these are welcome improvements. Shame it’s still not open all year like it used to be. Oh, and twin axles are no longer allowed on the grass 😲

We helped a couple out pitching their ‘van on Saturday, as their mover wasn’t working and the gentleman was not of good physical health. Then as it turns out, they were on the wrong pitch, they should have been on a black marker and they had gone for red! What was nice to see were the wardens coming to assist in this situation. And rather than making them move, they swapped the pegs over. Good call guys 👍

A double whammy for helping out this weekend, as another caravanner pulled into the pitch next to us. This was a solo female caravanner, again with no mover – so we hand balled that ‘van into place as well. Luckily it was only a compact Bailey Discovery, so not too much of a workout. We had a pleasant chat and then left her to it. She had two dogs with her and kept losing them, but all good fun I suppose. Glorious Monday morning, packed up in the sunshine and headed for home. With thoughts of our summer holidays excitingly dwelling on our minds now.

• Date: 30th May 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 19
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499

Back at one of our favourite local sites. Nothing planned as such for this outing, hoping to just relax and enjoy it following a busy few weeks. The weather is holding up with good amounts of sunshine, shame the mornings are just a little bleak. Regardless, we enjoyed alfresco meals for breakfast and tea, nice to be able to start them up again. Nice VE Day memorial here as well, good to see. There seemed to be quite a lot of wardens present on this trip, some old and new faces, all very pleasant as usual. Spotted a different pitch which we’re going to try next trip if possible!

• Date: 16th May 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 73
• GPS: 54.568506, -1.286260

Collected the ‘van from storage, but as we were departing, a newbie couple were trying to take their ‘van out but had discovered that their tow car electrics were only 7 pin and not compatible with the caravan’s 13 pin plug! The onsite engineer loaned them a converter, so I presume they got away okay. But because they were blocking our exit effectively, we had to detour around the side roads of the site to bypass them. That’s a first for this ‘van!

Back at Durham Grange for a cheeky weekend away. It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, in fact I was surprised to realise that it has been exactly one year since we’ve been here last. From being our most used site it has fallen from grace a little, following the site redesign and closure over winter, it has lost its elitist status for us!

One of the things we’ve never done here is visit the Belmont viaduct. This we duly did on Saturday. Weather being good, no rain for while so the path shouldn’t be too muddy, we headed out to find this mid 19th century masterpiece of railway construction. The walk takes you from the site, down to the river Wear and then a walk further north to reach it. Most of the walk is fine, but closer to the viaduct, things become a little more challenging, but doable. The viaduct stands at 130ft, so the climb and undulations can be hard at times. A trip worth making if you’re visiting the campsite. It’s just under 3 miles return journey, Cath collapsed and relaxed following this 🙂

The rest of the weekend stayed fine and warm, just a chilly breeze stopped more play outdoors! One improvement to the site of note is the removal of the yellow grass marker pegs. These pegs used to run along the whole of the road here on the back row and were a real nuisance when trying to manoeuvre your ‘van with the car. With them now gone, it makes pitching a lot easier.

• Date: 25th April 2025
• Nights: 3
• Pitch #: 21
• GPS: 54.795747, -1.530499