Our February weekend away landed us on the tail end of the school holidays, should we aim for adults only? Or should we just aim for a hard-standing pitch with good EHU supply so that we can keep warm comfortably? It was decided that the latter would be the way, so I found a site in Northallerton which seemed to tick all the boxes, namely Parklands Caravan Park (and course fishery).
Our escape on Saturday began earlier than normal due to the opportunity to move work commitments with the school holidays. So with an early 10.00am start, we headed off to pick up the ‘van and head South on the A1. The journey was smooth and pleasant, indeed this is the first outing with the new dash cam, which allows us to show an ‘approach video’ for this and all future outings. We sent a text to Sue on approach to let her know what time we would be arriving. Bang on schedule, we pulled into reception.
The site is bigger than what I was expecting, with most of the pitches occupied with seasonal tourers. We were shown to our pitch; riverside 2 which offered us a lovely view of the lake pitched with the ‘van facing forwards. Motor movers come in handy once again for such situations! We were soon set-up and enjoying our sandwiches and drink. With us arriving early, we decided to head into town and discover what Northallerton had to offer. After a brief 10 minute drive we were soon parked up and exploring the high street. It was busier and more expansive than I had thought, with some nice shops. We found a good ‘kitchen shop’ where we found a couple of useful items for the caravan. Following this, we made a quick call into Sainsbury’s for a couple of things we had missed. Back at base, we enjoyed a film and some food as we rested for the evening. Weather has been kind, although a touch cold. Bringing me back to the EHU supply – 10A, we tripped it a few times juggling heating and cooking!
Sunday morning, following toast and poached eggs, which has become our staple breakfast for many outings now, we relaxed with our hobbies and then took a brief walk around the campsite. Only anglers are allowed on the lake, so we couldn’t explore there. But we took a circular around the site, enjoying the seasonal ‘vans and their unique pitch ornaments, trees, lights, plant pots etc. The toilet block is first rate, fully tiled and clean. Elsan point is strangely located away from the main pitches and toilet block by the entrance. Grey water is by the toilet block. Two water points are provided, one by the toilet block and the other by the cafe, located near the lakes. The cafe offers all day breakfasts along with other food, so provides a nice option for meals if you don’t fancy a bit of ‘van cooking! Reception also hosts a fishing shop, if that is your .. thing.
Bloomin’ winds are back today, not Cath’s favourite, although they are only in gusts rather than continuous. The weather did settle down, as did we for the night. Monday morning and glorious sunshine, cool but very pleasant. We packed up and headed back to storage. A very nice site, although there are a lot of seasonal pitches, which is not always best. An enjoyable weekend however.
- Date: 20th February 2016
- Nights: 2
- Pitch #: 2
- GPS: 54.345006, -1.464797
- A1(S) > A6055 > Leases Rd > A684 > Doly Ln > B6271