Caravan Site Reviews: Barnard Castle & Lake District

It can be hard deciding where to stay when you’re planning a camping trip in a campervan, tent or motorhome. In this review we highlight a number of sites visited recently and our feedback and thoughts on them.

For our first and last stopover, we chose Doe Park Caravan Site, near Barnard Castle and we have to say, it did not disappoint. As Lisa and I are newbie campers/motorhomers we really didn’t know what to expect on our arrival but as soon as we pulled in we knew we’d made a great choice.

You cannot fail to be impressed by the house and grounds the site is located within and we were greeted with a welcoming smile as we were shown to a choice of pitches.

The shower /toilet blocks are located close to the paddocks and were immaculately clean, day and night. The arbitrary cost of £0.20 for the warm showers proved very good value.

Here’s the standout features of this beautiful site;

• Level, sheltered pitches in paddocks with beautiful views
• Choice of hardstanding or grass pitches with electrical hook up (EHU)
• Fully accessible shower/toilet blocks x2 – Showers cost £0.20
• Laundry room and dishwashing facilities
• Fresh water supply plus grey water / chemical disposal points
• Calor Gas Exchange

Pricing:

• Hardstanding Pitch, with EHU, 2 Adults from £21.00 per night (off peak)
• Economy Pitch, without EHU from £17.50 per night (off peak)

Doe Park Caravan Site is in a beautiful setting and feels relaxed and welcoming – We will be back!

For our second stopover, we chose Tebay Services Caravan Park which on the surface might seem a strange choice, however we’d seen a TV documentary featuring the Farm Shop and Kitchen at Tebay Services and felt inclined to visit. This turned out to be a fine choice as we arrived in time for the roast Sunday lunch serving in advance of parking in the Caravan Park.

The caravan site is enclosed by Scots pines and maturing woodlands of birch, alder and evergreens. Red squirrels are regular visitors and great spotted woodpeckers, gold crests and goldfinches visit too.

The shower /toilet blocks are are open 24 hours and were immaculately clean on our visit. There are also dishwashing facilities, if required.

Here’s the features of this surprising tranquil site;

• Level, sheltered pitches in woodlands
• Gravel pitches with electrical hook up (EHU)
• Fully accessible shower/toilet blocks
• Dishwashing facilities
• Fresh water supply plus grey water / chemical disposal points

Pricing:

• Gravel Pitch with EHU from £22.00 per night (includes redeemable £3.00 Farm Shop voucher)

The Farm Shop and Kitchen food offerings at Tebay were amazing, the Caravan Park secluded and surprisingly tranquil.

For our third stopover, we chose High Bridge End Farm Campsite, a small and friendly campsite located on a farm near Thirlmere Reservoir in the Lake District. This was the most remote and rural campsite we had chosen for the week but again it did not disappoint.

Located in a field next to the farm the site owners greeted Lisa with a smile and were very relaxed about where we parked. As we pulled in we were one of only three mobile caravans/motorhomes but we soon had the site to ourselves.

The shower /toilet blocks are are open 24 hours and located in a rural farm style building but are not to be underestimated as they were sparklingly clean and the showers were hot and powerful and very worthy of twenty pence.

Here’s the features of this very tranquil site;

• Grass pitches with electrical hook up (EHU)
• Fully accessible shower/toilet blocks
• Fresh water supply plus grey water / chemical disposal points

Pricing:

• Grass Pitch from £12.00 per night (plus £3.00 for EHU)

High Bridge End Farm is very rural, quiet and very close to Thirlmere Reservoir for great walks.

By far the largest and most commercial caravan site for our trip, Coniston Park Coppice Caravan Site, is located very close to Coniston Lake in the Lake District. This was the most densely populated and least personal campsite we had chosen for our trip, that said the staff were very personable and helpful.

The site was very busy with caravans, motorhomes and campervans yet the facilities never felt overrun. We did drive around for quite some time before choosing our pitch from hundreds on site.

The shower /toilet blocks on this site reminded me of local swimming pool/leisure centre changing facilities, however in spite of the size/scale of them compared to the other sites we visited, they were spotlessly clean, warm and very inviting. The onsite drying room(s) also proved very useful after some severe downpours.

Here are the features of this large site;

• Baby changing facilities
• Disabled facilities: facilities for wheelchair disabled
• Disabled shower room
• Dishwashing area
• Drive over waste disposal for motorhomes
• Electric hook-up
• Family washroom
• Late arrivals area with electric hook-up
• Laundry facilities
• Motorhome service points
• Toilet blocks

Pricing:

• Gravel Pitch from £24.00 per night inc EHU (prices vary on time of year).

Coniston Coppice Park Site is very close to Coniston Lake and open countryside for great walks.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stays at all of the sites we visited on this trip as they all had something different to offer. We know for sure Ora, our pet Spanish Water Dog loves Doe Park and High Bridge End Farm, as both sites offer lots of free space to run around in and chase her ball. Nearby walks at Coniston Park Coppice Caravan site to Coniston Lake and the surrounding fields are also a favourite.

For us, we enjoyed the food on offer at Tebay Caravan Park (Farm Shop and Kitchen) but we really enjoyed the more personable welcome at the smaller independently owned and operated sites we visited which means we are most likely to revisit High Bridge End Farm and Doe Park in the future.