We decided to take a 6 night break in a site we knew well, that had all the features we think are important for a caravanning holiday. Namely, clean toilet blocks, spacious pitches, good dog-walking options, local eating options and a bar on site. Now the bar is valuable but was only open on 3 nights while we were there, but that encouraged us to venture out, and to do some cooking ourselves. Normally Mrs M takes charge of the cooking but since we bought our Dometic Cook 2 Pro 3 cooker, I’ve been doing a little bit more. It’s great to have the option to cook outdoors and saves the caravan from getting too hot and full of greasy smells! We also put up an awning for the first time – more on that later!
We set off on our trip to Knaresborough a little later than expected as Cullercoats RNLI had a shout at half-past midnight the night before. Although the shout was complete by 2:15am, sleep eluded me due to adrenalin. So it was a slow start! Still we got there by 3pm and despite clipping the plant pot on the way in, had a pretty uneventful trip. I would say, next time, if coming from the North, approach the site using the A61 which avoids a really narrow section coming out of Knaresborough towards Scotton.
Anyhow, we got here to find we had the last, and probably least desirable, pitch which if truth be told, was a little short for our van. Having learned from my last trip, I asked how many people were leaving the next day – turns out quite a few. So we didn’t get everything set up – just water and electricity and set about figuring out the ‘prime’ spots which might be vacated the next day. Sure enough, one of the NW facing spots at the top of the camp became available so we decamped there and enjoyed one of the best pitches, with day-long sunshine! Win!
Internet connection was fine, so I was able to submit the RNLI service return from the previous night’s shout at the site – a Launch Authority’s work is never done!
Later that day we did a little shopping and planning, and enjoyed a quiet evening cooking and relaxing on the site.
The next day we moved onto the prime pitch – very nice. We are getting pretty good at setting up now, so we did everything needed before tacking the awning. We bought a second hand Kampa (now Dometic) Rally Pro Air 260 from Facebook market place. Still not cheap but it worked out well for us. The pitch sloped a little, meaning the awning rail was a little too high for us to slide the awning along, so I had to improvise by borrowing a chair from the laundry – I was a little worried that it might not take my weight but fortune favours the brave! Eventually, we got the awning in the right position, then started to peg it out. The ground was incredibly dense on the hardstanding after a few dry days, so -top tip – I poured some water near where the pegs would be inserted. This worked well but took a little time. Once we got the awning up, we realised we could remove the side walls and create a sun shade type arrangement – as the weather was set fair, that’s what we did and it made all the difference to our stay! (see picture at the top of this post)
We didn’t want to go crazy with sightseeing as we really fancied kicking back and relaxing for a bit but did visit Knaresborough, Brimham Rocks and Fountain Abbey – so not a bad hit list.
The visit to Knaresborough was the first long-ish walk I had done since my hip-replacement surgery. I needn’t have worried, the walk along the river and paths into Knaresborough were gentle enough, and the scenery was lovely enough to distract from any aches and pains!
We got back in time to enjoy a pizza in the bar and a sit out in the sunshine by the van. Knaresborough has a beautiful river frontage with lots of old buildings nestled against the hillside, some incredible bridges and viaducts, with some really interesting houses and churches dating back to the 17th Century – it really is worth a visit.
The bus service back to the campsite is quick, efficient and cheap. They even let Frank onboard.
One place I was keen to visit was Brimham Rocks. It\s an impressive collection of limestone features sculpted by a prehistoric river, over 100 million years ago. When you’re in the middle of the formation it’s easy to imagine how people may have used this secret place to live, hide or even smuggle goods to and from Yorkshire. The National Trust do a great job of maintaining the place for future generations – and the Northern Bloc ice cream is delicious!
Another local attraction not to be missed is Fountain Abbey – it’s a truly impressive ruin and gardens. The abbey was sacked during King Henry VIII purge of the monasteries but even now the sense of scale and power that the place once wielded is pervasive and fully evident.
You can spend hours wandering around the ruins and gardens. There are several cafes where you can take a break and get some refreshments, and plenty of spots where water is available for the dogs. If you are interested in learning more detail, the National Trust organises free guided tours of up to 90 minutes in length.
The week away was a real break, made all the better due to the fabulous weather – Knaresborough, take a bow – you really didn’t disappoint!
Leave a Reply