Date of Visit: March/April 2026
Overall View
This is a privately owned and operated caravan and camping site a few miles outside the market town of Barnard Castle. It is both a dog friendly and child friendly site. It is a level site with well-spaced pitches and facilities.
Access is from the A66, please see arrival video HERE.
The site also has a large rally field and some caravan storage.
Facilities
Each pitch, whether hard standing or grass, in the caravan area has its own 16amp EHU.
There are two shower blocks, one which also houses the accessible toilet and shower.
There are water filling points at each of the facilities blocks including CDP points and grey water disposal.
The central facilities block also has a drive over motorhome waste disposal point to the side.
The facilities block nearest to the farmhouse has a dish washing room to the side.
At the far end of the farmhouse there is also a laundry, (at charge) with a large washing machine and dryer. There are also two further ladies and gents toilets here too.
A public footpath at the top end of the site doubles as the dog walk and there is a doggy bin there as well.
Security at the site is very strong with two, numbered, barriers in order to gain entrance to the site. The outer one, nearer the road entrance, is open during the day but closes at night. You can still access the site with both the key numbers.
Rubbish and recycling is kept in a shed by the entrance – good practice to take your rubbish in your car on your way out.
Fire extinguishers are placed across the site. There is a defibrillator in Reception.
Reception has leaflets about the area and also books to exchange. Fresh eggs are also available at cost. The owners are very friendly and approachable, making for a very pleasant atmosphere.
A bus service connecting you with Barnard Castle and onwards to Bishops Auckland stops right outside the entrance. A useful addition for motorhome owners etc.
Review of Site Pitch
The majority of tourer pitches are laid to gravel and predominantly level. Most will take a caravan and awning side by side, parking the car at the front. The pitches are well tended and clean.
TV and radio reception was fine. Mobile wise we had no issues with EE 5G though their coverage checker suggested poor to no signal indoors. Vodafone was fine up to 4G both inside and out. The coverage checkers for O2 and Three suggested the same.
There was no WiFi offering.
Around and about
The nearest town which has shops is Barnard Castle, a 15 minute drive from the site. It has a Lidl and Home Bargains on the far side of town from the site. In the town itself there are a wide range of independent shops and pubs/cafes. There is a Co-Operative shop on Horsemarket. A smaller Morrisons is found behind the main street with a car park and toilets. A dog friendly pub/restaurant is also on Horsemarket called The Raby Arms Hotel. Great food and dogs are allowed in all parts of the bar, restaurants etc.
There are also a wide range of independent antique shops selling all types of products. Barnard Castle is well known for this.
There are various street markets held throughout the week/month. Best to check as times do vary.
Finally, there is the Castle itself, from which the town derived its name. It is run by English Heritage. Please note there is no parking in the immediate vicinity and access is down a tarmac slope.
Slightly further afield is Bishops Auckland, where the major supermarkets are plus the corresponding fuel stations. Most of the shopping is to be found within several out of town shopping centres which are mainly on the ring road around the town.
There is also a railway station here which connects with the East Coast mainline and in the opposite direction a Heritage railway. The Weardale Railway is easily accessible from the national railway station by walking along the platform and boarding the train. If you require a ramp, please ring ahead in plenty of time to ensure they have one available. Currently, the railway goes as far as Stainhope, although it is hoped that it will be extended further up the dale as Weardale which is where the original railway terminated. There is a lovely station at Stainhope, the rebuilt station and canopy have won a number of awards. There are full toilet facilities here, plus a small shop and a small cafe. It can get very full in there and is not really set up for wheelchairs. There are sheltered seats and tables on the platform if required. A very pleasant afternoon out, an hours journey each way.
Another half day out is to Eggleston Hall, Nursery and Gardens. Entrance is free, although donation box is available by the entrance. There is a guided walk around the site with the leaflet available from the Cafe. It also takes in the Hall’s derelict church and graveyard which is very old indeed. Depending on the season, you will see a good range of plants and flowers on show, daffodils were everywhere when we visited. A beautiful sight indeed.
There is a lovely, dog friendly and fully accessible cafe and their offering of a toasted teacake, butter with half a fresh strawberry, slice of apple, slice of kiwi fruit and a slice of orange was a complete but delightful surprise! Their coffee was just as good too. There is a small section where you can purchase plants – roses were much in evidence. To a non-gardener, the quality looked really good. There are also a couple of artists by the entrance in their individual studios selling their products. Alongside the cafe is an antique/bric-a-bac shop with all manner of goods for sale. An enjoyable visit, although possibly not so much if it was raining.
A slightly further afield visit is to Durham – major historical monuments are here. The Cathedral is probably the best well known. Access is dependent upon your accessibility needs. We parked at Bishops Street Car Park and strolled up the High Street – easiest route is to turn left and follow the road round until you enter the Cathedral quadrant. You can go from the other end of the High Street but that involves steep steps and a hill climb from the River level. The Cathedral is very welcoming and allows dogs in there as well. Photography is allowed but not while there are services underway Please also note that there is a congestion charge – payable every 24 hours. It is done entirely on-line and is simple to use.
If you enjoy scenic drives with amazing views, then a good half days trip out is to Stanhope, via the moors route, B6278/Roman Road. We were lucky that it was a dry, clear day and you could literally see for miles in all directions. It does take a while but there are plenty of photo opportunities. It was interesting to note the snow markers on the road size; one can only imagine the scenery in the winter.
Stanhope is a sizeable village, which we had not realised when we visited it on the Weardale Railway a few days ago. Our destination was the Durham Dales Centre.
There is plenty of parking, accessible facilities and some lovely craft shops. The Easter displays were particularly good. Unfortunately, the cafe recently closed – looked like it was permanent too. We were a little disappointed that there was not more there – the website was perhaps done some time ago.
It is possible to drive further up Weardale to a Museum, however, please check before setting off as it is privately run and does not always open all the time. We returned along the dale floor, driving through some pretty little villages – some with shops and cafes. We were aiming for The 68 Cafe – we were able to buy a cup of tea and sit in the car admiring the views and eat our pre-packed lunch We returned via Barnard’s Castle back to the site.
For a superb meal, good range of beers and wines, plus dog friendly evening out, then you would do well to visit Fox & Hounds pub in Cotherstone village – about a 5 minute drive from the site. We had the most delicious, home cooked meal – the range of drinks on offer was excellent and they were most accommodating of our dog.
Summary
A lovely quiet, independent site. Owners take a real pride in what they do and that is evident by the high standards across the site. It is a site to which we would return.