CCC Members only 5-pitch site
Bardon Mill, NE477JT
https://brockaleefarm.wixsite.com/campatbrockaleefarm
Date of Visit: April 2026
Overall View
This is a family and dog friendly certified site situated between Haltwhilstle and Hexham just off the cross country A69. Access is straightforward, take care with the final turning into the site. Please see arrival video HERE.
The owners are very friendly and helpful. It is a very well-maintained site. During the three-weeks we were here, it was regularly full. Advance booking is highly recommended.
Facilities
There is an EHU to each pitch. Electric is charged additionally by the kwh used at a rate set by the utility company. Grey water drainage point is in the corner of each pitch. There is no clean water supply at each pitch.
There is a central facilities block, in the middle of the row of pitches, with two showers, toilets and an information room. One of the toilet/showers which is combined has level access.
To the rear of the block is the dishwashing area with plenty of hot water. To the side of this is the clean water filling point.
On the opposite side of the block is the recycling and rubbish disposal area – this is where the CDP is also located.
Security is well catered with locked gates to the entrance to the site and a very heavy-duty coded padlock – the number is given on arrival.
There was no WiFi on site, however the four mobile network providers promise good 4G inside and out. In addition EE offers 5G which worked well and was fine for streaming.
There is no public bus service nearby, you will need to pick up a bus in Bardon Mill. Please check website for frequency. www.stagecoachbus.com
Review of Site Pitch
The site is built on a flat terrace about two-thirds of the way up an embankment. There are good views from the site across the valley. At the bottom of the valley is the A69 so there is some road noise although it is much quieter at night.
Each pitch is flat, laid to shale type gravel and kept immaculately clean and tidy by the owners. The grass that forms the rest of the site, apart from the roadway and pitches is very well kept.
Around and about
The location of this site is one of its main attractions – it is only a couple of miles from Hadrian’s Wall and the world famous Vindolanda site. A half hour run further on will take you to Housesteads site and other many varied visitor points along the wall in this area. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall The Pennine Way also runs along this area and there are many facilities for the walkers.
It is also possible to purchase a combined entrance ticket which allows you access to Vindolanda and also Magna Fort and Roman Museum about a 10-minute drive between the two. The Roman Museum is very interactive and child friendly. There is a café and accessible facilities.
If you wish, you can combine the Magna Fort visit for half a day and the second half visiting the Lanercost Priory about a 10 minute drive from Magna Fort. This has an excellent café/restaurant outside the priory, completely dog friendly and has the usual accessible facilities. The Priory is run by English Heritage. It is divided into two main sections, the priory ruins for which there is an entrance fee, (free for EH members) and the church, (one half of the priory) is free to enter. There is a small souvenir shop at the entrance. The church is fully accessible; the priory is not wheelchair friendly and there are steps. Pushchairs are okay providing they are not too heavy or cumbersome.
The site has a number of villages immediately surrounding the site and many offer small shops selling a good range of goods. However, for supermarket shopping, the nearest, a 15-minute drive from the site, is Haltwhilstle which has a medium sized Sainsbury’s but no fuel. There are some shops, pubs, laundry and hairdresser shops in the town itself.
Fuel wise, there is an independent garage about 500m from the site on the A69 itself. It also has a Spar and there is a Starbucks Coffee house opposite. The latter can be very popular indeed with travellers.
In the opposite direction, a 35-minute drive will bring you to Hexham. This is quite large and has several supermarkets including a Tesco Extra. Again, there is no fuel attached. There is an Asda/BP fuelling station just as you leave the A69 which was competitively priced but there is no full-sized Asda – just an Asda Express acting as the service station shop.
Hexham has a long history and there is Hexham Abbey/Church in the middle of the town. On road parking is usually plentiful apart from Saturday morning when the weekly farmers market is situated in the market square and in front of the Church.
https://www.visitnorthumberland.com/explore/destinations/towns-villages/hexham
Hexham Farmers Market – this is held on different Saturday mornings. Please check the website before setting out. There are a range of local farmers and producers selling fish, game, poultry and meats. Pies, cakes, (delicious), flowers and plants. A huge cheese stall. There were Morris Dancers and clog dancers entertaining the shoppers in front of the Abbey. All in all, a very pleasant experience. https://www.hexhamfarmersmarket.co.uk/
A full day tour, with the cross-country route along the military roads alongside large parts of Hadrians Wall is to Kielder Water. Please check this road before setting off as there are major bridge repairs starting very shortly, (time of writing April 2026).
Kielder Water is a very large reservoir built in the early 1970’s and provides both water and hydro-electric power to Newcastle upon Tyne, Middlesborough and their surrounding areas.
There are a number of parking areas around the reservoir and it possible to drive across the dam to a car park on the other side. All official parking areas require you to pay, including blue badge parking. However, if you pay for 1 days parking, then you can move around all the car parks without having to pay extra that day.
There are two main ‘commercial’ areas – both with shops, café and toilets. Towe Knowe was not open on the day I visited, a further 3 miles or so further on is the much bigger area – this has a tourer caravan site, glamping pods and lodges available. There is also a large café/bar/restaurant with a children’s soft play area attached darts and a snooker table. The restaurant offers a wide range of food for all including a fully stocked bar. There are fully accessible toilet facilities at each of the two sites. The main commercial area has a shop which doubles as a convenience store for visitors and also a gift shop. There is the forest to visit which is a separate trip in itself. Also there is the famous Dark Skies Observatory. Further details can be found on this website. www.visitkielder.com
Another days visit is to the Wallington Hall (NT). You can easily spend a whole day here. Access is good, there is plentiful parking including accessible and accessibility is good throughout the site and the ground floor of the house itself. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be hired in advance if required. There is a café, ice cream parlour and a NT shop which is one of the larger ones. Local crafts and produce are also available. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/wallington
Bladon Mill is the small but very picturesque village on the opposite of the A69 to the site. There is a lovely café which also doubles as a small convenience store for essentials in the centre. There is lovely seating just outside if the weather is good. It is a dog friendly establishment and they are welcome inside. Scones with jam and cream are a favourite and the coffee comes highly recommended too.
There is a public footpath, signed from the entrance to the site which you need to walk, with the site at your rear and this bring you to a point where you can, very carefully it is a fast road, cross the A69 and follow the rest of the footpath down into the village. It will be an uphill walk back. You can also turn right out of the site, right onto the A69, carefully cross and then another footpath takes you down into the village.
There are a couple of pubs/hotels as well. In addition, there is a large pottery building with its own kiln and chimney. You can see when they are firing as there is a large plume of smoke.
Bladon Mill is also the nearest Network Rail station. Trains go to either Carlisle or Newcastle. There is no ticket office, pay on train or on-line in advance. The service is operated by Northern Trains. www.northernrailway.co.uk There is a small amount of parking just outside the station, including accessible, however you can easily park in the village, and it is a couple of minutes level stroll.
Carlisle – This is about a 45 minute drive, depending on traffic. You can, of course, opt to take the train. This is a very old town with a great deal of history, a castle and many a tale of border skirmishes over many hundreds of years. There is a pedestrianised shopping area which runs off the car park, called Lanes Shopping Centre/Car Park. There are lifts and access is good. Dogs are allowed but obviously not all shops in the centre will allow them in. There is a large out of town retail centre which is where you can get larger shopping if you so wish.
There are two destinations within a few miles of each other and a 10 minute run from the site in the car. Housesteads Roman Fort and the Sill.
Depending on whether you are able to walk to view the Fort from the roadside car park, (cafe, toilets ad full facilities), will determine the length of your visit as the uphill walk takes around 20 minutes on a tarmac pavement. It is possible to drive to close by the fort if you have a blue badge and make prior arrangements. These can be made at the reception on arrival. This brings you to the museum, shop and coffee machine. There are accessible toilets in the small car park. It was not possible to see the Fort inside as there are steps to gain access. I would, however, recommend making the trip up to the museum as the panoramic views, on a clear sunny day are breath-taking.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places
You can see for miles. Dogs are allowed everywhere, strictly on leads, due to sheep being free roaming. The exception is the museum.
The Sill, nearer the site is easily accessible as it is close to the roadside. It has a visitor centre, shop and café. It has full facilities and dogs are allowed everywhere, including the cafe but not the visitor centre and shop. The cafe makes great efforts to only supply local produce and everything from a soup and sandwich to larger meals are on offer. Very tasty they were too. https://www.thesill.org.uk/
Summary
If you are interested in history, particularly Roman history then this sites location, facilities and proximity to places of interest, you will find this site hard to beat. Many of the other site residents were working on the historical sites. Very pleasant and helpful owners made for a very good stay; we appreciated the half dozen fresh eggs gifted to us by the owners at the start of our stay. It is certainly worth a visit.