So, plans for this years expeditions are afoot....and it's an area that we haven't been to for about 25 years.
Looking for suggestions for a family friendly campsite, decent showers/toilet block, ideally a kids play area, within striking distance of any castles/steam railways/farm parks/breweries depending on the weather and kids preferences on the day.
Cheers
Haven't got kids, but went to this one 2 summers ago for a week. Great location, just outside Hawes and the Wensleydale creamery! Showers weren't fantastic but ok. There was washing up facilities. Don't remember a climbing frame or anything like that, but they did put the tents round the outside of the fields to leave the middles free for ball games and general mucking about by kids.
http://www.bainbridge-ings.co.uk/
I would skipton
Theres skipton castle
About 3 miles away theres Bolton abbey steam railway and nice walks around bolton abbey itself and there a farm park near by too
Good riding in the dales too 😉
This is a good link for campsites
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/results.asp?county=North%20Yorkshire
Google Knight Stainforth, sounds right up your street. Its just out of Settle and is quite central for a lot of riding / walking activities.
castles:
Skipton
Richmond
Castle Bolton
Steam Railway:
Embsay (nr Skipton)
Worth Valley (nr Skipton)
Breweries:
Masham (black Sheep/theakstons)
skipton(Copper Dragon on ind est, not worth visiting)
Wensleydale (no idea if worth visiting)
other stuff:
The forbidden Corner
Semmer Water (hot days only, playing in the water type stuff)
As kids (1980s) we stayed at a campsite in Stainforth (games room and swimming in the river/waterfall), Austwick (big field for ball games), there also looks to be a good site at Newbiggin/Thoralby (passed it a few times).
Ditto Knight Stainforth, been going there for over forty years. It's got everything but a swimming pool but there is a river with waterfalls at the bottom of the site and best bit is there's some great riding in the area.
Knight Stainforth, about a mile from me, Chris Maudsley who owns it is a keen MTBer too.
C
Cheers guys, just what we are looking for.
And I never mentioned great riding as a requirement, OK? Nope, not for me, no interest at all...... 8)
Re-read the post and not so sure about the other 'family' activities like the Steam Railway, in which case looking towards Skipton would be better, however I'm unaware of a campsite that will have all the family facilities.
I wouldn't recommend actually trying to stay in or very near Skipton. It's a proper town, and not actually in the National Park. It's easy enough to drive down for the castle/steam railway if you fancied that.
What I'd recommend depends very much on your kids ages.
That Knight Stainforth one does look good though. You could do a couple of brilliant rides out of the front gate (Settle Loop and Clapham/Long Lane/Crummackdale/Feizor).
There are a couple of nice playgrounds in Settle, good riverside walking up towards Horton, the 3 peaks, Carlisle Settle railway.