Know any good campsites in the North West?

[Northern Brewer]

Just bought a folding camper AKA a trailer tent with some comforts of a caravan (i.e. a beer fridge and a bog). Got two young kids and were only an hour away from the forest of Bowland and 2 hours away from the lakes district.

Looking for campsites in nice locations with good facilities for kids. And a decent pub with good food nearby :

Cheers
NB

 

[crofty83]

I'll rent you my drive for £15 per night. Water, electric, wifi and all the local sights you could ever need (Blackpool tower etc lol)

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'll rent you my drive for £15 per night. Water, electric, wifi and all the local sights you could ever need (Blackpool tower etc lol)

Is that offer also open to gypsies? :hmm:

BB

 

[Northern Brewer]

I'll rent you my drive for £15 per night. Water, electric, wifi and all the local sights you could ever need (Blackpool tower etc lol)

Thanks Crofty - I bet there's some interestng flora and fauna too

We were looking for something a bit more rural

 

[graysalchemy]

my favourite campsite is coniston Old Hall in coniston. It is quite basic and very big, but facilities are good and clean, can be a bit noisy if busy but usually has a lot of families on and has quite a good atmosphere.

It is about a 20 minute walk through fields to the village with the excellent black bull and coniston brewing company which is worth while and excellent beer. About four other pubs one half way back to the campsite. All have good food.

I haven't been for about 10 yrs but it hadn't changed last time from the first time i went nearly 30 yrs ago so i guess it will be pretty much the same.

 

[crofty83]

Have a look at Holgates in Silverdale

 

[Northern Brewer]

Cheers guys - booked Holgates for a weekend - just right for the first outing until we get used to camping with kids with this new fangled trailer tent. Will venture further afield like Coniston and Pooley Bridge the next time.

First time I went camping in the lakes I bought a frame tent off a mate for 20 quid, it had no sewn in ground sheet and the canvas had shrunk so there was a 2" air gap around the base. We didnt get to a campsite but pitched it in a farmers field next to a pub so we got last orders. Rolled out at about 1pm and fell asleep briefly until it started raining and a stream decided to course through the tent. Very early start home.....

Cheers
NB

 

[crofty83]

Cheers guys - booked Holgates for a weekend

Woohoo. I win :

There are some really nice walks around the area too not to forget the free WiFi in the bar.

 

[Barticus]

Pooley bridge is fantastic as well. Stopped there last year. Site is on waters edge and a footpath leads from site along lakeside to village for canny pub with play garden.

Swings etc on campsite for kids.

Also look at another one near pooley bridge called the quiet site. Iirc it has it's own real ale pub on site.

My one bit of advice. Go electric. Small heater to warm tent up, kettle that boils in 2 mins and George foreman instead of BBQ :)

 

[Northern Brewer]

Thanks guys. This trailer tent has all mode cons, bog, lighting, sink, fridge, full cooker/grill, hot water, central heating (gas) plus electric fan heater, microwave, kettle and even a freezer pack driven "air con" came with it. Has king size and a double bed without using the lounge area. GF has drawn the line at the 32" flat screen from the spare bedroom

Not really camping, more a collapsable caravan so feel a bit of cheat however when you have two toddlers anything to get a quiet life! Just thinking this may be just the thing for the hot break weekend :hmm:

Cheers
NB

 

[crofty83]

Looks sweet man :

P.S. Where is the kegorator?

 

[Baz Chaz]

Cheers guys - booked Holgates for a weekend -

I live in the next village along, Storth, the whole area is rather picturesque to say the least and is within the Arnside AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) :thumb: hope the weathers nice for you ... as for pubs, best for real beers has got to be the Woodlands Hotel Silverdale, have a look for it here ...

http://www.storth.com/pubs.htm

Arnside has the best chippy for miles, The Big Chip right on the corner near the railway station, big foreshore car park opposite :thumb:

http://arnsidechipshop.co.uk/

One word of advice, don't wander too far out into Morecambe Bay, the tides are rapid and recently the RNLI were out and helped over 30 people who'd gone too far out and got cut off by the tides, I've wandered the sands for years and know them well, please be careful :!:

 

[Northern Brewer]

Thank BC - excellent information :

Cheers
NB

 

[Vossy1]

Pooley bridge is fantastic as well. Stopped there last year. Site is on waters edge and a footpath leads from site along lakeside to village for canny pub with play garden.

Agreed, we've been there ( Park Foot camp site ) quite a few times. It's great for kids as everything's quite close to the sites. If you carry on along the road the sites on (driving about 2 miles), there are some small 'hill's ( Hallin Fell ) with great views...well worth a look.

 

[Northern Brewer]

Did Holgates, very good, only quibbles were the ground, thinly disguised limestone pavement, even serious tent pegs and a lump hammer had limited success so the awning flapped a bit, I will bring rawlplugs and my rechargable hammer drill next time Other quibble was the matriarch at the Silverdale hotel, putting branston on the kids cheese sarnies then wanting us to buy more when the kids complained - it said cheese sarnie in the menu. Apart from that nice pub/food. Found plenty to do.

Next stop the Quiet site in Ullswater hopefully August bank holiday week, waiting for booking confirmation. This time I will remembeer the keys for the trailer only took me about 4 seconds to break into the gas and the power hook-up boxes without damaging them, had to tape them up on the way home though

Cheers
NB

Edit, just checked on the pub list that baz-chaz posted - shodl have gone to the Woodland hotel in Silverdale - will print off next time :whistle:

 

[Baz Chaz]

...... Other quibble was the matriarch at the Silverdale hotel, putting branston on the kids cheese sarnies then wanting us to buy more when the kids complained - it said cheese sarnie in the menu. Apart from that nice pub/food. Found plenty to do.

Edit, just checked on the pub list that baz-chaz posted - shodl have gone to the Woodland hotel in Silverdale - will print off next time :whistle:

Will pass the info on about Silverdale Hotel, unlucky not to have visited Woodlands, never mind, if you're back this way again ...

 

[Northern Brewer]

Just come back from the Quiet Site near Pooley Bridge, Ullswater. Great place , the kids loved it.

Arrival was a bit embarrassing, arrived when it was raining and parked on a slope outside the office, the receptionist came out of the office in her sou'wester and walked down the the campsite to show me the pitch, I went back to the car to follow her, slipped a bit in the rain as I had crap shoes on and opened the car door onto my head. The girl was a bit surprised when we arrived a the pitch and I wound down the window and a thin drip of blood was just beginning to course down my forehead :shock:

However it was a good excuse to sit down and have a HB and watch SWMBO do the rest once I had parked up and set up the trailer tent.

Great 5 nights, but did it rain! we had two storms Wednesday/Thursday morning, the first found the weakness in the awning and blew a corner down which I repaired and reinforced, The same place collapsed at 2 in the morning and bent two poles beyond repair, which I fixed the following day using a very friendly caravan shop in Penrith and a hacksaw.

The neighbour give me hand and really enjoyed the couple of bottles of HB I gave him. The beer in the bar was good too, made for the bar by Tirrels.

Cheers
NB