St Helens in the Park, North Yorkshire
In the depths of winter, this campsite ticked all the boxes for a few days in the fresh air. Easy to access direct from the main A170, the entrance is slightly uphill through an attractively landscaped area on an old railway line.
There is some very slight road noise on the pitches to the south of the site, but I imagine, in summer, the trees act as a very effective shield and it in no way impinged on the overall peacefulness of the site.
There are frequent buses on this main road, with the stop just a few minutes’ stroll – head to Scarborough, or, in the other direction, the Yorkshire Moors town of Pickering. In warmer temperatures, the Yorkshire Water Park is great fun and just a short walk away, too. However, if you want to park up and relax, you have plenty of choice for country walks and cycling away from the crowd.
On the west side of the site is a footpath down a short incline, leading to a fingerpost giving you three options. One takes you past old station buildings, through the site’s dog walk area (wave to the resident donkeys and alpacas), before reaching the village of Hutton Buscel.
Do explore the shortest option, just a couple of hundred metres to the Downe Arms, with information boards giving the history of the area and an interesting ice house to be viewed.
We took a delightful eight-mile hike with the third option, following the old railway to Ruston, then north on field tracks, through pretty Sawdon village, down steep wooded valleys and home on a quiet country lane.
The site is well maintained and laid out in gentle terraces with spacious pitches, both fully serviced or hardstanding with electric hook-up.
There are three ablutions blocks spread across the site, but only one was open when we visited; it was immaculately clean, with hot showers! There is a launderette, dishwashing facilities and an information room. The reception houses a small shop.
All in all, a great place to relax or use as a base to explore both coast and moor.