ORD HOUSE COUNTRY PARK

Claudia Dowell visits our family-focused Regional Winner for North-east England

Just minutes away from the border with Scotland, you’ll find the five-star campsite that readers voted our Top 100 Sites Regional Winner for North-east England. Ord House Country Park, owned by the Maguire family and serving both static and touring communities, lies just off the A1. That makes the area sound busy, but it isn’t. The A1 hugs the Northumberland coastline en route to Edinburgh, with signposts for Seahouses, Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island and Berwick-upon-tweed. The 44-acre, tree-enclosed site is next door to the village of East Ord – you would hardly know it’s there until you pull into the entrance. To the right, by reception, is a large house with a new annex. This houses the family restaurant, softplay area, bar and stage for Saturday night entertainment. A door from the bar leads into the main house and an adults-only area as plush as any hotel lounge. Fitted out with chandeliers, sofas, soft lighting, tables, chairs and a small bar, it is evidence of Ord House’s investment in its five-star offering. The restaurant serves pub food, with a carvery on Sundays, and takeaways. If you are eating in your van, there are several supermarkets nearby. On the touring side are 85 pitches, 35 of which are seasonal, with the most popular area being in the former orchard of the estate. Here, the pitches are separated by hedges, giving you the impression of your own patch of garden. During my stay, the weather was windy; general manager Phil Shadforth told me that a couple of trees were uprooted in the last storm, but that the site undergoes a six-monthly check by a tree surgeon.

Facilities blocks

Two washblocks serve the touring areas and comprise launderettes and facilities for the disabled (although there is a step to overcome to enter the older block). The newer of the two has individual showers. Ornate silver mirrors hang over the basins and there’s a circular ‘waiting room’ sofa if you need somewhere to sit down. For shared facilities, it’s all really rather glamorous. Adjoining the touring area is a fantastic adventure play area and crazy golf. The site also has a David Bellamy Gold Award for its wonderful wild flowers, bird boxes, hedgehog boxes, bee hotels and wildlife pond with frogs and water lilies.