We arrived at Haltwhistle Camping and Caravan Club campsite at 11pm. That was about 13 hours too early for when we were actually booked to arrive.
It’d been a stressful day, involving some last minute, unplanned shopping. And here we were in the darkness of night, 3 children sleeping in the back of the car. We were ready to just park outside the barrier and sleep there.
Then two people appeared, the site managers as it turned out.
I explained, muddled and tired, that despite the late hour we were early. The lovely folks to greet us suggested that we come in and pay the extra night stay. And so even at this late hour we were quickly checked in, given a briefing as to what is where. I was even spared the embarrassment of trying to reverse into our pitch. The manager helped unhook our new caravan and push it into place.
Such a friendly welcome despite our late- early arrival!
We quickly sorted the basics and settled down to sleep. In the dead of the night we didn’t have much clue about our surroundings.
Oh were we in for a surprise in the morning! As the children woke and woke us we all peered out: the location is absolutely lovely!
The Haltwhistle Camping and Caravan Club Site is a small site, right by the river. Nestled in at the base of a small hill. On the other side of the river sheep graze.
When booking I asked to be put near the playground. Well, the site has no formal playground, but the surroundings are one fantastic playground for children (young and old).
The river banks are sandy in places- perfect for building sand castles;
At places there are rocky shores- perfect for practicing those balancing skills.
The trees shred enough branches to build dens or bug hotels (like Hugo did).
Yes, the river does go fast. Supervision is needed.
The site is the perfect size for Little ones practicing their cycling skills- all within hearing distance and mostly within sight, as they do the rounds.
Over the 3 days we stayed at the site we went out exploring:
The sites along Hadrian’s Wall are a very short car ride away- We really enjoyed Housesteads;
At Allen Banks there is a lovely circular walk along the river, over a bridge and back;
Cherryburn, a small National Trust property (about 40 minutes drive away) has lots to offer families.
We popped into Hexham for some shopping.
One can easily spend a leisurely week here:
We went to just one Hadrian’s wall site, but there are more, including the Roman Army museum (which apparently is very good)
There is a National Trust walk going just above the site;
The local pub is a 30 minute walk away;
With children, they will have lots of fun playing in the woods and on the river bank. The site has opportunities for fishing (permit can be bought from Haltwhistle post office) and cycling.
The facilities were nice and clean, toilet and shower block lovely and warm too. Thermostatic shower valves great to stop scolding.
My only observation: there were only 2 shower cubicles in the ladies. We visited in early April, with the site only about a third full; Although I didn’t run into anyone in the shower blocks I do wonder whether 2 cubicles are enough when the site is at full capacity with more campers in tents?
I’d also love to see family shower facilities, as the single cubicles were a nightmare to squeeze in an extra child or two.
Nevertheless, for me this is a outstanding campsite! Off the beaten track, offering the opportunity for a very relaxing holiday blended with adventure.
Thank you to Keith and Sue for their welcome. They had shown us why the Camping and Caravan club is also called the Friendly club!
Info:
The Haltwhistle campsite site is owned and run by the Camping and Caravan Club.
I paid £22.50 with electric hook up for a night.
I also bought a 12 month/ 12GB WiFi access for £20 as my internet signal was rubbish. I actually haven’t yet figured out just how much I’ve used of the allowance.
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