TOURING : CLUB SITES A classic scene at Bank Top FOR THE FAMILY

Elizabeth Fowler explores historic and its wonderfully diverse surrounds, Shire using four Club sites as bases DELIGHTS Full steam ahead The National Railway Museum in York houses exhibits from the earliest steam engines through to more modern examples, such as the Japanese Bullet Train. T0844 815 3139 Wnrm.org.uk Nearest featured site York Beechwood Grange

House call Listed Sewerby Hall, Bridlington, has something for all the family. The house is open daily plus the gardens boast a small zoo, an adventure playground, woodland walks and a tea room.

T01262 673769 Weastriding.gov.uk/sewerby Nearest featured site Bridlington

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DON’T FORGET You can book your pitch online at caravanclub.co.uk/ searchandbookor by calling our Advance Booking Service on 01342 327490. Please call Affiliated Sites That’s all folks! directly. A wonderful look at life through the ages, Folk Museumfeatures rescued and reconstructed buildings, artefacts and small exhibitions, with good descriptive boards throughout. orkshire is a wonderful Brigantes tribe. It was later conquered by THIS MONTH’S FEATURED SITES T01751 417367 Wryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk county, offering quite an the Anglo-Saxons, then ruled by the Nearest featured site The Howard, Rosedale Abbey BRIDLINGTON amazing diversity of Vikings, and a wealth of archaeological Bridlington Club site countryside and places to remains documents these different periods. See p174 of the Sites Directory visit. For this article we Enough of history for now – this is a & Handbook 2013/14 Animal magic Yturn our attention to the north-eastern holiday! I started by pitching up at The A great place for younger children, YORK BEECHWOOD GRANGE YOU ARE HERE Monk Park Farm has lots of cuddly area comprising the historic city of York Caravan Club’s attractive York Beechwood See p185 of the Directory animals and many unusual ones, with and its surrounds. Grange site. Easily accessed from the main regular feeding times. There are also The extensive flat, rich land around the York ring road, this is a perfect base for THE HOWARD, ROSEDALE ABBEY go-karts and quad bikes, playgrounds, city explains why it has always been a exploring the area. The good playground See p182 of the Directory picnic areas and a café. major population centre. York was built will keep the youngsters amused while you RACECOURSE T01845 597730 by the Romans some 2,000 years ago, relax after sightseeing, and a large field is See p183 of the Directory Wmonkparkfarm.co.uk over an existing settlement of the perfect for energetic dogs. >> Nearest featured site Thirsk Racecourse

18 www.caravanclub.co.uk November 2013 The Caravan Club Magazine 19 TOURING : CLUB SITES York Beechwood Grange Club site Lovely Hutton-le-Hole FOOD+ DRINK OUTDOOR FUN PLEASURE CRUISE

Your lucky day In the heart of York, Lucky Days café offers coffee and cake, All aboard! tea and light meals. It has fabulous salads, meat and fish as Cycling You can enjoy a variety of river well as gorgeous cakes and puddings. cruises with YorkBoatfrom Try the Yorkshire Wolds Cycle its King’s Staith and Lendal T01904 733992 Route (National Cycle Bridge landings. There are Nearest featured site York Beechwood Grange Network Route 166), part of trips of varying lengths, which links Bridlington and York. including lunch, dinner and National Cycle Network Route floodlit evening cruises. TASTY TREAT 65, the Trans Pennine Trail, heads north from York and skirts T01904 628324 Hearty fare the western edge of the North W yorkboat.co.uk In the centre of Flamborough, York Moors National Park. Nearest featured site York Beechwood Grange The Seabirds Inn is a restaurant with a wide Wsustrans.org.uk selection of hearty food: steaks, lamb shank, fresh fish, lovely soups and good-value Cliff riches Sunday roasts. Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve is world renowned for the vast T01262 850242 numbers of sea birds that nest Wtheseabirds.com The Howard, Rosedale there, including puffins, A strange, haunting call drew Abbey Club site Nearest featured site Bridlington guillemots, razorbills, gulls and gannets. There are viewing my attention to... puffins! platforms, nature trails, RSPB Go green “ events and wild-flower meadows. Graze on the Green in Rosedale The nearby Monks Cross Shopping I passed an open-fronted” shop with The Club’s site is a little out of W rspb.org.uk Abbey is a delightful café Centre (with swimming pool) is teapots on warmers, and an invitation town, towards Flamborough. It Nearest featured site Bridlington serving excellent local food. convenient for stocking up and you can to sample the different brews – it just enjoys a lovely rural location boasting If you want to eat on your own walk from the site to the Toby Carvery. felt so right for a medieval street. Not extensive views, well-spaced pitches Walk tall in your caravan, it does a wanting to stop for lunch, I instead that are mostly hardstanding, plus Visit Blakey Ridge in the North comprehensive take-out menu. SO MUCH TO DO... York Moors National Park for a selected a delicious picnic from top-grade facilities. A short walk away walk that feels like you’re on T01751 417468 If you want to leave your vehicle on the Henshelwoods’ ‘Picnics to Go’ menu, is Marton Manor Farm Shop, home to top of the world. Listen for the W rosedalecoffeeshop.co.uk site, an hourly bus will take you into York. a lovely idea on a sunny day. a lovely café. call of grouse and look out for Nearest featured site Once there, you’re spoiled for choice in Before leaving the area, I had one last On my first evening, I drove to North MAGIC ROUNDABOUT old industrial ruins. There is an The Howard, Rosedale Abbey terms of things to do. A lovely ‘must visit’. In the evening, I drove down Landing and stopped in the car park. At Leaving Bridlington, I drove north on the infrequent bus service to the introduction is a river trip accompanied by to Naburn Lock – I had once sailed into the the foot of a series of steps was a little A165 and passed the best roundabout in start of the walk at the Lion Inn. a knowledgeable guide who will city by riverboat, and had lovely memories. deserted beach, so down I went. The the country! Statues of a shepherd T01751 417320 explain the glories of the city. I wasn’t disappointed and spent the evening sunshine was beautiful, (slightly larger than life-size) and his dog W lionblakey.co.uk For me, visiting York was full evening chatting to the fisherman by the highlighting the small fishing boats drawn were herding a small flock of sheep across Nearest featured siteThe Howard, Rosedale Abbey Roaring trade of nostalgia. From previous pretty canal locks and weir, watching up on the shingle. As I walked across the the grass – it made me smile. Just a short stroll from the site, trips, I remembered the tame salmon leap and kingfishers streak by. flat rocks, I realised the cliff beside me was My next stay was at The Howard, Black Lion Bar & Bistro serves a squirrels in the beautiful full of seabirds and a strange, haunting call Rosedale Abbey Club site, a real favourite good selection of tasty food in a Museum Gardens by the river, as BESIDE THE SEASIDE drew my attention to… puffins! These of mine. Located beside a small river and pleasant environment. The well as the fascinating crooked Moving east, my next stay provided an fabulous little birds were nesting all surrounded by lovely trees, it’s a heavenly chicken and warm beetroot little streets in the centre, entirely different experience. A bustling around so I stayed watching them until it place to walk, birdwatch or just enjoy the salad was excellent. providing occasional glimpses of holiday resort for more than 200 years, was too dark to see. stupendous views. Nearby Rosedale T01845 574302 the magnificent Minster. Bridlington offers a sandy beach, The coast here is truly beautiful – Abbey is a little stone village that is home Wblacklionthirsk.co.uk Walking through the ancient promenade, harbour and traditional sandstone cliffs carved into wonderful to tearooms, a shop and an artisan glass Nearest featured site Thirsk Racecourse streets known as the Shambles, seaside entertainment. shapes with tiny bays and deep caves. blower. Just up the hill is the White Horse >>

20 www.caravanclub.co.uk November 2013 The Caravan Club Magazine 21 TOURING : CLUB SITES Farm Inn, winner of ‘Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub 2012’. CULTURE Hiking up Bank Top hill next morning, I was gazing at the glorious views when a string of Austin Sevens came over the top, into the car park. They took a ‘cool the engine rest’ before setting off again down the notorious hill. I don’t think I would be too comfortable on that hill in a veteran Austin! From the car park there is a superb level walk passing old Thirsk Racecourse Club site iron workings. A short way along, you come across an intriguing bench featuring a tall carved stone one end and engravings Shopping could not be easier as there is a along the sides, recalling the men who supermarket just across the road for all the worked the local mines. basics. Thirsk also has good shops and a market in its cobbled centre. RACING CHANCE A visit to The World of James Herriot Royal appointment Driving across heather-clad moors you attraction may appeal before setting off One of the country’s leading theatres, York Theatre come to Hutton-le-Hole, where sheep into the beautiful surrounding Royal has been providing entertainment for 250 years. wander through the village beside a pretty countryside. Here you will find the huge It has an eclectic programme throughout the year and boasts a good café/bar. stream. This is also where you’ll find the and wonderful ruins of the great Ryedale Folk Museum, well worth a visit. monasteries that abound in this area, T01904 623568 Wyorktheatreroyal.co.uk I then followed the A170 to Thirsk evidence of the county’s historic wealth. Nearest featured site York Beechwood Grange where The Club’s site is found on the With opportunities to discover history, racecourse – a supremely convenient relax by the sea, enjoy superb bird Light relief location. It is level and quiet, offering a watching, ride down glorious cycle paths Flamborough Lighthouse is set in a quick and easy walk into town for a meal, and explore miles of high dramatic magnificent location overlooking or a pleasant stroll along the river path. moorland, Yorkshire simply has it all. ■ dramatic cliffs and tiny bays. Enjoy walks through wild-flower meadows and climb the 119 steps to the top of the tower as part of a guided tour.

Wtrinityhouse.co.uk MEMBERS’ VIEWS Nearest featured site Bridlington Graham and Sylvia Patchettfrom Skegness, who were staying at the Bridlington site, commented, “This is our fourth visit this year. It is such a lovely site to come to, especially with our dogs, as there is Take your pick plenty of good walking and the site is quiet and Pickering Castleis a splendid early dog-friendly. This is one of the nicest sites we’ve Norman ruin. From the top of the visited, beautifully clean and the showers are like motte, built to dominate the those in a five-star hotel.” countryside, there are dramatic views across the town of Pickering and moors beyond. To read even more member views, Mr and Mrs see our fantastic online forum at T01751 474989 Stringerfrom Wenglish-heritage.org.uk caravanclub.co.uk/together Nearest featured site Sunderland were The Howard, Rosedale Abbey staying at the Thirsk Racecourse site. They enthused, Get the abbey habit “We just love it One of the great Cistercian here; in fact, we establishments, probably spend Byland Abbeywas more time here than at home! We like being once home to more able to leave the motorhome and easily walk than 200 monks. where we want. Thirsk is a lovely town, with Now an impressive a really good market and nice places to eat.” ruin, a compact museum holds site finds and Brian and Pat Fullatronfrom Co Durham were staying at information panels. the York Beechwood Grange site. They said, “We like this area, and being close to the lovely city of York, so we have T 01347 868614 come down for a relaxing long weekend. It is a site we have Wenglish-heritage.org.uk visited before, so we know what is here and can just enjoy Nearest featured site Thirsk Racecourse the peace and quiet, and the sunshine.”

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