Post it from Knaresborough Caravan Club site, Friday 21st March, 2014

Having spent no time away in the motorhome since we returned from our tour of Scotland at the end of October 2013 I was keen to get away again, but did want some dry weather. We decided to go away for Sharon’s birthday and managed to book a week on the Club’s Knaresborough site arriving on Sunday 16^th March, 2014. We chose here because we learned that it was a very popular site, so must have something good about that area, and we had not been before.

The week before we were due to go the weather at home took a big turn for the better with dry sunny days and it had been forecast to continue so we were very pleased at the prospect of getting out and about and some use of our bikes as well.

The journey along the M62 from East Yorkshire was a very blustery one with wind speeds expected to be around 25 mph from the west. As we headed north along the A1 it made the drive a little more comfortable but the strong winds just took the edge off an otherwise sunny and dry day.

We arrived at the site mid-afternoon and found it with ease, I would advise others that the road to the site from the centre of Knaresborough, Ripley Road, is very narrow at the start and we were very close to a house wall as I was met on the bend by a taxi van travelling quite fast in the opposite direction. After that one pinch point the road is quite good but cyclist beware, there are no cycle paths and the vehicles all travel very fast despite it being a 40 mph road all the way to the Club site about 1.5 miles outside of Knaresborough.

The site is not too large and has quite a pleasant aspect in the village of Scotton. Nidd Gorge runs along the river Nidd right past the village in both directions and is a haven for walkers and dog walkers alike. During the stay we walked in the gorge on 3 occasions following the paths both sides of the river. Pleasant walking if a little boggy in places but we were surprised at the lack of birds we saw in the woods, a Grey Wagtail being one of only a handful. We did see a small deer grazing in the garden of one of the large houses that back down to the river path. We also heard a woodpecker in a copse on Ripley Road but never managed to spot it. On the site we saw on quite a number of occasions a pair of Red Kites that were foraging around the farmland.

Scotton had no shops but does have a gastro pub, the Guy Fawkes Inn, which served a good menu. What was really good was the fact the Club had a bistro of its own on site. Not very big so booking was essential and we had a couple of meals there during the week. The steward, Chris, looked after us very well on Sharon’s birthday going that bit extra for her special occasion and Paul’s cooking was very satisfying. The bar even had a really good local ‘Hoppy’ ale from Harrogate, which I enjoyed a few pints of during the week.

The downside to our week away was the dreaded wind which remained throughout. Most days it was very strong rocking the van and on the Thursday it was blowing at 27mph with big gusts. It turned a lorry over a little further north on the A66 and one strong gust came just as I was going out with the rubbish pulling our door out of my hand and damaging the friction stay mechanism! More expense, but it could have been worse. With the absence of any cycle paths and the speed of the vehicles travelling on Ripley Road it made us decide not to use the bikes in these high winds so we did lots of walking instead in the gorge and to Knaresborough  a few times which was only 40 minutes’ walk away along the roadside footpath.

We also made use of the local busses and had a day in Harrogate where Sharon did some more shopping for clothes and we enjoyed an afternoon cream tea, but not at Bettys. The busses were rather infrequent and only amounted to 5 a day each way and not all those went as far as Harrogate. Most of the passengers from the site were bus pass holders but for us youngsters it was almost £15 return to Harrogate for the two of us and £9 to Knaresborough. Expensive I thought given the short distances. We saw there was a bus that ran frequently from Ripon to Leeds via Harrogate and did a return fare for two for £10 which seemed a bargain but it was the getting to Harrogate for us that was the problem.

We enjoyed both Harrogate, with its rather posh shops and big houses and Knaresborough, which has some very impressive large houses along Ripley Road. Market day is Wednesday in Knaresborough and there was quite an array of stalls selling all manner of items. The Castle ruins and gardens were well worth the visit with appealing views down into the gorge with the river passing through the town where you can hire a rowing boat. If you walk around the town’s old streets look out for the painted windows. They have painted scenes on about six of the houses that had false painted windows from the window tax days. There is also a very good sensory garden and craft workshop at Henshaws Arts & Crafts centre on Bond End.

For those who are happy to travel to Knaresborough in their motorhome there is good parking at Conyngham Hall on the A59 Harrogate Road, entrance just on the bridge a short way from Ripley Road junction. If you want to travel further then the National Trust Fountains Abbey at Ripon is only about 12 miles away and Beningbrough Hall north of York is close by. We decided to visit the latter on our way home on Sunday.

We have enjoyed our stay so far, two nights left, less wind would have made it a whole lot better for us but at least the sun has been out on a regular basis, even though the wind is chilling, and not much rain! Smokee seems to have settled back into life as a motorhome cat and he certainly enjoyed the sun lying on the seat backs. Roll on Spain at the End of April.

Regards, Roy