Sites near Holy Island
Ros and I have been reading the "DCI Ryan" series of thrillers written by L J Ross and the first book is set in and around Holy Island and it's spurred us on to go and have a look. Not an area of the country either of us are that familiar with and it sounds interesting.
I've been doing an internet trawl for suitable sites and to be quite honest, nothing exciting jumps out at me. Not bothered whether it's this Club or the 'other, commercial, CL or CS but we like peace and quiet and somewhere with good dog walks. Sensible access is also important because the van is 8' wide.
Quite a few of the sites I have looked at are close to the East Coast main line and therefore have noise from trains - so they're out, and there's one or two 'iffy' looking CLs and CS's.
Anyone got any recommendations.
Thanks
Richard
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the barn at beal
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Quite a few of the sites I have looked at are close to the East Coast main line and therefore have noise from trains - so they're out, and there's one or two 'iffy' looking CLs and CS's.
A week or two ago we were at Seaview at Berwick upon Tweed and our pitch was very near the railways line. I was aware this is a concern from the times it gets mentioned in reviews. Strangely it didn't particularly bother us. The noise is very fleeting and the trains are not so frequent that it becomes an annoyance. I know we are all different in our perceptions of noise, I found the constant stream of planes landing at Edinburgh Airport more annoying. Perhaps it's because I quite like trains! Having said all that and depending on how close you want to be the site might be a good base for visiting Holy Island or going south perhaps Old Hartley?
David
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We have recently visited Holy Island, mid September. We stayed at River Breamish Club site in Powburn, lovely site we have been quite a few times. The journey to Holy Island took us about 45 minutes from there. The Barn at Beal looked nice when we popped in for a coffee and you are right on the doorstep there.
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Some useful suggestions - thank you. It's good to hear from people you 'know' on the forum as opposed to reading anonymous reviews elsewhere.
The Barn at Beal sounds lovely - bit like an upmarket version of the Cow Shed at Fraisthorpe but according to their website our van is too long at 8.1m - but I will ring them in the morning.
We are a bit 'noise sensitive'. The noisiest part of our day, at home, is the dawn chorus, so trains and aircraft would drive us crackers!
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I am sure you will know this but (to err on the side of caution) be careful of the tides when crossing to Holy Island, it comes in very fast and cars do get caught out every few months, it's not just a question of getting your tyres wet. This one was a few days ago.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/holy-island-crossing-times-water-17003113
"All person were assisted to safety by our coastguard Officers. Tea and biscuits were provided."
It's a beautiful part of the world so enjoy.
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Richardandros I should have added that although we liked the look of the Barn we didn’t think it would accommodate our twin axle, it did look a small, fairly tight, site. We didn’t ask any questions though. As Cornersteady has said you do need to plan your visit with the tide times. It’s a lovely place to visit along with Bamburgh, Alnwick and Alnwick gardens, and beautiful Northumberland beaches. One of our favourite areas and I’m sure you will really enjoy it.
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+1
Alnmouth is a lovely place too, used to take the kids paddling there. The White Swan in Alnwick is a must see place if you're a Titanic history fan.
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Bambugh is my favourite great history of inventions . As regarding tides are people getting thicker ?
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Richard & Ros we were only looking at this last night as it’s going to be in our holiday plans for next year. Another vote for The Barn at Beal. The food is lovely there. Another good site is Low Hedgeley Farm (it used to be a CL until this year) at Powburn.
Take a look on you tube, there are some videos of tourists visiting Holy Island. It gives info about car parks and how spread out the points of interest are.
Completely understand about the train noise. We stayed at a CL in that area in 2017 and although it was a lovely site in every other way, the train noise got to me.
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The Barn at Beal is in a fabulous location but the pitches are very close together. It's fine for motorhomes and caravans without awnings but I probably wouldn't return as I like space around me. However the views are fantastic and the showers are great.
My favourite site in this area is West Kyloe Farm, which is a small commercial site on a working farm. It is a wonderful place and perfect for visiting Lindisfarne. There are lots of reviews on UK Campsites and Google and they also have a video on their own website, which will give you an idea of its beauty. It is peaceful and relaxing with no road or train noise! You can also walk across the owners extensive land and see Lindisfarne from various points.
I can also recommend The Black Bull Inn at Lowick for meals.
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Another vote for River Breamish CMC site at Powburn. Last time we went to Holy Island it was about 11.00am in the Morning, we wondered why there were lots of cars coming off the island but hardly any besides us going on ?......yes the tide was coming in for best part of the day. We had a GREAT day had the island almost to ourselves, no coachloads of tourists, had a very pleasant meal in an almost empty restaruant and a lovely unhurried day on the island, saw the Lindisfarne Gospels etc.,
by 17.00 the causeway was open for the trip home
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We loved River Breamish site.
We used the other clubs site at Dunstan Hill. It was several years ago very rural and walks straight from the site great with a dog, we didn't have one 😉, we were with friends and had a day out to Holy Island, no idea on distance now. Timing is crucial so maybe check tides and pick your stay dates that way.
I never ceased to be amazed at the number of folk who think they are bullet proof, either that or they assume someone will rescue me, we had a bus with passengers get caught in the causeway from Mersea Island, luckily a much shorter distance than Lindisfarne.
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We haven’t stayed, but we have eaten at the Barn at Beal, and had a look around site. It appeared very nice, couple of minutes to causeway itself. It’s not that close to mainline, so you shouldn’t get rail noise. A good no facility CL also not far from B@B is Brock Mill Farm. This is closer to line, but in truth you don’t notice them that much, and they don’t run through the night constantly. Another very nice private site is at West Kyloe Farm, this has loos and showers. Take a look on the Private Sites sticky thread. A lot quieter than Berwick Seaview, line is so close there you can see what campers are eating for tea!😂
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Thanks for that - that's just the sort of information that's difficult to pick up from photos and not often mentioned in reviews. Our van is 8.1m long and 8' wide - plus, we hate feeling 'crowded in' which is why we tend to use CLs and CS's more than Club sites.
That said, South Meadows is looking promising at the moment as per Tobyon's suggestion.
Being an ex-yachtsman and on the beach at home every morning, dog-walking - it would be most embarrassing if I got caught out by the tides
. It's usually the first thing I check on one of my phone Apps whenever we go anywhere near the coast.0 -
Low Hedgeley Farm looks like our sort of site - thank you. Will make some enquiries later today.
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There is a newish CL just opened not far from River Breamish Club site and Low Hedgeley site. It is just after the River Breamish club site on your left. The road takes you too Ingram. Another very nice CL is number 1190 in the sites directory book, Pippins Park, Alnwick. It is not far from the main railway line, but a beautiful CL.
A small private site just on the outskirts of Alnwick is Greensfield Moor Farm caravan park. it has 9 hard standing pitches, EHU, elsan point etc. I have used this one 3 times this year, easy to get too direct off the A1. Pitches are well spaced out, but you park your tow vehicle in front of your outfit, not on the very well kept grass.
Hope you find a good venue, and enjoy your stay in the beautiful county of NORTHUMBERLAND.
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Thank you to everyone for your suggestions. We have booked Low Hedgeley Farm for 10 days in May of next year.
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Enjoy: Harry is a lovely man full of good advice for things to do in area. If you are keen walkers you must get up into The Cheviots, where you'll often not see another soul all day! It's a wonderful drive through Alwinton into Northumberland's most beautiful scenery and then park for free at Langleeford.
I also recommend booking a table for a meal at The Tankerville Arms in Eglingham; about 10 minutes drive from the site😊
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Agree with bells, Northumberland has wonderful coastal scenery, but it’s stunning inland as well. Get you OS maps out, and if you like history, you can do a fabulous drive linking Etal and Ford Castles, Flodden Battlefield, Norham Castle and Chainbridge with its wonderful honey farm. I seem to recall there’s a very nice campsite there as well. If you can get across bridge (weight and size limit) you can link in Berwick as well.
Ice cream Parlour in Wooler is yummy!
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Richardandros glad you got booked at Low Hedgeley Farm. We spent a lovely week there, although we did get some good Northumberland rain. Reading this thread is making me hanker after the wonderful scenery and peaceful roads up there. Enjoy your holiday up there. Your dog will love the walks.
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We've just arrived there today, ADD, and have no hesitation in recommending it already.
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That's good to know
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Just a thought to add to this post. If you cross the road (A697) from Low Hedgeley Farm, you will see a turning signposted “Ingram” It takes you down a lovely almost single track road which runs along side the river Beamish. A nice place for dog walking, wildlife watching and if the weather isn’t too Northumbrian, a picnic.
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On the list of spots to visit. Intend going up the Breamish Valley after the weekend, weather permitting. Have been told that the Linghope Waterfall is well worth seeing.
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It's Linhope Spout Nellie😊. It's beautiful up there but can be very slippy at the top (and the bottom if its muddy), so be careful!
We're still recovering from a 17 mile circular trek taking in The Schil and then back through the College Valley. It's very boggy up on the tops at the minute, especially around the Penine Way leading across to mount Hoole.
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