Caravan Parks In County Durham | MOTORHOMEingLife

A few miles out rather than in the city, which is medieval and no place for a large vehicle. Finchale Abbey Touring Park, four miles from Durham on the River Wear beside a priory ruin, is our pick, an adult-only site with hardstanding electric hook-up and serviced pitches and an easy drive from the cathedral and Beamish. From there we use the Durham park-and-ride to reach the World Heritage cathedral and castle without any city driving. That keeps a big motorhome out of the tight historic streets while still letting you spend a full day in the city and its riverside on foot.

Finchale Abbey Touring Park has hardstanding pitches and a sensible access road that take big outfits comfortably, and its serviced pitches are the roomiest. Up in Teesdale, Pecknell Farm Caravan Site is quieter and more compact, with a farm approach, so we always phone ahead about rig length and turning space before booking a dale site. Photographs never show how tight a final lane or corner is. If you run an A-class or tow a twin-axle, ask specifically about manoeuvring room and whether hardstanding is available, as the grass pitches on the farm sites can be soft after Pennine rain and awkward for a heavy van.

For summer, yes, especially the city-side pitches at Finchale, which fill for weekends, Beamish visits and Durham events. We reserve serviced pitches a few weeks out for July and August and ring to confirm rig length and access. The quieter dale sites are easier, but the best pitches still go in peak weeks. In May, June and September you can usually book at short notice, and the dales are at their best for waterfalls and colour then. Winter narrows the choice, as some dale sites close and the high roads can be cut by snow, so always ring ahead off-season.

It is good value here. Touring pitches with electric hook-up generally run from about £20 to £32 a night, with serviced pitches at the top and the quiet dale farm sites often at the lower end. Electric hook-up is included in the pitch price rather than metered on these private parks, usually a 10 to 16 amp supply, plenty for a fridge, kettle and heating. The city-side sites cost a little more in peak weeks because of demand for Durham and Beamish. For longer stays, ask whether electricity stays included or switches to a meter, as a few sites change that for extended bookings.

Yes. County Durham has no national park, but its western uplands are the public North Pennines National Landscape, a protected area with forests, moorland and waterfalls that gives superb walking. Hamsterley Forest and the upper dales are public land you can explore straight from a dale base. We pair a private caravan park for the facilities with day trips onto that public land, walking to High Force, roaming the moors or cycling the forest trails. There is no legal roadside motorhome overnighting, so licensed parks remain the overnight base while the public North Pennines supplies the days out in the hills.

May through September gives the best weather for both the dales and the coast. The Teesdale waterfalls are most dramatic in spring after snowmelt and heavy rain, while September brings fine colour to the dales and quieter sites. July and August are warmest but busiest, particularly around Durham and Beamish. The high Pennines stay cool and breezy even in summer, so pack layers. Winter has its appeal for a frosty cathedral city, but many dale sites close, daylight is short and the high roads like the A66 can be cut by snow, so plan carefully and confirm your site is open.

Both, and the right choice depends on where and when. Finchale Abbey Touring Park offers hardstanding and grass with electric hook-up, and hardstanding is the safer bet given the local rainfall, especially in spring and autumn. The dale farm sites like Pecknell Farm lean more towards grass, which can go soft after Pennine rain, so we ask for hardstanding where we can with a heavy van. Hardstanding keeps you off soft ground and makes hitching cleaner in the wet. Grass pitches are fine in a dry summer and often roomier. State your preference clearly when booking, because the hardstanding pitches sell first.

Yes, though they are fewer up in the dales. Finchale Abbey Touring Park has a small number of serviced pitches that add fresh water and drainage to the electric hook-up right at the pitch, so you can settle in for the city and Beamish without trips to the service point. They cost a few pounds more but are worth it for a longer stay, and they tend to be the larger, better-drained pitches. Being adult-only, Finchale is also a calm base. Book the serviced pitches early for summer, as there are only a handful and they are the first to go in peak weeks.

Use the park-and-ride. Durham's park-and-ride sites drop you close to the centre and let you leave the caravan or motorhome on the park, which is essential because the historic core is medieval, tight and completely unsuitable for a large vehicle. From a base like Finchale you drive the car to the park-and-ride or, for a shorter stay, park the car in the city's outer car parks. The cathedral, castle and riverside are all walkable once you are in. We never take a big outfit into the centre, and neither should you, as there is nowhere to put it.

Most private parks in the county welcome dogs, asking that they stay on a lead around the site and are cleaned up after. Finchale sits on the River Wear with riverside walks on the doorstep, and the dale sites give miles of Pennine and forest walking straight from the pitch. Hamsterley Forest and the Teesdale paths are excellent for dogs. Some parks limit the number of dogs per pitch, and a few, being adult-only, are quieter for nervous dogs, so check the rules when you book. The public North Pennines land gives lead-free walking well away from traffic once you are up in the hills.

Some near the city are, but several dale sites close from late October to March, so off-season plans need checking. Finchale near Durham is a more reliable winter base than the high dale farms. If you tour in winter, ring the park directly to confirm it is open and that showers and the service point are running, and watch the forecast for the A66 and A68, which can be cut by snow. Expect short daylight, frost and cold on the tops. Sort your heating and gas before you arrive, and favour a hardstanding pitch to stay off soft, wet ground.

A full and varied week. Durham itself has the World Heritage cathedral and castle above the Wear and a compact centre to explore on foot. Beamish, the open-air living-history museum, is a highlight to the north and easily a full day. West into the dales you get Barnard Castle, the Bowes Museum, and Teesdale with High Force and Low Force waterfalls in the public North Pennines. Weardale and Hamsterley Forest add walking and cycling. The Durham coast to the east has cliff paths and beaches. From a well-placed base you can mix city, museum and dale days without long drives.

Two things to watch. First, Durham city centre is medieval and unsuitable for any large vehicle, so use the park-and-ride and keep the van out. Second, the high Pennine roads to the west, the A66 over Stainmore and the A68 over the tops, are exposed and can be dangerous or closed in wind and snow, so check the forecast before committing in winter. The A1(M) and the main A-roads are all fine for caravans and motorhomes. Up in the dales some farm-site approaches are narrow, so confirm access and rig length when you book, and take the single-track dale lanes slowly.

A few miles out rather than in the city, which is medieval and no place for a large vehicle. Finchale Abbey Touring Park, four miles from Durham on the River Wear beside a priory ruin, is our pick, an adult-only site with hardstanding electric hook-up and serviced pitches and an easy drive from the cathedral and Beamish. From there we use the Durham park-and-ride to reach the World Heritage cathedral and castle without any city driving. That keeps a big motorhome out of the tight historic streets while still letting you spend a full day in the city and its riverside on foot.

Finchale Abbey Touring Park has hardstanding pitches and a sensible access road that take big outfits comfortably, and its serviced pitches are the roomiest. Up in Teesdale, Pecknell Farm Caravan Site is quieter and more compact, with a farm approach, so we always phone ahead about rig length and turning space before booking a dale site. Photographs never show how tight a final lane or corner is. If you run an A-class or tow a twin-axle, ask specifically about manoeuvring room and whether hardstanding is available, as the grass pitches on the farm sites can be soft after Pennine rain and awkward for a heavy van.

For summer, yes, especially the city-side pitches at Finchale, which fill for weekends, Beamish visits and Durham events. We reserve serviced pitches a few weeks out for July and August and ring to confirm rig length and access. The quieter dale sites are easier, but the best pitches still go in peak weeks. In May, June and September you can usually book at short notice, and the dales are at their best for waterfalls and colour then. Winter narrows the choice, as some dale sites close and the high roads can be cut by snow, so always ring ahead off-season.

It is good value here. Touring pitches with electric hook-up generally run from about £20 to £32 a night, with serviced pitches at the top and the quiet dale farm sites often at the lower end. Electric hook-up is included in the pitch price rather than metered on these private parks, usually a 10 to 16 amp supply, plenty for a fridge, kettle and heating. The city-side sites cost a little more in peak weeks because of demand for Durham and Beamish. For longer stays, ask whether electricity stays included or switches to a meter, as a few sites change that for extended bookings.

Yes. County Durham has no national park, but its western uplands are the public North Pennines National Landscape, a protected area with forests, moorland and waterfalls that gives superb walking. Hamsterley Forest and the upper dales are public land you can explore straight from a dale base. We pair a private caravan park for the facilities with day trips onto that public land, walking to High Force, roaming the moors or cycling the forest trails. There is no legal roadside motorhome overnighting, so licensed parks remain the overnight base while the public North Pennines supplies the days out in the hills.

May through September gives the best weather for both the dales and the coast. The Teesdale waterfalls are most dramatic in spring after snowmelt and heavy rain, while September brings fine colour to the dales and quieter sites. July and August are warmest but busiest, particularly around Durham and Beamish. The high Pennines stay cool and breezy even in summer, so pack layers. Winter has its appeal for a frosty cathedral city, but many dale sites close, daylight is short and the high roads like the A66 can be cut by snow, so plan carefully and confirm your site is open.

Both, and the right choice depends on where and when. Finchale Abbey Touring Park offers hardstanding and grass with electric hook-up, and hardstanding is the safer bet given the local rainfall, especially in spring and autumn. The dale farm sites like Pecknell Farm lean more towards grass, which can go soft after Pennine rain, so we ask for hardstanding where we can with a heavy van. Hardstanding keeps you off soft ground and makes hitching cleaner in the wet. Grass pitches are fine in a dry summer and often roomier. State your preference clearly when booking, because the hardstanding pitches sell first.

Yes, though they are fewer up in the dales. Finchale Abbey Touring Park has a small number of serviced pitches that add fresh water and drainage to the electric hook-up right at the pitch, so you can settle in for the city and Beamish without trips to the service point. They cost a few pounds more but are worth it for a longer stay, and they tend to be the larger, better-drained pitches. Being adult-only, Finchale is also a calm base. Book the serviced pitches early for summer, as there are only a handful and they are the first to go in peak weeks.

Use the park-and-ride. Durham's park-and-ride sites drop you close to the centre and let you leave the caravan or motorhome on the park, which is essential because the historic core is medieval, tight and completely unsuitable for a large vehicle. From a base like Finchale you drive the car to the park-and-ride or, for a shorter stay, park the car in the city's outer car parks. The cathedral, castle and riverside are all walkable once you are in. We never take a big outfit into the centre, and neither should you, as there is nowhere to put it.

Most private parks in the county welcome dogs, asking that they stay on a lead around the site and are cleaned up after. Finchale sits on the River Wear with riverside walks on the doorstep, and the dale sites give miles of Pennine and forest walking straight from the pitch. Hamsterley Forest and the Teesdale paths are excellent for dogs. Some parks limit the number of dogs per pitch, and a few, being adult-only, are quieter for nervous dogs, so check the rules when you book. The public North Pennines land gives lead-free walking well away from traffic once you are up in the hills.

Some near the city are, but several dale sites close from late October to March, so off-season plans need checking. Finchale near Durham is a more reliable winter base than the high dale farms. If you tour in winter, ring the park directly to confirm it is open and that showers and the service point are running, and watch the forecast for the A66 and A68, which can be cut by snow. Expect short daylight, frost and cold on the tops. Sort your heating and gas before you arrive, and favour a hardstanding pitch to stay off soft, wet ground.

A full and varied week. Durham itself has the World Heritage cathedral and castle above the Wear and a compact centre to explore on foot. Beamish, the open-air living-history museum, is a highlight to the north and easily a full day. West into the dales you get Barnard Castle, the Bowes Museum, and Teesdale with High Force and Low Force waterfalls in the public North Pennines. Weardale and Hamsterley Forest add walking and cycling. The Durham coast to the east has cliff paths and beaches. From a well-placed base you can mix city, museum and dale days without long drives.

Two things to watch. First, Durham city centre is medieval and unsuitable for any large vehicle, so use the park-and-ride and keep the van out. Second, the high Pennine roads to the west, the A66 over Stainmore and the A68 over the tops, are exposed and can be dangerous or closed in wind and snow, so check the forecast before committing in winter. The A1(M) and the main A-roads are all fine for caravans and motorhomes. Up in the dales some farm-site approaches are narrow, so confirm access and rig length when you book, and take the single-track dale lanes slowly.