Major Bridge Park Certificated Site
Selby Road
Holme-on-Spalding Moor
East Yorkshire
YO43 4HB
01430 860992
Open - March to October
Current fees - Contact site for details
This quiet and quirky site is situated just off the A163 about two miles from the village of Holme-on-Spalding Moor. When you turn into the entrance you would be forgiven for thinking you'd got the wrong place, as with the two very large corrugated workshops and various vehicles dotted about it looks more like an old bus depot, but drive down by the side of the workshops and you'll find the site behind. And what a gem of a place it is!
The main part of the site consists of a large level field surrounded on three sides by tall trees; on the left is a group of large greenhouses and a couple of polytunnels, and anyone wanting an ehu pitch will be sited somewhere in that vicinity as that's where all the power is supplied from, though if you have a very long hook-up cable you'll be able to pitch a bit further out into the field. If you don't want power then you can pitch where you want - most campers seem to settle round the edge of the field leaving plenty of room for kids to run about. At the very end of the site there's a path leading to a bridge over a brook with another field on the other side - if you want to be really secluded you can pitch there if you wish but you can't get a car over there so you'll have a long walk back to the toilet block.
The toilet block itself is a little dated, but though the facilities are basic they are very clean, with three cubicles in the ladies and two in the men's, plus disabled facilities and one large shower room which is free but has an honesty bowl for a £1 donation. There are two drinking water taps on the wall outside the shower room and the cdp is round near the men's toilet; there's a second drinking water tap down at the far end of the field. The owners/wardens are very friendly and helpful and are always on hand if there's a problem; they do allow camp fires in fire pits but they have a restriction on which part of the site you can use them, so if you want a fire it's best to check with them when you arrive as it may affect your choice of where you want to pitch.
This is a great site for dog owners and cyclists as the Howdenshire Rail Trail footpath runs behind the site and goes for miles both east and west, so it's ideal for dog walking or a gentle cycle ride. Anyone with a liking for vintage vehicles would probably be interested in the old cars and tractors stored in the various barns and outbuildings on the site, and which are in various stages of restoration ranging from completely unrestored to fully restored and running.
The nearby village has a general store, post office, bakery, butcher's, take-aways and pubs, and four miles away the larger village of Market Weighton has some nice little shops and a Tesco supermarket. About twenty minutes drive away is the village of Melbourne where on Sundays you can have a short trip on a narrowboat on the Pocklington canal. These are run by members of the Pocklington Canal Society, and while the trips are technically free they do appreciate a donation towards the upkeep and running of the boat.
There are just a couple of minor niggles which stop Major Bridge Park from being totally perfect; firstly there are no washing up facilities so you will need to do your pots in your unit, which could be a challenge for a large family, and secondly there are no waste bins so you will need bags to take your rubbish with you when you leave - another challenge if you stay for more than a couple of days.
One thing to note which could be a problem for some people - the site is adjacent to fields of high value crops and during the early growing season there's a bird scarer in operation. This starts soon after first light and lets out an almighty bang every hour for several hours, so if you don't like being wakened early or you have children who are easily scared then this site may not be for you, although if you pitch on the side where the greenhouses are it may not trouble you too much. I heard it once on my first morning then went straight back to sleep again!
If you want to chill out in peace and quiet (apart from the bird scarer!) then this site has it in shed loads, and at only £8 per night or £9 with ehu (May 2011) it's certainly value-for-money, though if you have kids who need entertaining then it may just be a little too quiet!
Centenary Way Camping & Caravan Park
Muston Grange
Muston Road
Filey
North Yorkshire
YO14 0HU
01723 516415
Open - March to October
Current fees - Contact site for details
This delightfully peaceful family owned site is set on the outskirts of Filey just a 15-minute walk from the town and the beach, and caters for caravans, motorhomes and tents. Access is off the A1039 down a private un-named lane which takes you right into the site, and the reception/shop is just by the entrance. The site itself is level, very well kept and well set out, with decent-sized pitches separated into different areas by 'islands' of bushes, shrubs and small trees. Most of the pitches are gravel hardstanding (even for tents, so take a footprint groundsheet) and the majority have hookups, though down at the bottom end of the site is a separate small non-electric camping field. This is surrounded by trees and looks out over open fields, so should certainly be very quiet.
The small shop within reception really only sells the basics, but for anything more there's a Tesco just a few minutes drive away in town. The toilet block is in the centre of the site, and although the toilets and showers couldn’t be described as 'luxurious' they are spotlessly clean and well maintained. The addition of piped music and a small plant on the shelf above the wash basins just gives a little added extra. Handsoap is provided in dispensers above the wash basins, and showers are coin-operated, 50p for about 10 minutes, though you need to be aware that the water can get quite hot and there is no way of regulating the temperature. Also in the toilet block is the laundry room with a washing machine, dryer, and a free-to-use freezer for ice blocks. Round one end of the block are the waste water, chemical disposal point and waste bins, and round the other end is a covered washing up area, with 5 sinks complete with washing up bowls and dish drainers.
There's a children's play area on the far side of the site which has swings, a slide, climbing frame and a roundabout, enough to keep younger kids happy for a while; at the bottom end of the play area, and adjacent to the camping field, is a good-sized playing field with plenty of room for more than one game of football. Between the play area and the main body of the site is the dog walk - it’s not a very long dog walk, but there are three different paths winding between the bushes so it should keep most dogs happy. And if you want to take your dog for a longer walk, then just by the site entrance is a path which leads past the golf course in the direction of the beach. A very pleasant 10 minute walk will take you to Glen Gardens, and following the path down the wooded ravine will take you down to the beach.
Filey itself is a nice little town - the beach is lovely, and there’s a nice promenade with gift shops, cafes, a paddling pool, crazy golf, amusements, and a slipway called Coble Landing where all the brightly coloured fishing boats are kept. A walk through Glen Gardens and Crescent Gardens will bring you to the town which, although not a big place, provides all the shops, pubs and eateries you need. On the cliff top at the far side of the town is a country park where you can park your car and walk right out along the top of the headland. This area is very popular with dog walkers and bird watchers, and at the end of the headland is The Brigg, a rocky outcrop which is a very popular place for fishing. You do have to watch the tide if you go out there though, or you could find yourself stranded - the local lifeboat goes out on average twice a week to rescue people who have got stuck when the tide comes in. At the bottom end of the country park, near to the entrance, is a small cafe which does light meals and snacks, and a good mug of milky coffee.
For days out away from the site then Scarborough, with its castle, Peasholm Park, great beaches and many cafes and amusements, is just 7 miles to the north while Bridlington, with its harbour and large promenade funfair, is 10 miles to the south. About eight miles north of Scarborough is the lovely town of Whitby with its abbey overlooking the harbour, and between Scarborough and Whitby is the picturesque little fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay. A half-hour drive inland from Centenary Way will take you to Heartbeat country and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
It would be very hard to make any criticisms about Centenary Way as it’s such a lovely place in a lovely area, but there is one point - there is no lighting on the site and once it goes dark it is really dark, so you will need a torch for any night time trips to the toilet block. Apart from that this is a great site - I've stayed there twice so far and would have no hesitation in returning again and again.
