22th July 2022 to 29th July 2022
After the record breaking 40 degrees heat of last week, we are now back to British Summer. The heat being replaced by clouds and a little rain. I doubt we could have survived in a motorhome without aircon in that heat so I am quite thankful (very British thing to say I know). This trip we are heading to the North Yorkshire coast, starting in Whitby.
Whitby
I was looking for sites within walking distance of Whitby and came across this site Sandfield House Farm Touring Park. It lies about half a mile inland of the North Beach and sits on the far side of the Whitby Golf club which is a links course located on the coast itself. This is a lovely site that I can’t recommend highly enough. The facilities are modern, almost new, and kept impeccably clean. The site itself is maintained along the same lines, well laid out, smart and overall a very nice place to be with views across the North Sea. In fact, because of it’s location and high standards I would consider this site as one of the best I have ever used – 10 out of 10 – superb!!.
And then there is Whitby itself. Such a quirky and interesting place. The weekend we were there was SteamPunk weekend. I had no idea of what StreamPunk was, so it came as quite a surprise to see people dressed in SteamPunk costume and parading around the town, harbour and beaches. SteamPunk is based around Victorian science fiction, along the lines of Jules Verne and HG Wells and the costumes are akin to those you will see in the film “A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” with Sean Connery. Very flamboyant clothing: top hats; dress coats and boots with added gadgets adorning the entire costume. Surreal but great fun.
Robin Hood’s Bay
We could have stayed longer at Whitby because we loved it so much, but we had already booked 2 nights further down the coast at Robin Hood’s Bay. Robin Hood’s Bay is another closely guarded secret of the population of the county of Yorkshire. There is a small village built on a steep hillside overlooking a breath taking sandy bay surrounded by cliffs. I think greater than 90% of the people we met on the beach or the in the village had a Yorkshire accent. They must be sworn to secrecy at an early age, to not divulge the jewels of Yorkshire to outsiders.
Unfortunately, the site I had chosen didn’t meet the expectations I was expecting after visiting Robin Hood’s Bay and the previous 3 nights at Sandfield House Farm Touring Park. I had booked via the Caravan and Motorhome Club – North Yorkshire Moors Club Campsite and although it seemed to be close to the Bay when I was trying to research the site – it really isn’t. It’s a tidy club site but without toilet/shower facilities and on the edge of the Moors. If you have seen the film “American Werewolf in London”, then you will be able to picture it. When, coupled with a sign on the dog walk area that Adders had been spotted the previous week, we decided that one night was enough and left early.
The weather wasn’t up to much, so we thought we would visit a place that has become very familiar over the last few years after watching Bangers & Cash on TV – Mathewsons in Thornton Le Dale. Derek is the boss of this family business and features heavily in the programme as the boss and also as the auctioneer of the classic cars they sell. When we arrived, he was washing the windows of the showroom. A 30-minute job that probably took him a few hours, because he simply couldn’t resist a selfie and a chat with everyone that wondered past – including ourselves.
Filey
Our next planned stop was just outside Scarborough. As we had decided to leave North Yorkshire Moors Club Campsite early, we needed to replan or trip. After driving through Scarborough, and without even seeing the campsite, we decided that Scarborough wasn’t our sort of place. Out came the laptop and we re-arranged our plans. Based on last minute availability, we decided on a couple of nights at Filey Brigg Camping & Caravan Site, and then a night in York to visit some friends on the way home.
Filey Brigg Camping & Caravan Site has a superb location. It sits on top of the cliffs that form the start of the Filey Brigg which is a spit of rock that, over the millennia has protected the bay and formed the beach. This site is also only a few hundred yards from the beach itself and once on the beach you can walk for miles, to Filey and beyond – almost to Flamborough Head.
Whilst I can’t praise the location enough, I would not recommend the campsite. Filey Brigg Camping & Caravan Site is a disgrace and simply operates as a cash cow trading on it’s location. Even though it charges premium prices for it’s pitches, the facilities it offers are disgusting and unsanitary. I have posted the photographs I took of the mould in the shower cubicles and flooring along with the rotting shower panels and rusted ventilation to TripAdvisor. DON’T GO THERE unless you have your own facilities but be aware that the site doesn’t even provide a mechanism to empty grey waste from a motorhome and the drinking water standpipes do not allow the connection of standard hosepipe fittings.
York
We have some friends in York that we haven’t seen in some time, so we gave them a call and arranged an evening out. We decided to pitch in the York Rowntree Park Club Campsite which sits in Rowntree park in the centre of York. This is a Caravan and Motorhome club site that caters for people looking for a city break in a motorhome or caravan. It does this very well. Facilities are the high quality you would expect from a club site but right in the centre of the city.
The immediate surrounds of the site have a number of small restaurants and take-aways along with a plethora of small private shops that form a colourful and independent character without the reliance on branded and soulless outlets. Within 10 minutes walking you are standing in front of the Minster – great location.
Motorhome Niggles
Still awaiting a call from Don Amott to arrange the repair of the leaking roof. Rain water is still finding its way into both of the rear side lockers which makes clothes storage difficult if you want to use the motorhome for more than a few days.
Route
Round trip distance 378 miles according to google maps.