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This site was recommended to us by friends but after reading some reviews we arrived at the site rather concerned at what we might find. We were on the whole disappointed with our stay.
The site is very large with a mixture of tents, caravans / motorhomes and lodges but it felt as though tents were pushed into spaces and I don't think that the rule re fire regulations was taken into account - ie min of 3 metres but preferably 6 metres between units. In fact some rules weren't adhered to eg fires, noise after 10 or before 8 or washing hanging between trees.
We arrived on the Friday lunchtime to find the bins already overflowing but these weren't emptied until sometime the next day and soon filled again. This was the same with recycling. We did notice that there were no dog bins at all around site or on the walks as you left the site.
There is a small shop on site that sells hot drinks but these we thought were very expensive. There is also a small bar next to the shop which sold local beers. No indoor seats but a great place to have a drink when waiting for the fish and chip van on the Friday night. Excellent fish and chips at not a bad price.
There is only one toilet and shower block - separate for both men and women and even though there are 8 showers and plenty of toilets in each for a site of that size I would expect another block nearer to the tent field. There is only 1 chemical disposal area and again I would expect to see more dotted around the site.
The paths and roads around the site are sandy which certainly isn't a problem until it rains and you have dogs. They need foot baths after walks! We also felt that the areas around the bins and some hard standings could be tidied up - ie grass cut and weeds removed.
Walks and cycle tracks from the site are good but more signs could be added to the orange trail as we got a little lost when
cycling and missed part of it.
There were a lot of children playing around and I was amazed that there wasn't a children's play area but since coming back have read that there was a children's adventure play area but I don't know where it was situated!
We also felt that it is very expensive for what you get especially compared to other sites
This site has got great potential - it is in a fantastic location but could benefit from more wardens around, having pitches marked out with either bushes or logs, having an extra toilet block and possibly making it that little bit cheaper.
I would like to visit this site again at some point but would like to know that work has been carried out to improve layout and management of the site.
I stayed on this site some 10 years ago with my son and found it to be excellent - facilities and the field were great and at a reasonable price.
Sadly, on our return this month, I found none of the above!
I got a horrible shock to the wallet when I was told that a 2 night stay was going to cost £50, but having finally found the place, I couldn't bear the thought of driving around any further with 2 tired and hungry kids in the car, so I paid up.
On driving onto the site, I was disappointed to find that the field for tents was extremely wet, not to say boggy, in places. I was worried that we wouldn't actually be able to get our fully-laden car back up to the track. I think that after one of the driest summers we've had in years, for it to be this bad, the owners really ought to do something about drainage.
As seems to be the norm with CCC sites, the camping field was the furthest from the facilities and, although the website had claimed that there was a kids' play area, it was either simply an open field, or very well hidden. There were woodland-based activities for adults and kids, but again, the price was prohibitive.
The facilities were reasonable, perhaps not as clean as they could have been, but there was ample provision of toilets/ showers etc and the water for washing up was good and hot.
I would advise any other campers to make sure that they are well-stocked before arriving on the site as it is not within easy walking distance of any shops and the on site shop is exorbitant.
All in all, for the price, this site is not THAT special - there are far nicer, although perhaps a little more basic, alternatives.
We arrived on the Monday for 4 nights. We were impressed by the entrance ans the layout of the site. The facilities were fabulous. The toilets and showers were very clean and there were a sufficient amount of each.
The laundry was great as we didn't bring enough warm clothing. This costs £3. 00 for a wash load and £1. 50 for the dryer which I thought was very reasonable.
The on site shop was good and stocked fresh coffee and croissants in a morning. I would not set up my pitch so far away from the toilets next time though as its an uphill walk to the other end of the site.
All in all I will be returning as we met a group of lovely helpful people who gave us some good hints for first time campers.
The site was handy for nearby villages and towns, only about half an hour away from Scarborough! Look forward to another visit next year.
Just come back from two days camping at Spiers, toilets and shower blocks first class and shop well stocked. Pitched on lower field which was not level. Felt a bit uncomfortable due to slope of field with cars facing down at top of hill so parked car in front of tent just to be safe. Fish and chip van came on Friday night at 8pm witch was nice and a small bar area. Weather was good. Site in the middle of no where and had to drive to pubs and Pickering. Lovely surroundings where the kids can explore but no kids park on site.
The site is right in the middle of the forest. We pitched in the open field, it does slope so we picked our spot carefully.
Even though it is a large site, we didn't queue for the toilets / showers / washing up area. All were clean with plenty of hot water. Due to the nearby trees, there are midges. Be prepared.
We enjoyed walking in the forest and hardly saw anyone else. There are lots of routes for different abilities and a map available from the shop.
A Fish'n'Chip van turns up on a Friday night and there is a bar selling beer brewed at Cropton. The shop was well stocked and the staff helpful.
The New Inn, Cropton serves its own beer (very good) and we ate at the Blacksmiths, Hartoft. (good food) Neither are easy to get to on foot, but we did walk to the Blacksmiths through the woods.
The cabins looked like a great option for non-campers. These are set around the edge of the site.
The site also uses rainwater for toilet flushing and had solar panels for heating some water.
I would recommend this site for families as it seemed to be a great place to play in the woods.
Set in the midst of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, a family run farm with a stream meandering through the site and breathtaking views, with plenty to do nearby. Tent and campervan pitches with or without electric. Five star shower block with showers, washbasins, toilets, disabled and family room. Sinks for pot washing, a kettle and microwave, charge points, communal fridge freezers. Fire pits are available to hire. Wifi
A small shop sells essentials and an on-site cafe serves delicious food and drinks! Freshly brewed coffee, sausage sandwiches, or warm pastries, in the evening, enjoy stone-baked pizzas. Luxury timber pods and two magical bell tents with private hot tubs are also available to hire. Don't forget to meet their friendly family of alpacas! And all within five minutes of Bolton Abbey and Hesketh Farm Park Find out more here
We last visited this site as a family 16 years ago and returned (now 'sans enfants') for quiet few days in the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors.
The site was clean and the staff helpful and friendly. It is set in the middle of lovely woodland with great bird life (inc. Crossbills and Nightjars).
The shop was well stocked with fine wine and beer (good), but had no baked beans and for over 24 hours - no milk (very bad).
The nearest shop is several miles away. One day the bins were overflowing and there was no soap in the otherwise reasonably good quality loo/shower block. - there is just one block for the whole site.
The main camping field is on a pretty steep slope and forms part of a natural amphitheatre. Unfortunately, for amphitheatre read echo chamber! The children just loved shouting and screaming as loud as they could to make the echo. Peaceful it was not!
Arrived on Friday to meet up with friends for a weekend of walking. The caravan / camp site has to be one of the best I have been to. Extremely clean, well laid out with the option of having hard standing for the caravan. We opted for the premier plus which had electricity, water and grey water disposal on the hard standing. Plus a picnic table. Superb toilet / shower block - always clean and very well laid out. Plenty of stalls & showers and never a queue. The staff were outstanding - very very helpful and nothing too much bother. Real ale bar too selling very good local bitter and lager. The 3 mile forest walk we chose was good - not hard and perfect for our young children. Plenty to do in the surrounding area also. Well stocked shop. Cannot rate this highly enough. We will be back next year !
We stayed at Spiers House for a couple of nights to see how our dog took to life in a tent.
The campsite is big and was completely full, it didn't feel crowded though and despite only having 1 main toilet block we didn't have to queue once to use either the gents or ladies toilets or showers.
We arrived very late on the Friday so the office was closed but a very helpful duty manager was at hand to sort us out.
The on site shop sells all the essentials you may need plus a few thing you may have forgotten and there is a Fish & Chip van in the evening if you don't fancy cooking.
The surrounding woodland is very scenic and a great place to go for a walk. The local honey from the house opposite is also well worth a purchase.
Camped here with my two boys aged 8 and 10. They made friends straight away and spent their time playing in the woods, Good weather helped to make this a very enjoyable experience.
Spent a day in Scarborough - the beach is lovely, a day at Flamingo Land - good but very expensive to get in - and the rest of the time round the site.
The showers and loos were clean, the staff friendly, and other campers very friendly. I would recommend this as a back to basics site with a few flourishes which were a shop selling basics and a bar selling local beers (bar has no internal seating just outside benches but as weather was good the set up was perfect).
We really enjoyed this site. We will go back. The main reason being the 'real' camping experience. This site is in the heart of the woods with good cycle and walking tracks. It is not a holiday camp but then that suits us as we enjoy camping and that is what you get.
Toilet blocks and showers were clean and water always hot. Although it was busy there was no problem getting a shower or using other facilities.
We were very disappointed with our visit to this site during June this year. When we have stayed here in previous years we have enjoyed a peaceful laid-back holiday but unfortunately found the experience different this year.
On arrival we were told that we would be sited by wardens further down the site. We were directed to choose from three pitches very close together in one situation only whereas on previous visits we had been told to choose from the empty pitches on our own.
My husband's request to be sited at the highest point possible on the site to facilitate him listening to his amateur radio and to gain the best TV reception was greeted with a sneer and a 'take it or leave it' attitude.
The site was very busy because of the half-term holiday. We were accompanied by our Grandson and one of the reasons we decided to stay on this expensive site was so that he would be able to play with others in the children's playground. He was extremely disappointed that the playground was being dismantled due to fallen branches and no other facilities had been provided for the children despite the fact that the playground had been closed for several weeks.
Despite the overcrowding and limited facilities the first two days and nights were quiet and restful. However, on the third day a very noisy family were pitched next to us. We asked for a move but despite the fact that there were obviously some empty pitches we were refused alternative arrangements. The manager, who I believe was called Debbie, was totally unhelpful, disinterested and surly to the point of rudeness. Most of the other staff were trying to help us and some even apologised for the manager's attitude towards us repeatedly in her hearing.
In general the atmosphere was hostile and the regular staff obviously upset. The manager told us that we should stay on the pitch we had been allocated or leave. We chose to leave and she gave us a refund although she made us stand around needlessly until she actually decided to give us the money.
We were very disappointed as we had enjoyed family holidays at Spiers House in many previous years without any hassle at all and we had always found the staff friendly and helpful. However, we accidentally found a lovely little campsite in Thornton-le-Dale just a few miles from Spiers House and finished our holiday at a much more reasonable cost.
Set in the midst of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, a family run farm with a stream meandering through the site and breathtaking views, with plenty to do nearby. Tent and campervan pitches with or without electric. Five star shower block with showers, washbasins, toilets, disabled and family room. Sinks for pot washing, a kettle and microwave, charge points, communal fridge freezers. Fire pits are available to hire. Wifi
A small shop sells essentials and an on-site cafe serves delicious food and drinks! Freshly brewed coffee, sausage sandwiches, or warm pastries, in the evening, enjoy stone-baked pizzas. Luxury timber pods and two magical bell tents with private hot tubs are also available to hire. Don't forget to meet their friendly family of alpacas! And all within five minutes of Bolton Abbey and Hesketh Farm Park Find out more here
We have just stayed at Spiers House over the Royal Wedding weekend.
We arrived on Saturday and was given a choice of one for the pitch. We had booked a premium pitch but our EHU lead was only just long enough and so we had to pitch a bit too close to a caravan already on the site. Sorry guys!
The site is steeply sloped and is terraced for the many caravans and motorhomes. We pitched the tent but as we were finishing got a nasty shock. A large family car somehow came loose and rolled down the hill into another campervan/vehicle. There was lots of screaming from the little children near the incident. Fortunately no one was hurt but it would have been a different story if the car had rolled into a tent. Not a great start to the weekend.
It was a bank holiday and the site was completely full. It holds a huge amount of tents and caravans but is in a beautiful setting. There are walks straight from the site and the trees sheltered us from the very strong winds.
Our boys soon made friends and we did not see much of them while on site as they were busy playing football and cricket and we are always pleased at just how sociable camping is for the children. Our boys look forward to trips away - not for spending quality time with their parents but for the new friends to meet!
The toilets were all in one block but we did not have to queue once which was amazing considering the site held the population of a small town last weekend.
The site was also very quiet at night - maybe something to do with the fact that it was FREEZING!
We were treated a wonderful dawn chorus and at night heard owls and saw beautiful starry skies.
We are not sure we would stay again as the site is so big and it is very expensive for the facilities. It is however set in an idyllic location.
We arrived on Friday (royal wedding day) to a queue at reception and a very slow check in procedure due to member of staff not being too sure what to do, luckily this soon was speeded up when the site manager took over. We checked in then were given a map of the site and directed to where the premium pitches were and basically told to find our own pitch. We were also told at this point that the Adventure Playground was closed due to ' risk of falling tress!' - great start with 2 kids in tow.
Finding a pitch was made more difficult due to the site being quite busy and no clear signage to help out with clear directions. Fortunately we saw a designated hardcore pitch and managed to reverse onto it however people arriving after us were struggling to get pitches and were being squeezed onto grass areas between pitches - it is very much a first come first served basis for getting a decent pitch which is disappointing for a site that's not the cheapest.
Kids were gutted that park was closed and there is also no games room either we have boys aged 8 & 11, they went up to look at the closed 'adventure playground' and said it was tiny!
Walks and bike trails are ok, you get a map at reception however again these are not marked out and to be honest we ended up going back to Dalby Forest which our boys enjoyed more - our dogs enjoyed the walks.
Looking at the tent pitching field (just a big field) this again looked like it was first dibs! there were some marked out pitches with tape that I heard one of the staff telling kids off for moving and it looked like a large group arrived later (guides or duke of Edinburgh scheme bunch).
Field is not the nicest of looking fields with large weeds / around it. There is one shower / toilet block (male and female) near the shop / reception which we cant comment on as we used our own in caravan due to there only being one for male / female for such a big and busy site.
All in all we were disappointed with site for what it cost us (£32 a night) and wont be going back. On the plus side, they have a number of huge log cabins that look gorgeous but wouldn't hire due to lack for facilities on site.
Just back from spending the Easter weekend (Fri-Mon) at Spiers House.
On arrival, we were asked to wait while we were shown to our pitch; however it soon became apparent that there were no pitches available - the site had clearly overbooked for the weekend.
The staff rode round on golf buggies looking for spaces, and eventually we were helped to push our caravan onto a spot with an electric hook-up. By then there was a queue of at least 10 other units waiting to check-in - we overheard someone being given a refund as there were no pitches left so we were lucky to arrive when we did!
The site itself is lovely - a clearing located in the middle of the forest, with plenty of way-marked trails straight from the site - our dogs thought they were in heaven! The site is handy for visiting the coast - we spent the day in Whitby and drove back to the site via Goathland. Flamingo Land is literally just down the road too.
There is one toilet/shower block for the whole site - luckily we were pitched almost right outside the block, but the tent field seemed to be a long way away from it. The toilets could have been cleaner; there was often no toilet roll, and rubbish on the floor. The showers however were great; plenty of hooks, a shower curtain and lots of room.
There's a little shop on site which sells the basics (and beer brewed in the local brewery!), and a newspaper man is on site every morning.
Apart from the delay in getting pitched, we really enjoyed our stay at Spiers House, however would agree with the previous poster that they could really do with more staff to stay on top of the cleanliness of the shower blocks.
We stayed at Spiers House during the week running up to the Easter weekend, leaving on Easter Saturday. We selected a Select Plus pitch with water and waste hook up.
The site is in a beautiful sloping hillside setting with miles and miles of walking and cycling trails around the forest. Pickering is around 7 miles away and the location is perfect as a base for exploring the east coast, North Yorkshire Moors Railway (we went to Whitby on the train one day), Flamingo Land, etc. There is a small shop selling basic provisions. The Co-Op supermarket in Pickering providing more extensive provisions.
The Select Plus pitches are all on hardstandings and level. Other pitches were either hardstanding or on grass located amongst tree planted areas and there was also a very large open field for tents. Not all of the other caravan pitch types were level, so make sure you take plenty of blocks with you. The site also has a number of wooden cabins located around the outer boundary.
On arrival the site was fairly quiet with plenty of space. Even so, there were some issues.
Firstly the washrooms were not well maintained. Both gents & ladies were frequently without loo paper and in need of more frequent cleaning. The floors were dirty and on several evenings there wasn't even the usual mop bucket available in the shower area so you could clean up after yourself.
The kids adventure playground was closed due to some fallen branches. It remained so for the whole week we were staying there. Given the site is a joint venture between the C&CC and Forestry Commission, you would have thought the Forestry Commission could have sorted out a chain saw!
The single disabled loo was also out of order for the whole week which wasn't a problem for us, but I imagine would be an issue for anyone who was in need of it.
There were separate bins for recycling paper/cardboard and glass (no tins though). The paper bin was overflowing when we arrived and was never emptied for the whole week. The larger general waste bins were also full on arrival and not emptied for several days.
Each of the above in isolation would be unacceptable to some degree or other, but added together, one got the impression of a site that was in need of better management and attention to detail. In 25 years of tenting and caravanning, we've stayed on far less expensive pitches in the past and at more 'basic' sites, but the facilities have always been in a better kept condition.
On the day before Good Friday, the site started to fill up, and by Good Friday it was pretty much full to capacity. There were clearly problems with the booking system as we overheard two conversations between new arrivals and members of the site team because the pitch types that had been booked were not available. Caravans and tents were being pushed into any available space. Thanks to the dry weather towing vehicles could negotiate the sloping grass banks to manoeuvre caravans into spaces that were not really appropriate, but had it been raining then it would have been a different story.
In my opinion, the single toilet block just isn't big enough to cope when the site is at full capacity and the owners should seriously consider adding a second block.
In summary then, a site in a superb location with lots to offer but in need of better management and probably more staff.
This is our third visit to this campsite but our first visit with a touring caravan, we were quite excited at the idea of returning to this site with a caravan as we noticed all the work that was happening to develop the touring area when we were last camping here.
On arrival I went in to pay the balance and get directions to our pitch. I was presented with a map of the site and an 'X' over the field area where we were to pitch but no set pitch number so it is first come, first served basis. We drove down to this area but when we got there there was no obvious electrical hook up to attach to. I asked a neighbouring van who said there was an area where a tent had been with electrical hook up. Unfortunately there was no way of putting a caravan on this area. My wife walked back to reception to ask what we were to do. The manager told my wife to find somewhere else to pitch 'over there' gesturing behind the reception! The area we had driven in to was a dead end so we had to do a 3 point turn with the caravan to get out of here. Luckily there was plenty of space for this!
I walked to find the area the manager had vaguely gestured us to and found a large spacious pitch, which we drove to. Previously we pitched our tent on the field at Spiers house and then were promptly asked to move it, so we thought we'd check before siting the van there. When my wife went in they said this was a select pitch and we weren't able to pitch there. We had been on site for over an hour by this point, with a very hungry, tired and irritable 3 year old - trying to find a pitch is not the way I like to start my holiday, particularly considering the cost to stay here!
Finally a friendly gentleman came out on a tractor and drove round the site to find us a pitch. He showed us it on the map and we drove to the pitch. While the pitch looked nice on the face of it, logistically it was a nightmare to put the caravan on to. While we are relatively new to caravanning I was pleased we had a couple of years experience or else we would have been stuck. The actual pitch was flat but it is on quite a steep hill and surrounded by steep and uneven banks, making it very difficult to actually drive the car anywhere to get caravan near the hard standing. The pitches aren't staggered and are terraced so there's very little manoeuvrability. Luckily our neighbours all came to help. Once I managed to get the caravan wheels on the pitch everybody helped us to swing it in a full circle in to position. If we'd been alone this would have been a rather tricky manoeuvre!
The site is large with plenty of toilets and showers. The showers were warm and lovely. The toilets were sometimes not stocked with toilet roll, but, in fairness, it was the good Friday bank holiday weekend and the site was heaving! Sometimes they were muddy too, but again considering the numbers using them I thought this was acceptable. There is a small shop, selling the basics, handy if you forget anything.
They have a cafe style shop, selling pies etc. They do gas exchange, which came in useful when my bottle ran out while cooking my steak! The adventure playground was shut all week while we were there due to falling branches, quite an oversight for school holidays and over a double long bank holiday weekend (we were there from Easter Saturday until the Saturday after the royal wedding). Rubbish bins were overflowing as soon as we arrived. They do offer recycling facilities for all the main recyclables - tin, card, plastics, paper and glass which was handy. Although, again, glass bins were permanently overflowing!
The walks from the site are beautiful and well sign marked, lovely for a relaxing walk on the evening. They also have a number of lodges on site now as well as pre pitched tents. Nearby Pickering offers all you can need - butchers, bakers and a fair sized co op.
This is a site that I feel has a lot of potential but somehow isn't quite there and now seems to have been designed to generate income, at the detriment of creating an over-crowded expensive campsite. There's still quite a 'rough' look to the site, presumably it's for drainage, but there's a large ditch all the way round the main caravan field. The fields are all very sloping and the caravan pitches on the premium pitches are just too cramped to be comfortable. The lack of dedicated pitch numbers and the lack of help when arriving to find a pitch is very disappointing. If You are planning to stay at Spiers House I'd book a select or select plus pitch (although this will increase costs further) as these are slightly more spacious, but sadly I would camp elsewhere if I was returning to this area. Although, in fairness, it may feel less cramped at non peak times (we are stuck to school holidays).
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A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
No Tents 
No Caravans 
No Motorhomes 
No Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
No Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
No Toilets 
No Showers 
No Washing Up Area 
No Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
No Laundry 
No Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
No Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
No Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
No Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
No Shop 
No Bar 
No Restaurant 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
No Fishing 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
No Horse Riding 
No Cycle Hire 
No Golf 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport 
No Dog Walk 
This site was recommended to us by friends but after reading some reviews we arrived at the site rather concerned at what we might find. We were on the whole disappointed with our stay. 
