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Just got back from a 4 night stay. What a treasure Richard is! We arrived on Bank holiday Monday in the rain. Richard welcomed us with a jolly smile and a joke or two. He then showed us to our pitch (number 2 which had panoramic views) and told us to stay in our car while he unhooked us, got his tractor, positioned and levelled our caravan in no time at all (I have a feeling he has done this many times before). He wouldn't take any money off us he insisted we got settled and to catch up with him later in the week. The facilities are clean and well looked after as is the campsite. Leyburn is a lovely village with plenty of amenities and I would recommend the Shawl walk from village. We will definitely be returning to this very popular site. Booking recommended.
This is a great little site. What a wonderful location. The views and the surrounding area are spectacular. Really easy to find, about half mile from Leyburn on the Leyburn to Middleham road. We stayed for a couple of nights during late May. When we arrived, were met by Richard. Super helpful and explained everything that we needed to know, and got taken on a tour of the site and facilities. His figure of 8 tour. Very personal, but everyone gets it. We had Pitch No. 6 in the bottom corner of the main area. This was a great pitch, loads of space and just a bit of levelling required. The facilities here are superb, but only one shower each for male / female, but this was not a problem. A good dish washing area and a well stocked information cabin. Leyburn is a nice town and has a number of shops, pubs / restaurants / cafes. You can walk into town using the track leading up to the main road. A bit of a hill, but that was ok. Probably about a mile or so into town. Also plenty of areas to exercise your dog around the site. The weather was really warm, so that was good and made our stay even more enjoyable. This would be a great site if you intended to tour the general area. A superb location, but also the manner in which Richard goes about things and the way he was so helpful, makes a big difference. Everyone was treated the same way. Would definitely return here.
We wanted to have a few days near Leyburn and chose this site in preference to the Caravan Club site because of the reviews of Craken House and we were nor disappointed. We arrived on Sunday when there were a few people there but thereafter until we left on Wednesday we virtually had the place to ourselves. Richard said they are fully booked up at weekends until September but if you can get there during the week and you like walking you are in for a great time. Walks from the site across fields to Leyburn ( half an hour ), Harmby ( 20 minutes - don't miss the waterfall tucked away behind the main street ) and Middleham ( 45 minutes - a short section on the main road but still an enjoyable walk )
Just come back from a weekend visit after seeing all the other reviews felt this was the relaxing weekend we were in much need of and we were not disappointed we didn't want to come home. Richard and Lynn could not have been more welcoming guiding us to our pitch and the views were stunning, Richard took us on the figure of 8 tour of the site and the facilities one part just for families the other for adults without children, the pitches were massive and the grass mowed regularly and the facilities were spotless. There is two toilets and one shower for ladies and the same for men but I never had to wait, the water was a lovely hot temperature even at night. There is a cabin with washer dryer fridge/freezer kettle leaflets for use if needed and also in the ladies a hairdryer.
Nothing is too much for Richard and so friendly and pleasent always happy to chat and make you feel at home. All in all this site is just perfect, a little bit of heaven
Lovely welcome from Richard despite the recent weather meaning his camping field was sodden. He had opened the campsite early for a few bookings but unfortunately it had rained solidly the day before. He pointed out what he thought was the best spot but we sank overnight - not a problem though as Richard kindly towed us out with his tractor. Facilities are clean and offer one shower and two toilets for each sex. No heating so was a bit chilly when showering. Push button on shower also water could have been a bit hotter but no major issue (apparently last year people said it was too hot!). Lovely views across to Middleham and walkable into Leyburn. Large field to walk dog in too. Great little site which I'm sure we will return to.
We stayed at Craken house twice in 2016. Both times everything was perfect, Richard was really friendly and helpful. The view across the valley towards Middleham is stunning. Plenty of great walks. A good walk is to catch the train to Redmire and walk back across the fields and along the Shawl with a tea room around half way
Went to Craken House Caravan Site for the first time for a long weekend and I must say that it is one of the friendliest sites I have been to for a long time, the owner Richard can not do enough for you, he greeted us as we arrived with a big smile, asked us to just pull onto the top field and then to walk with him so he could show us our pitch and all the facilities one by one, all of which were excellent
The pitch we had in the top field was only for couples, the lower field was for tents and caravans with families which mad it lovely and quiet for us, we had 3 days there and we will definitely be returning in the new year
I couldn't not leave a review after visiting this amazing site.
I found the details here on UKCampsite as the nearby site I was considering just looked so commercial and I fancied a quiet getaway.
I phoned to check they could accommodate my tent and spoke to Richard. Such a nice guy and so easy to get on with that I made up my mind there and then.
Originally booked for 4 nights but ended up staying an extra 2 nights as we loved it so much.
It's a small site, just 25 pitches. There is a 'private paddock' subject to availability which is beautiful and allows just 1 unit and exclusive use. There are 2 further areas - 1 is for couples only with no children allowed and the other is a family area. I was a little surprised as to which was which as for me I'd have had them the other way around. We were given a choice of pitches by Richard and as it was quiet and out of season we chose one in the family area with morning sun and gorgeous views across Wensleydale. There is also a large dog-walking area.
Richard insists on giving everyone a full guided tour of the site and facilities which also gives a great opportunity to get to know each other. Genuinely, nothing is too much trouble for him and he takes amazing care of the site.
Grass is regularly cut and removed (and 'donated' to the cows and sheep on the farm!).
Facilities are few but immaculate and extremely well presented. There is a beautiful utility hut with several sinks for washing up, bowls, drainers etc. Richard even leaves a kettle in there so you can make a cuppa whilst doing the washing up! There is a small communal fridge/freezer for use by campers and a washer/dryer available for a small charge (£2 per wash or dry). Everything is spotless, homely and lovely.
There are only 2 toilets for men and 2 for women. Each of the mens is in a separate luxury type shed/cabin and has a proper toilet, sink, soap, toilet roll and paper hand towel. Again, immaculate!
Just 1 shower for men and 1 for ladies too. Again, they are immaculately clean and spacious with a wet area, shower and dry area. Plenty of room.
Richard is aware that the number of facilities is at a stretch and I would imagine at peak times there can be waits. Have to say I didn't have to wait for the loo at all and only once waited for a shower, but it was quiet.
Although only a mile from Leyburn town there is no phone signal and no wifi on site, which for me was a blessing. However Leyburn has free wi-fi throughout the town
What's really hard to put into words is just how peaceful, stress-free and relaxing the site is. Richard is always on hand but never intrusive, other campers all seem to be friendly, helpful and respectful (at least whilst we were there) and although on the weekend there were some children there making the usual kiddy noises they were polite and friendly. There is plenty of space for the kids to run around and let loose but no actual play area - again this is not a site for those who want everything laid on.
The family field is on a slight slope but is pretty flat - no bumps or lumps. We pitched the tent to give us the best view but found this made the slope seem worse so next time would perhaps pitch it the same way the caravans are pitched. The other field looks pretty much flat. Pitches are of an extremely generous size - the biggest I've ever seen and there is electric hookup included in the price. No extra charge for a porch/awning/Pup either as long as you stay within your pitch. That is a properly fair way to do things, not the money-grabbing methods some sites use. I have a Kalahari Elite 8 tent with porch which probably runs about 11-12 metres with guy ropes and we had plenty of room for that and to park the car, with the next pitch still some way off.
The site is set amongst a working farm. When you drive into the site you drive (slowly please!) along a road through a field of sheep with some cows too. The toilet/utility room is opposite a field of cows. They are very friendly and you may get to stroke one! This does mean there are occasional Moos and Baaahs but they are not intrusive and fortunately both the cows and sheep have early bedtimes!
Being in North Yorkshire there is also the occasional fly by of military jets. It's not regular or even often so they arent intrusive but instead get everyone looking up with Ooohs and Aaahs (not Moos and Baaahs). A pleasant and occasional distraction. The family field also has views of the most amazing sunsets!
There is no shop/bar/entertainment etc - just peace and quiet. However Leyburn has pretty much everything (unless you want fish and chips on a Sunday!) you could need and is only a short walk or shorter drive away. There are no bans on BBQs or open fires though if you have anything which is likely to burn the grass then just let Richard know as he will happily bring over a paving slab for you to use. As I mentioned, nothing seems to much trouble for Richard - him and his tractor will even help tow you on/off if you need the help.
Apart from the number of facilities there is just nothing to fault on this site. In fact the site is so popular with returning visitors that there is often a long lead times for booking. I can understand that because I will be going again myself - as often as I can!
Oh, and it's only a 10 minute walk to the Little Chocolate Shop where they make amazing chocolates on site!
Visited this great little site twice in a fortnight! The owner is very attentive and helpful! The site itself in my opinion is quirky (in a lovely way) Facilities are immaculate. Views to die for!. It, s a pleasure to wake up and look out of the window! The site itself is sooo quiet at night, (I think even the birds whisper!)All in all it, s a credit to the owner and his family for all the hard work they put in. Thanks for a lovely stay. Trevor/Alison
Although I don't have a reference point in my scoring for Craken House other than the time we've had this week, I will endeavour to justify the scoring I have given.
The site location is easy to access for most vehicles, there were plenty of caravans and campers on site when we were there. We were in a tent though, so not a primary concern.
The site itself is laid out in such a way that there are two main pitch areas, the upper field seemed to be for couples (which was definitely quieter!) with the family units being located in the same lower area, which was great for our 4 children as friends were made quickly and all the kids were able to do what kids do best with enough freedom to let them get on with it. Although there isn't a formal play ground, there were enough natural features for all manner of exploring and enjoyment. The layout of the park meant it was easy to set boundaries, with the adjoining fields housing cows, sheep and horses. Make no mistake, you are truly visiting a lovely scenic countryside location with wonderful views south towards Middleham. Catterick Garrison is located North East of the site, with RAF Leeming South East. What this meant was that you could hear the live firing excercises on an evening, but it was an interesting noise, not a disrupting one. There were a couple of occasions of military aircraft flaying past the southern side of the site, again, not an intrusion and was a welcome sight. Seeing a C130 cruise past just a couple of hundred meters above the ground had everyone looking, out of wonderment. Do not get me wrong, neither of these elements were unwelcome intrusions, and were a positive impact to the break and provided both learning and talking points with our children.
Facilities on the site were spotless. And I mean SPOTLESS. The toilets were proper toilet rooms, with air fresheners, proper flushing loos and enough room to be able to swing a cat if you took one. Showering on a morning was a welcome treat for me, with hot water and enough room to get undressed and dried off again. Apparently, new for this year was the utility room, with 3 washing up sinks, access to power with USB sockets to charge power banks. Access to both a fridge freezer and washer dryer, the dryer came in handy when our tent decided that one of our pillows was looking a bit parched and towels hadn't dried in the evening drizzle. There are two sets of refuse/recycling facilities along with 2 fresh water taps suitable for drinking water. There is also a centrally located toilet disposal point (although we didn't have any use for it).
Richard was a very attentive host, and never too busy for a chat, but at the same time very accommodating.
All in all, if every future camping adventure was supported with the facilities of this site, I can't see how we would go wrong. We are already looking at going back again next year, this time though for longer!
Arrived late on site but owner had left detailed instructions for us, as promised.
Access to the site is easy enough. A couple of sharp turns in the farm yard, through a narrow stone walled track onto the site itself looks very difficult as you approach, but there's plenty of space to swing wide, so it's not as bad as it looks!
We were located on the lower field, which is small and beautifully kept. We met the owner next day, who was friendly and helpful (He even lent us a local walking guide for the week ). Quiet and relaxed, spacious pitches and a lovely view from our particular pitch.
Toilets and free showers are very clean, with plenty of hot water in the showers when we used them.
Its a mile walk into Leyburn with a steep climb for part of the way, whichever way you go. Leyburn is small but pleasant and has a selection of pubs, cafes, a chip shop and a couple of restaurants.
Friendly owner, good location and reasonable rates. Would definitely recommend it.
Well what can I say, arrived monday 13th june here for 3 nights, this is a return visit to this site. Welcomed by richards father, same pitch as last time remembered us as a twin wheel rig. The field is like a bowling green, slightly sloping, great views, facilities are great cant fault the place. Nice walk into leyburn, all this for 20 quid a night.
I almost didn’t leave a review of this superb site as all the previous reviewers have pretty much nailed it…. It is a fabulous site, excellently maintained, Richard is a brilliant host with a font of local knowledge he’s more than happy to share with you, but at the same time, he’s not invasive……he recommended the Semerwater beer to us, and he’s right, it was beautiful. In fact, we tried 3 pubs in Leyburn for food and beer and they were all excellent with well made reasonably priced food.
I loved the fact that Richard has split the two paddocks into adults only and families…not sure if this was only because it was quiet, but it made for a very restful long weekend. The views are spectacular and the silence really is golden…. Nothing to hear but the odd sheep and the breeze through the beautifully kept hedges.
We met up with some friends in Leyburn on the Saturday and they were staying at the Caravan Club site just outside of the town…. It’s in an abandoned quarry…. He said it was freezing cold with thick frost and no views to speak of……funny said I, we had bright sunshine and a panorama to die for out of our front window.
If you do have kids, or you’re young and silly at heart, try The Forbidden Corner which is about 5 miles away. It’s £11. 50 per adult and you will get wet, but it’s great fun with a cafe, shop and beautiful picnic area with a lake. My hubby and I spent 3 hours there.
So to sum it up, Craken House is well and truly on our “we will be back” list…again and again.
Thanks Richard, you made our weekend. Gail and Rob
Just come back from a weekend at Craken house and it was fabulous, Great site, superb pitch great facilities, overlooking Middleham, Leyburn is great as is Middleham loads to see and do, we will be back later in the year for more.
Big Thankyou to Richard for such a great welcome, showing us the facilities and a guided tour of the site. Thanks again.
We returned yesterday after a week at this site. I don't know where to begin. Well, the site owner is possibly the most friendly, helpful site owner I've come across! He helped us to our pitch (of our choosing), assisted me in setting the caravan up and gave us a mini tour of the excellent, clean and well maintained site.
The facilities are spotless. A brilliant (new-looking) utility room, with washer/dryer (if needed), fridge (again, if required), toilets and showers are superb (only one male shower but I always found it empty and never had to wait).
The owner is a wealth of local information on where to go to visit/eat/drink etc. He is relaxed, chatty, welcoming (yet not intrusive in any way!).
The site is a (?10 minute) walk from Leyburn itself. Leyburn has everything you need and much is locally sourced. Tea rooms in abundance.
The pitch gave us fantastic views and the water hose was just yards away, as was the chemical waste disposal. The site was really quiet and peaceful. A big field was available to exercise our Labrador and plenty of bins around for dog waste. Recycle bins are easily accessible on the site. The local ale must be sampled to really appreciate a visit to the area (it'd be rude not to!).
In all, a brilliant, relaxing week. We'll definitely be returning. I honestly cannot think of any 'negative' points about this site. It is one of the best we've ever been to - and I don't say that lightly. At the end of our stay, the site owner helped us reposition the caravan to hitch up the car and bid us farewell. This site is very good value and is a jewel in the heart of the Dales!
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Common Questions
Is Craken House Caravan Site child friendly? NO, this site is adult only View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Craken House Caravan Site? There is a shop within 1 mile View all facilities
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
Tent Pitches 
Caravan Pitches 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
No Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
No Hardstandings 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Adults Only 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
Chemical Disposal 
Battery Charging 
No Gas Exchange 
Recycling Facilities 
No Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
Wifi Access 
Shop <1 mile 
Bar <1 mile 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile 
No Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
Fishing <5 miles 
No Wild Swimming 
No Indoor Pool 
No Outdoor Pool 
Horse Riding <5 miles 
No Cycle Hire 
Golf <5 miles 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
No Watersports 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
Campfires Allowed 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
Just got back from a 4 night stay. What a treasure Richard is! We arrived on Bank holiday Monday in the rain. Richard welcomed us with a jolly smile and a joke or two. He then showed us to our pitch (number 2 which had panoramic views) and told us to stay in our car while he unhooked us, got his tractor, positioned and levelled our caravan in no time at all (I have a feeling he has done this many times before). He wouldn't take any money off us he insisted we got settled and to catch up with him later in the week. The facilities are clean and well looked after as is the campsite. Leyburn is a lovely village with plenty of amenities and I would recommend the Shawl walk from village. We will definitely be returning to this very popular site. Booking recommended. 
