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Finchale Abbey Touring Park
Finchale Abbey Farm
Durham
Co Durham (Browse area)
DH1 5SH
Tel: 0191 3866528 or 07989854704
Visit their website Check Digital TV coverage See Weather Forecast
   
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Pitches: 41
Open: 01/01/2026 to 31/12/2026
01/01/2027 to 31/12/2027
Rating: 
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Photos (18)
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 No Tents |
 Caravan Pitches |
 Motorhome Pitches |
 Small Campervans |
 Glamping Units |
 Holiday Homes for Hire |
 No Statics for Sale |
 No Seasonal Pitches |
 Electric Hookups |
 Hardstanding Pitches |
 Fully Serviced Pitches |
 Show Full Facilities |
| Who's it for |
 Adults Only |
 Not Members Only |
 Rallies Welcome |
 Not Naturist Site |
 Dogs Welcome |
 No Dogs Allowed |
 Groups Welcome |
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| Facilities |
 Toilet Facilities |
 Hot Showers |
 Washing Up |
 No Bathroom |
 No Baby Changing |
 Laundry On Site |
 Drinking Water |
 Disabled Friendly |
 Chemical Disposal |
 No Battery Charging |
 Gas Exchange |
 Recycling Facilities |
 No Kitchen Facilities |
 No Freezer / Fridge |
 Motorhome Point |
 No Wifi Access |
 Shop <5 miles |
 Bar <1 mile |
 Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site |
| Activities |
 No Playground |
 No TV Room |
 No Games Room |
 No Evening Ents |
 Fishing On Site |
 Wild Swimming On Site |
 Indoor Pool <5 miles |
 No Outdoor Pool |
 No Horse Riding |
 No Cycle Hire |
 Golf <1 mile |
 No Tennis |
 Beach <10 miles |
 No Watersports |
 No Boat Launch |
| Other Features |
 No Sea Views |
 Not Working Farm |
 No Campfires Allowed |
 Open All Year |
 Riverside Pitches |
 Public Transport <1 mile |
 Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access |
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Reviews:
205 in total, now showing 106 to 120
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| Date of Visit: July 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Homerton |
1 review from this member |
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 We recently spent 2 nights on this site. Although the location is beautiful we found there were two levels of pitches. We were allocated T5 which has a great view but the grass around was not cut and there were thistles etc plus the water point was surrounded by thistles. The drain point is to high if using long pipes, as you cannot get a drop on them to drain properly.
On the rest of the site the grass was lovely and short.
Our neighbour on site had heard that the T pitches were for visiting 'workmen' so perhaps that is why.
Please note T pitches are not shown on the site layout either. Go for the ones down by the abbey.
As I said previously the site is otherwise lovely its just that these little things could be altered to make it really great for all visitors 
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| Date of Visit: July 2014 |
Unit: Campervan |
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| Reviewer: Bongosons |
3 reviews from this member |
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We stayed here for 4 nights at the beginning of July in our small campervan with our dog. We pitched next to the abbey which was lovely, the only downside was the amount of cars going up and down the hill to the permanent residents area. The toilet and shower areas were clean, but I agree with another visitor that the ladies showers needed a shower curtain between the shower and the door to keep your clothes dry, as in the mens. Also, if you showered at night in the dark, the light would turn off after a while! The abbey and surrounding area was perfect for us and the dog, although it was easier to get him into the water then out. He thoroughly enjoyed his time and watching the peacock and guinea fowl kept him occupied. The staff and owner were exceptionally friendly and we attended their annual charity event after being invited on our arrival. If you visit next year at the same time as their charity do, please attend, you will thoroughly enjoy it and it's all for a good cause. We will definitely go again!
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| Date of Visit: July 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: KayIan |
1 review from this member |
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Thoroughly enjoyed our first, 3 night stay at Finchale Abbey. Gentle sloping site. Very peaceful apart from the very vocal resident peacock! Excellent dog walking. The priory is fabulous to look at every day of your stay. Husband wanted to fish the Wear but it rained so heavily on our arrival day & night that it was up over 2ft & chocolate brown coloured which wasn't ideal conditions but still a lovely place to fish if the weather is in your favour. Although the toilet / shower block was clean, I was disappointed with the ladies showers as I expected them to have a shower curtain to divide the cubicle & to keep my things dry, which they didn't have although, my Husband said that the mens did. We hope to return.
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| Date of Visit: July 2014 |
Unit: Other |
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| Reviewer: Cassonsue |
1 review from this member |
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We stayed in the brand new pod and it was great! Two single beds, a light, power socket and heater, plus chairs and a picnic table are all provided. You just need bedding. Really beautiful spot overlooking Finchale Abbey, which is free to enter and there's a small café/shop too. We haven't tried a pod before, but anyone who likes camping should enjoy it. The toilet and shower block were clean and very nice. Altogether, a very pretty location and very friendly owners.
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| Date of Visit: June 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Rmpop |
7 reviews from this member |
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Nice site set next to the abbey and river. The site has chalets and statics at one end and is Adults only. Children are allowed in the abbey though.
Approx. 30 pitches, hardstanding for your caravan and grass for awning which is nice to have. They are a bit uneven.
10amps electric hook-ups. Fresh water taps at the toilet block as well as grey and chemical toilet point.
The site is handy for Beamish and Durham. There is a lovely pub for food which has a 2 for 1 menu only 2mins from the site (in car)abit more difficult to walk to but do-able. Located on the roundabout as you turn off for the site. Can highly recommend it.
A shopping centre has M&S and sainsburys for food as well as a Pets at home, Halfords, Lakeland and Boots which are all useful to have nearby.
Walks from the site across the river into the woodland. Not very long but nice for an evening/morning stroll.
The toilet block contains 2 showers and a disabled wet room facility within the male/female area.
The ladies also has 2 enclosed sink areas, one with a basic hairdryer.
I found the showers were a bit small, and there was no shower curtain to protect your dry clothes. The sink cubicles could do with a large shelf. Also no disinfectant for the floors. The showers remain at one temperature with no way of adjusting and they are operated by a press button on wall which lasts about 2mins.
The resident Guinea Fowl and Peacock keep you entertained! they are a welcome addition!
Unfortunately there was a audible Hum from the A1 which runs to the left of the site, the noise is constant which is a shame.
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| Date of Visit: June 2014 |
Unit: Campervan |
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| Reviewer: Dave 418 |
38 reviews from this member |
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We stayed at this site last month on route to Scotland. We arrived on spec without booking and were very surprised at what we found. Yes the site has some sloping pitches, I believe the ones by the river were super pitches and fairly level but we managed with our levers. The toilet block was fairly new looking and everything you could want. For a small site it had a proper drive over motorhome service point. The location was superb. You are in amongst the ruins of the priory. To the left of the entrance for the priory is a bridge across the river with woodland walks. The staff we met were very helpful with any information you needed. As a start to a holiday this was a great site.
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| Date of Visit: June 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Yorkshire Tykes |
3 reviews from this member |
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My wife and myself have just returned from a 4 night stay here (Friday / Tuesday ) and have to say it is a beautiful place and site to stay at.
The proprietors are very friendly and made us feel welcome.
A few things about the site first:
The location is about as good as you can get anywhere with the Abbey taking centre stage.
On a beautiful day, a walk across the bridge and along the river Wear is highly recommended.
This is a premium price site and I guess this is for the location alone as the facilities are average.
The water points are few (unless the 3 'super size pitches are empty then you can get water from them).
The toilet / shower block is very nice and always kept clean (only two of everything + disabled) so on a busy day there could be some wait.
The main downside would be the pitches themselves as most of them are nowhere near level so require a few wood blocks and side to side levelling (lifting a wheel onto supports. )
Durham itself is a must to visit as is the famous cathedral. We were a bit disappointed with the castle tour however as it is a working university so the places we we're allowed to go we're limited.
There is a reasonable eating pub just 3 minutes away but our favourite meals came from a local Chinese/fish&chip shop (combined) called The Evergreen and can be found on Finchale Rd.
Would we go here again ? DEFINITELY (if we can be guaranteed a flat pitch, the four in front of the Abbey are best).
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| Date of Visit: June 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Lottyj |
4 reviews from this member |
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Lovely place. Easy and friendly booking over the phone, happy smiling welcome when we arrived, we got pitch A2 which backed straight onto the Abbey. Lovely place to stay if you want peace with some lovely views and walks. This site also has a really nice bathroom and pot wash block and we look forward to visiting again soon.
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| Date of Visit: June 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Nelson8217 |
5 reviews from this member |
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The first observation that I would like to make is that the site could do with better signposting as you find yourself driving down a narrow lane and unable to turn round if the satnav or the driver has made a mistake. Upon arrival the site was very well kept and the check in very friendly and easy. Once sited we explored the site and checked the toilet block, very pleased to report that they were very well kept and modern, access is with a swipe card. The owners said that since they went adults only their maintenance bill for the toilets had fallen dramatically! We were only booked for 3 nights and can thoroughly recommend this site. The only problem we encountered was that the power tripped out if we put more than one item on together eg. Kettle and toaster, but that was probably a fault on that pitch as our friends didn't have any problems.
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| Date of Visit: June 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Dawath1948 |
21 reviews from this member |
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If there were prizes for a top class site this would be a gold medallist.
We can find nothing to fault.
As a family run site the welcome is open friendly and warm, typically north eastern, site rules are explained simply and quickly as is other important information.
Any questions on being asked during our stay were answered without hesitation and welcome and friendly advice offered.
Toilets, large and roomy, very well maintained and cleaned.
The only sounds to be heard are bird song.
Easy access to local tourist sites such as:-
Beamish Museum, allow at least a full day to visit, possibly 1. 5, fabulous place, plenty of refreshment opportunities.
Shildon (Locomotion) not too far away, great extension to the NRM in York, let down by the poor or non-existant road signage.
Durham, nice town shame about the sites rules. NO photography allowed in the Cathedral (closed when we visited for two days due to services for children. Castle does not look very old, can only be visited on the hour for a guided tour.
DLI museum be aware closes at 16:00 prompt, we were too late in the day to warrant paying to gain admission.
I HAVE NO HESITATION IN RECOMMENDING THIS SITE TO PEOPLE WHO WANT PEACE, QUIET AND EASY ACCESS TO THE MANY LOCAL TOURIST SITES.
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| Date of Visit: July 2014 |
Unit: Campervan |
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| Reviewer: Bopeep2 |
3 reviews from this member |
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The setting cannot be better. When you book in, you are given a yellow sticker to place on your windscreen indicating your departure date. THIS WILL NOT COME OFF THE WINDOW. We were left with thick glue on the windscreen. Most of the pitches are very uneven and on grass. The one we were allocated would have taken too much time and effort to suit our camper, so we decided to go for a serviced pitch, which was hard standing. When we saw how long it took a caravan to get settled on our original pitch, we knew we had made the right decision. The toilet block was clean, but I agree, a curtain is needed to keep clothes dry. There were folding chairs in the ladies, which, if you attempted to move, closed up immediately and everything went on the floor, as there is nowhere for a toilet bag and only a hook on the door for clothes. There is no control over the heat of the water either, which obviously will not please everyone. When using the mop to clean the shower after use, again, there is nowhere to put your towel and toilet bag whilst you are mopping. There are two cubicles with sinks in which to clean teeth or wash, but again, nowhere to put any toiletries. In one of the cubicles is a hair dryer, so if someone is drying their hair, there is only one sink for the whole campsite. However, I must state that the chap who cleaned the shower block was very efficient and very pleasant.
At £28 per night, we found this to be pricey for the limited facilities.
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| Date of Visit: May 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Technobubbles |
1 review from this member |
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Stayed for 5 nights over the late May Bank Holiday we arrived on the Sunday and even though the site was nearly full it felt as if there was only a few pitches in use.
The site was very quiet and no noise could be heard from the many visitors to the Abbey/Priory from our pitch.
The site was well kept and exceptionally clean with plenty of rubbish bins, the toilets and showers were always clean and tidy (2 showers and 1 disabled cubicle).
Visited the Newham Grange pub 5 minutes away which had a lovely atmosphere and the meal was very filling and as an added bonus the meals were 2 for 1
The Arniston Centre was 10 minutes down the road and had a large Sainsbury's store, petrol station and numerous other popular stores including Poundland, KFC, Lidl, Boots and M&S We also ventured into Durham City Centre and again numerous popular shops
Would recommend this site to anyone looking for a relaxing break with peace and quiet and plenty of wildlife
Definitely going back, well done to all concerned
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| Date of Visit: May 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Mackamaple |
1 review from this member |
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We just planned on stopping for 2 nights but decided to stop a further night, partly due to the weather but also due to the lovely site. On arriving we were greeted by a very polite warden with a charming Irish brogue, he dutifully showed us to our pitch, we got set up without a problem and settled down and poured ourselves a drink. Unfortunately a tourer arrived with some very rude and noisy people, who had 3 dogs that ran all over the place when the campsite rule is that dogs need to be tethered. They were asked to put the dogs on the leads and after some stern words from the afore mentioned warden, this was done. The circumstances of the situation could have been blown out of proportion had it not been for the professionalism of the team here at the site.
We would not hesitate to come back here, thanks again to all the staff at Finshale.
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| Date of Visit: May 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Alf27 |
1 review from this member |
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Recently visited this site over late May bank holiday. This is a nice quiet site with good facility's. Down side the slope on the pitch I had needed chocks under one side I requested these and they did not arrive. I had to go looking around for bits of wood to do the job : (. Nice pub about a mile away and durham centre about 4miles. I would definitely return again. I went out and Bought some levelling ramps : ). This is a very tidy and well looked after site
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| Date of Visit: May 2014 |
Unit: Touring Caravan |
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| Reviewer: Eclectus |
33 reviews from this member |
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What a very beautiful site, set in the grounds of the ruins of Finchale Priory. Just spent a week here to explore the local area and enjoy the peace and tranquillity.
Access to the park is through electric barrier, exiting the park requires the use of a key card(this is also needed for the toilets) the entrance to the park is shared with visitors to the priory.
The site itself is situated between the ruins of the old priory and a park home estate. It is a very pretty location on the meander of the river Wear with a bridge that crosses the river to woodland ideal for walking the dogs. There are about 50 or so pitches which on the whole unless you have reserved a super pitch are not level and could pose a problem to some units, especially those wanting to pitch awnings. There are 4 serviced pitches which were probably previously used for static caravans as the water and drainage points were very oddly placed and may require extensions to access the serve points fully. Placement of awnings too was very obscure and looked like caravans had to position facing outwards in order to place awnings in the directions marked on the pitches( very odd). I assume to allow all users of the serviced pitches to pitch awnings.
Toilets and showers were more than adequate and require a key card to access.
There is the resident peacock and a group of Guinea fowl that wander the park, always nice to see.
Entry to the priory is free and worth a visit very interesting. There is also a small shop and refreshment area next to the priory facilities.
Nearest shops were at the Arnison centre - Sainsburys and lidl and an array of other outlets are there, though I am sure you could find other supermarkets if you wanted to venture further afield.
The site is supposed to be adults only, but as other reviewers have commented previously we did see the odd child or two in the motor homes.
There is a dog walk on site too, very dog friendly we thought with doggy bag bins well placed throughout the park.
Satellite and mobile phone (EE and Vodafone) reception was good. Finchale had there own wifi access point which strangely enough wasn't advertised.
We visited:
Durham - was a little let down with this city, very small, cathedral and castle very pretty when viewed from the river.
Beamish - definitely worth a visit but I would suggest avoid at peak times and prepare to walk a lot - dogs were welcome but take water with you as they provide nothing to support you taking dogs. They were allowed on trams and busses but not in the buildings - not a problem
Seaham - lovely little seaside town - nice beach and marina with a very nice cafe in the marina buildings - dogs welcome
Dalton Park - Shopping Shopping Shopping the usual array of outlet shops
Bishop Aukland - Don't bother Unless you want to visit the castle
Castle Barnard - Beautiful little town-near to Raby Castle- lovely little park area next to the castle ruins and river. Had a lovely afternoon here after getting away from the rather dismal visit to Bishop Aukland.
Chester le Street - Nice town, nice little market and the usual array of shops. Went to visit the 'Angel of the North' - just to say that we had been.
All in all a very nice week. A lovely site in very picturesque surroundings. If we visited again we would definitely opt for a fully serviced pitch to avoid the levelling issues. Don't let this put anyone off. If your not using an awning I am sure that you will be fine.
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Common Questions
Is Finchale Abbey Touring Park child friendly? NO, this site is adult only View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Finchale Abbey Touring Park? There is a shop within 5 miles View all facilities
Is Finchale Abbey Touring Park dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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