Please recommend campsite very close to train station, for single parent with 2 year old. Yorkshire-ish.

[EatsFartsAndLeaves]

OK, My DS is 2 and I miss camping. Slightly scared, but I want to try an overnight trip to see how we get on and prove to myself that I can do this.

Can anyone please recommend a campsite which is within about an hour on the (ideally direct) train from Leeds, West Yorkshire, and which is very close to the station as I'll have to push a Maclaren pushchair from train to site while carrying a rucksack with a crappy (SPD) pelvis.

I'd ideally like to be close (enough to push aforementioned push chair) to some sort of town, i.e. shops so I don't have to carry food and can eat out, can buy clothes/nappies/anything in an emergency, and have something to do all day as I can't do nice long country walks due to toddler and push chair and pelvis.

I like charity shops, flat smooth ground to push the push chair on, pubs (esp to eat in with child in the evening)... god I can't even remember what I like it's been so long since I've been on a proper holiday.

Or does all this sound completely impossible and we should stay at home for another year?

You could take the train from Leeds to Harrogate and stay here Bilton - there will be a bus from Harrogate station (2 mile walk).

I cycle through Bilton, don't know the site though.

Or you could take a train to Keighley and go to Haworth on the steam train and camp near there.

Leeds station is in the City centre so you will struggle for campsites within walking distance without taking some sort of a connection.

You would be better off considering York, more to choose from nearer the City.

don't know much about it, but this one is V near Cononley station, 1/2 hour by train from Leeds:

www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/location.asp?revid=7580

I've been to that campsite ifailed. It is lovely. Very well run, with good facilities on site (small play park, fridge etc) and very good facilities very near (excellent play park a few minutes walk away, nice village pub, post office, skipton via train about 10 minutes away which has all the shops, etc you mention OP). Great place to camp and a few minutes walk from the train station.

Skipton is lovely - ducks to feed by the canal, castle, charity shops, market day stalls all down the high street.

Good question. I will think about it some more but a couple of ideas-
Direct train to Hebden Bridge or Todmorden which are lovely places with plenty to do. I don't know any sites within walking distance of the stations but there are plenty around.
Also, the trains to thirsk and northallerton are good and I imagine there'll be campsites round there though nowhere springs to mind, I'll have a look.
It sounds like a lovely plan though, hope you get something sorted xx

Thanks for suggestions, sorry I've not been on for a few days.

Some good ideas there, my current front runner is this place www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/yorkshire/north-yorkshire/york-rowntree-park-caravan-club-site/ which seems to be very close to the centre of York.

Plenty to do and see there, easy to eat out so I don't need to carry any food, and not far at all for us to get to from Leeds - I could even cycle it with DS in the child seat and all our stuff in a trailer... perhaps when I'm feeling braver about doing this sort of trip on my own.

For now my idea is that we'd leave after breakfast, bus into town, train Leeds - York, walk to campsite and put up the tent. Walk back into York and have a big lunch e.g. burger and chips in a Wetherspoons or similar. Then go round some shops, find a playground or similar for DS, and get some food to take back to the tent.

Eat a cold dinner at the tent, put DS to bed, then I'll have to sit there quietly next to him all evening but if I can figure out a comfortable seat, a decent little light, some wine and some very good snacks then I think I'd enjoy just reading a book and writing in my diary with no wi-fi or housework for distraction. In fact I think I might really, really enjoy it!

Next day we'd have time for another amble about and big late lunch before getting back, taking the tent down and heading for the train which would get us home for bedtime at 6:30/7ish. Don't know if I'd have to pay for 2 nights at the campsite to avoid having to pack up at 10am or so, as obviously we'd just have to head straight home if I was carrying all our stuff. But it'd probably be worth it if we did have to pay again.

I also need to think about wet weather things to do with a 2 year old, and I haven't factored in any naps for him but I guess I'd just hope he would conk out in the pushchair eventually.

Does that sound doable?

Sounds great! Enjoy yourself, the both of you.

Yes that looks perfect. Great location and unusually for caravan club they take tents. I've never been to that site but I was a caravan club member and always thought that looked like a nice site and a great location for York tourists. Caravan club sites are quite formal but they usually have really nice toilets, showers, shops, laundry rooms etc. It sounds very doable and a lovely trip.

Another York option is a campsite at Naburn, South of York. Millbridge farm looks nice and is on a farm so plenty of animals to see.

www.millbridgefarm.co.uk/

I've not been to the site but Naburn is on the sustrans york-selby cycle route which is all off road and would be perfect for a trailer. Naburn also has a marina and is lovely.

Cheers, I'm actually more and more excited about York the more I look at it, there's so much to see and do in a really small area, so not driving should be fine and whenever I'm up to cycling it will be even better.

Loads to keep us interested when he's older too. I might make another thread or two about what to pack now!

There's a great park in Rowntree park right next to the caravan site that your DS will love! Is an easy walk along the river from the site into town too

Looks like you've found somewhere, but for another time the Horton's Women's Holiday Centre might appeal - it's a direct train from Leeds and as well as the self catering accommodation in the house there's space for camping. You've also got access to the house for cooking / being in wet weather.

Thanks yes I'd spotted that it's right next to a massive park, looks wonderful.

Sadik I do also want to go to Horton, it sounds lovely :). Don't think I could leave DS in the tent while I went to the house in the evening though, and I'd feel like I was missing out if there was fun in the house and I had to sit outside in the tent to keep an eye on DS.

True, hadn't thought of that :(

Called Riverside, it turns out that I'd have to check in after 4pm and out before 11am, as outside those times they are too busy to show me to my pitch. They've nowhere I could leave my tent and rucksack either, so I'd have to take everything around York all day with me, which I just can't manage because of my dodgy pelvis. So I'd have to do a minimum of 2 nights to have a holiday at all, which isn't ideal but will be the same everywhere I expect. Bloody hope I can get some sleep!

I can't recommend anywhere op but just wanted to say that I hope you have a great time. :)