Caravan club sites in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is three touring areas sharing a county name: the Dales in the west, the North York Moors and the coast in the east, and the flat Vale of York between them with Harrogate and York on either side.

Where the sites are

The Dales cluster runs along Wharfedale, Wensleydale and Swaledale, with sites near Grassington, Hawes and Richmond. The eastern group sits around Pickering, Helmsley, Whitby and Scarborough, close to the moors and the steam railway. A third, more practical group sits near York and Harrogate for anyone who wants a city break with a caravan attached.

Getting there

The A1(M) is the fast route north and south, with the A64 branching east to York, Malton and Scarborough. The A59 from Skipton to Harrogate crosses the county the slow way but is undemanding. From the west, the M6 and A65 through Settle is the usual approach into Wharfedale.

Local notes

Sutton Bank on the A170 west of Helmsley is closed to towed caravans by order. The gradient reaches 1 in 4 with a hairpin, and police have seized outfits attempting the climb. Approach Helmsley and Pickering from the A64 at Malton, or from the north via the A19 and A172. The signage warns you well in advance; a sat nav will not.

Rosedale Chimney Bank near Hutton-le-Hole is 1 in 3 and also signed against caravans. The A171 moor road between Whitby and Scarborough is fine but exposed, and sea fog rolls in over it without warning even in July.

Pickering makes the best single base for the eastern half, with moors, coast and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway all within half an hour. For the Dales, Hawes puts you in the middle of everything, though the Buttertubs Pass road north from it is another to leave alone with a van.

The season runs late March to the end of October, and the Great Yorkshire Show in July plus the Dales agricultural shows fill local sites at short notice.