Around 4 years ago, a group of sleep deprived Mummies with newborns met at a Dunelm café. Fast forward to winter 2019 and we’d decided to take all the kids and our husbands (all 30 odd of us!) on a camping trip. After deciding the date (which was a mission in itself!) it was time to pick the campsite and there were a few things on the list:
Catgill Campsite, Bolton Abbey was suggested, and it seemed to tick all the boxes!
Source – Catgill Campsite website
The weather forecast looked great and we loaded up the van (yes you read that right … it was to fit in the BBQ!) and set off towards the Yorkshire Dales passing through the stunning town of Ilkley. It was a Friday afternoon, so the traffic was a bit slow, but it only took us 90 minutes to get there!
The campsite is situated up a single track road just up from Bolton Abbey Village. In the local area (I’m meaning within 15 minutes!) you have Bolton Abbey & it’s amazing Parkland (there’s a pop up beach & Pirate ship this summer holidays), Hesketh Farm Park (see Mumbler review here), Bolton Abbey & Embsay Steam Railway, Billy Bobs Ice Cream Parlour, Ilkley Lido and Skipton Castle! There are loads of things to keep you entertained, you could stay for a week!!
Back to the camping … before I became a parent, I rated a campsite by how good the shower was; water pressure and cleanliness and if it was close to a pub! Now this is still important but it’s now things like, is the shower big enough to fit you and your child in, how far away are the toilets, is there a shop onsite for those things you’ve forgotten, is there something to keep the kids happy?
I could definitely squeeze me and Mini Mumbler into the shower, the toilets were about 150m away from where we were camping (we could have camped closer), there is a small shop but even better there is a café that’s open of a morning that sells delicious coffee (proper coffee machine!) and croissants!! What I really did like about the campsite was the large washing area with enough sinks that you never needed to queue and the added bonus of two large fridges and a freezer! The weather was HOT the weekend we went, and the fridges were so helpful to keep milk and BBQ meat chilled! You could also hire fire pits which were perfect for marshmallow toasting and keeping us warm once the temperature dropped!
You weren’t allowed to keep your car next to your tent (you could drop off and pick up all your stuff), so there was only a couple of hours each day when you had to make sure the kids weren’t running out in front of vehicles! I really think this is a huge benefit to the campsite as the kids can run and it’s one less thing to worry about!
The kids also loved exploring the campsite with its long wavy grass, the deep river (well stream!) and oozy mud; no forest, snowstorm or cave but I’m sure if we’d walked far enough, we would have found them all (oh and the bear!)
Catgill Campsite is a wonderful family friendly campsite, surrounded by beautiful countryside and fantastic family activities to keep you entertained for a whole week, all within 15 minutes of the campsite! We’ll definitely be going back!
Oh, and if you’re looking for a good Farm Shop, I highly recommend Keelham Farm Shop, just outside Skipton. The burgers are the best I’ve tasted in years and I’ve been told the café / restaurant is great too!
If you’re looking for more family friendly things to do around the campsite, take a look at our sister website Wharfedale & Craven Mumbler
