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ОглавлениеHowgill Lodge
North Yorkshire
Views of the countryside from Howgill Lodge
Choices, choices. The Yorkshire Dales National Park is brimming a-plenty with campsites of all shapes and sizes, and you’re guaranteed a decent view almost wherever you stay. There’s a goodly supply of campsites and caravan parks in Wharfedale alone, the National Park’s most south-eastern dale.
So you can imagine the difficulty in selecting only one of Wharfedale’s campsite collection. I’ve plumped for Howgill Lodge, at no detriment to the others (I’d happily recommend Masons at Appletreewick, Causeway Caravan Site at Kettlewell or Wood Nook near Threshfield). Why Howgill Lodge? Well you know you’ve arrived somewhere special when there’s a lengthy trip along a near-private drive off the main road to reach the campsite, and chickens are roaming the grounds.
Of course, these alone don’t make a great campsite. I expect a warm welcome and you’ll certainly get that from the Foster family who have owned and run Howgill Lodge for many years. But you’ll find plenty more to recommend it – the location first and foremost. Arrive in the dark, pull your curtains back in the morning and you’ll understand what I mean.
The River Wharfe winds its way south and east from Oughtershaw Beck in Langstrothdale to flow into the River Ouse south of York. Howgill Lodge sits a handful of miles north of where the Wharfe exits the Yorkshire Dales National Park at Bolton Bridge. You have little for company other than your campsite neighbours – and it’s bliss!
The garden atmosphere of Howgill Lodge
Sited at the western foot of Barden Fell, the campsite is terraced, with pitches making the most of views across Wharfedale to the bulk of Burnsall and Thorpe Fell. Should you wish to turn and look the other way, the crags of Barden Fell appeal and shelter at the same time. With only 20 pitches and tucked away along a tiny lane, the site never feels horrendously busy – it’s as if you’ve found your own private hideaway that you just happen to be sharing. If you have a notable ‘others’ who don’t camp, Fiona and Tony Foster can put them up in their B&B, converted from a rather lovely 17th-century barn.
Indeed, with the magnificent views, the terraces that slope down to the diminutive Fir Beck, the shrubs and colourful flowers and the chickens wandering the site, you feel as if you’re pitched up in a private garden. And the Foster family care for their garden and patch of North Yorkshire with a passion.
While the site is well kept, it’s not clinical – the Fosters like to leave some areas uncut to encourage local wildlife, there are bird boxes about and the sewage system is an eco-friendly reed bed (hence you need to use formaldehyde-free toilet chemicals). Solar panels have been installed for lighting and to heat the water – and guests are encouraged to walk or use public transport to get around.
And that’s not a problem, for Wharfedale is the most idyllic stomping ground. Within a five-minute walk from the campsite you’ll find the River Wharfe and the Dales. You can walk to Grassington, just one of the numerous scenic villages within Wharfedale, and then catch the bus back – it stops at the end of Howgill Lane. But if it’s understated, near-silent beauty that you’re after, make a point of seeing Upper Wharfedale and Langstrothdale, through which the most northern stretch of the Wharfe trickles. It’s a very special landscape, bursting with sheep-filled meadows and wild flowers.
South of Howgill Lodge is the 30,000-acre Bolton Abbey Estate. It’s a popular tourist attraction, with the ruins of the Priory providing an atmospheric location for a wander, not forgetting a hop, skip and jump over the stepping stones across the Wharfe.
The nearby market towns of Skipton and Ilkley offer a good day out, with Skipton Castle, one of the most complete medieval castles in the country, delivering plenty of Yorkshire history to absorb. Of course, you can absorb plenty in Ilkley too – the fresh cake counter in Betty’s being a good starting place! A Yorkshire institution, I’d recommend taking a bag of Betty’s Yorkshire Fat Rascals back to the campsite to serve warm while enjoying the view across the dale.
Howgill Lodge
Barden, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 6DJ
01756 720655
Opening times: End of March to end of October
Facilities: 20 hardstanding pitches with hook-up, toilets and hot showers, dishwashing, chemical toilet disposal point, fresh water, motorhome service point, well-stocked shop (including local sausages, bacon and milk, plus eggs from the campsite chickens), gas sales, wi-fi, recycling, B&B. Dogs welcome.
How to get there: From A59 Skipton to Blubberhouses road, turn left at Bolton Bridge onto the B6160 and into Lower Wharfedale. At Barden Tower, turn right over Barden Bridge and follow the road north as it becomes Stangs Lane. In just over a mile, turn right along Howgill Lane. Site entrance on left in ¼ mile.
Food & drink: The New Inn (www.the-new-inn-appletreewick.com, tel.: 01756 720252) and The Craven Arms (www.craven-cruckbarn.co.uk, tel.: 01756 720270) at Appletreewick, a 1-mile walk from Howgill Lodge. Both serve good food and cask ales and have fine views of Wharfedale.
Nearby attractions: Bolton Abbey, Skipton Castle and the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway are the most obvious choices nearby. The town of Ilkley, with Betty’s Tearooms, shouldn’t be missed, but if you’re a keen garden visitor neither should Parcevall Hall Gardens, near Appletreewick.
Alternative campsite: Masons Campsite (www.masonscampsite.co.uk, tel.: 01756 720275) 1½ miles northeast of Howgill Lodge on the western outskirts of Appletreewick: flat, grass-field campsite on the banks of the River Wharfe. The site can get very busy with tents in summer.
Top: Summer in Wharfedale; Bottom Left: Grassington is a popular village to visit; Bottom Right: Terraced pitches at Howgill Lodge overlooking Wharfedale
