North View Caravan Site.
Plain Sailing. With a bonus!
An easy run for us this one. North View Caravan Site Just 40 miles and no dodgy roads or low bridges to contend with. Even with the Friday afternoon traffic and the worrying need to pass the Blackpool turn off on the M6 we were there in about an hour.
For once everything seemed to go right. We pulled up at the shop/reception just inside the site and received a warm welcome from Andrew who booked us in and was very helpful explaining the layout and the handful of common sense rules. We had a choice of pitches and they were all excellent so we simply chose the first available one. Each pitch has electric hook up, a TV aerial point and ……..get this ……..water! Yey my little hose reached no problem, It connected and stayed put so for the first time in a long time I filled the water tank without getting wet!
Look Mum no hands
This is a lovely quiet site. The piches are really spacious so even though there were a couple of caravans nearby they did not impeach on our privacy at all. The grounds are well tended with lawned areas shrubs and trees and you are out in the sticks so there is plenty of bird activity and birdsong. Ever so peaceful when you are sat outside reading. The downside of being out in the sticks of course is that there is nowhere to go. We ventured out after tea with Muffin hoping to find a public footpath or something but after a mile or so on country roads sans pavement we gave up on that.
A little playground to keep the little ones entertained
One tip Andrew had given us was that none of the car parks in Garstang had height barriers and if you were shopping at Booths Supermarket there was free parking. So next day we decided to drive into Garstang. First time we’ve ever driven off and left our pitch but it was pretty straight forward. We just made sure everything was secure in cupboards. Unhooked the electricity (from both ends so it wasn’t live) and drove off. We left chairs, dog bowl and mat behind to mark our pitch. (The door Mat not Claires Fellah!)
The first car park we tried in Garstang had no height barrier but it also had no drive through spaces and you need two car lengths in a motorhome! Then we spotted Booths and headed over there. I parked in a double space towards the back of the car park and was ready to walk away when Lesley made a good observation. “Will you be able to get out if cars have parked in that row opposite when we get back?” Good thinking Batman! No I wouldn’t! We moved the MH to the back of the car park where there were some double spaces with a free area of tarmac facing them, perfect.
Well Garstang, tiny little place but packed with shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs! We had a good walk round and treated ourselves to coffee and cake in a little dog friendly deli café before doing a bit of ‘obligatory’ shopping in Booths.
By the time we got back to the campsite we had come up with a cunning plan to get us to tea time (that’s dinner if you’re south of Birmingham) and the semi final of the Voice. We booked the hot tub. Yes – that’s the bonus I mentioned.
Jacuzzi!
Champagne anyone?
Cheers
The site has a hot tub that can be hired by the hour. I found Andrew and booked it and he gave us the keys to the shower room, showed us how to work the hot tub and brought us a jug of iced water to put our bottle of prossecco Champagne (honest) in and two glasses. It was brilliant. Lovely hot tub. Best I’ve been in really. Set in it’s own secluded decking area surrounded by shrubs complete with twinkly lights it was a very nice way to spend an hour or so.
A view of the campsite with Marco in the background
Marco on his pitch
The Dog exercise area
The dog exercise area isn’t much, just a penned off square but it’s enough for your dog to have a little mooch around and be let off the lead for a while.
And did I tell you Muffin met a new friend? A Rabbit of all things. There she was in her hutch and Muffin couldn’t believe her eyes. Rabbit wasn’t bothered one bit so Muffin pretended she wasn’t either and said hello every time we passed.
Hello Rabbit. Hello Muffin.
All in all that was a great stay. The site itself is well laid out and very roomy. The grounds are well kept. The facilities are lovely and clean and nice and warm too. There is a basin area with mirrors a toilet area and a separate large shower room. The elsan unit is outside in the grey waste water area and it is one of those toilets in the ground with a sheet of plywood covering it that you have to lift off. We have all these mod cons nowadays, electric hook up, satellite TV’s, hot water and heating and I’m convinced Caravan Club sites do this on purpose just to keep things a bit Carry on Camping!
A very nice site indeed and the hot tub may well lure us back. If only there were some country lanes to explore or a nearby pub it would be perfect.
Leave a Reply