Although this is a growing & improving craven/camping site once a year, 1st weekend of September…read morethe "Stormin the castle" motorcycle rally takes place. It's been going some 20 years this year. About 3 or 4 thousand turn up & have a great time. The local community welcome the bikers in pubs & shops without issue, although I'm sure the volume of the music is an issue for some. The site itself is in a nice location with a small but perfectly formed castle nestling in the trees. Open fields surround the caravan/ holiday home areas. The castle has the amenities located within ie bars & food. The site is located in the area of weardale & teesdale, perfect for visiting local attractions & the city of Durham. I would certainly recommend it both for the bike rally & a place to take a vacation.

Not the ordinary holiday rental, the cosy Coble Cottage (one of a small complex of rentals) easily…read morecompetes with their plentiful local contemporaries and even the hotels. When dealing with the proprietors they were very accommodating, courteous and highly flexible be it by phone, e-mail or face to face. Although they almost lost our business initially when someone not of the business answered and we had the impression it was a wrong number, a minor oversight and probably a one off issue. From then onwards they provided a travel cot and high chair at our request and kept in contact as to better tailor our needs. Not many places would be so amenable and purchase extra facilities. A finer touch was for the property to have been decorated festively for our stay over the Christmas period with Cava and two boxes of chocolates upon arrival. Coble Cottage is the smallest of the properties but you wouldn't notice, it is ample for a couple and a child and workable for two couples. The main living area is open plan and beautifully flooded with natural light from many windows. Together with the contemporary decoration the natural light gives a very light and relaxed mood to the area. A two seater and single seater surround a sizeable TV above a Wii and various books and games. Although the kitchen has a washer there is no where to dry ones clothes other than the heated towel rails but this is okay for underwear and baby bibs for example. A stone floor does mean cold feet so if you are likely affected by such an issue bring slippers. The master bedroom features a Juliet balcony and two sizeable windows, again a small room is brought to life although the access to the bed itself is leg room only. The wardrobe comes fitted with plenty of good quality hangers and was a pleasant surprise. The second bedroom although small is ample if one is of a tidy disposition. The single bed hides another slide out bed underneath so although having the capacity for two couples it could become stressful without a little tidy up each day. I would suggest groups of more than three choose one of the larger properties unless staying only a short while. The ablution facilities are a selling point indeed with a downstairs lavatory featuring with it's own sink with neat storage. The towel rails are constantly heated which makes drying your towels almost instantaneous. The main bathroom features a luxuriously deep and long bath (it will cover you), and the hot water is all but instant and without end. Bring your own towelling robes unless you feel at ease with your body image as there are one or two small windows are not able to be covered potentially exposing you in a dash downstairs for a midnight snack. The parking is ample during the off peak season but within 21 Mar 30 Sep the parking restrictions are in force drastically limiting your options. There is a small area to pull into and offload your car leading into the central courtyard though. To summarise, Coast 2 Coast Holidays have created a well appointed contemporary living solution which in itself is likely in short supply locally. They offer tremendous value for what you receive which may tempt you into extending if possible. I gave five stars even with the potential on-peak parking issue due to the comparison to their contemporaries. Only minor issues could be looked into such as: (a) The main door lock being stiff to use. (b) A small handheld vacuum to get people through the longer stays.