Thornton Hall Farm & Camping Review

 Today we are reviewing the award-winning Thornton Hall Country Park located in Thornton-in-Craven in Skipton in North Yorkshire. We had the pleasure of visiting Thornton Hall Farm for Pumpkin picking last year in October, and now we have purchased our first Caravan, we thought it was a great opportunity to write up a Thornton Hall Camping and Thornton Hall Farm review at the same time. The kids loved the pumpkin picking, soft play and animal encounters last time, so we were keen to go back and do it all again and take our caravan along for the ride (quite literally).

 

Thornton Hall Camping Review

First of all, I want to talk about our Thornton Hall Camping experience with our new Xplore 586 caravan. This was our 3rd outing in the caravan that we bought in October, so we are still very much newbies when it comes to camping.

We purchased a caravan because we love the idea of exploring as a family and being free to go wherever we want in the UK in our spare time. After being back home for a couple of weeks we decided we were ready for another mini adventure and took a look on the website ‘pitch up’ to find somewhere we could go nearby that has something to do with the kids.

To our delight, we found out that Thornton Hall Country Park also has a family run small camp site which was perfect, we fancied a nice cosy night in the caravan and a fun day out the next day, so this was perfect for us and we had been before so we knew the kids would love it.

I do love the idea of being near a town too so we can venture out if we want to, Skipton was only a 15-minute drive away from the campsite/ farm park and I have been to Skipton a few times and really like it there.

 

The Thornton Hall Campsite

The Thornton Hall Campsite was small but had everything we needed, we have the choice of a grass pitch or a hard pitch, we did opt for grass, but next time we would probably go for the hard pitch because we found the grass pitch muddy especially this time of year. It was absolutely fine but not something we were fully prepared for (not all of us had wellies etc).

The pitch we chose had electricity which meant we could hook it up directly to the caravan and have our TV and all heating and electrics working for the duration, we always opt for this because we love our cosy TV programmes and our caravan Alexa for music too.

Facilities on the Campsite

On the campsite, there are no shops so you will need to bring your own food and supplies. There is a shower and toilet facility which was very clean and well-kept, it was open 24/7, and that is also where we filled our water tank each time.

The views at Thornton Hall Camping site were absolutely stunning, and we really enjoyed staying here. I had pre-made a chicken pie we had in the caravan, played some board games and spent quality time together – it was lovely. We didn’t end up leaving the caravan.

This campsite is the perfect place to stay if you are planning on visiting the farm or heading into Skipton. You also have nearby walks, like Pendle hill too. If you are looking for a walk, I would recommend looking on the app “All Trails” I love that app for finding nice walks that suit your fitness level.

WIFI at Thornton Hall Caravan Park

The camp site had no WIFI, but we have built-in WIFI in our caravan, so it didn’t matter to us if you need WIFI you might be best getting a portable EE box for your camping trip or getting it fitted in your caravan like ours this honestly does make life so much easier when travelling.

If you stay on the campsite you do get a discount off the farm, so make sure you book your stay first before buying your tickets.

Thornton Hall Farm Opening Times

Open year round with lots of fun special event days and live entertainment.

10am -4:30pm slots available (weekends and school holidays)

10am – 3pm (term time, Monday – Friday from March 23rd 2023)

Last entry is one hour before close.

CLOSED ON TUESDAYS – WEDNESDAYS UNTIL 22ND MARCH 2023

 We recommend booking tickets in advance to save money. You can visit their website here.

Car Parking

There is free parking available to all visitors.

 

What ages is this Farm recommended for?

Anyone that likes animals but we would say from 0 – 12 years to make the most of the farm, rides and soft play area.

 

Prices

Adult & 1 Child £12.95

Additional child £7.95

Under 1’s FREE

Additional adults £3.95

 Facilities and Rides

Toilets and Baby changing facilities are available.

 

Can we take our own food to the Farm?

You can bring your own picnic, there are lots of benches available for you to sit at and enjoy your lunch. There is also a food cart selling drinks and food outside. The Diner in the soft play area is great so if you are open to eating out, you will not want to miss out on the delicious food this place has to offer.

 

Is the Farm pushchair friendly?

The farm is pushchair and wheelchair friendly.

 

What is the Farm like?

Thornton Hall Farm is a beautiful award-winning working farm which means that you can interact with the animals on a close level. We noticed that in the spring you can take part in feeding the lamb and calves, collecting hens’ eggs too which we would be keen to do next time.

When entering the farm, you have the opportunity to purchase some animal food, I would recommend this because it does make the experience even better for your children. It took George a while to get brave enough to feed the animals, but when he saw his dad feeding them he got involved and couldn’t stop. Each farm area has a tap, soap and hand-drying paper towels to avoid any germs being spread from the animals.

We saw loads of animals including; lambs, chickens, Llamas, donkeys, pigs, alpacas, rabbits, goats, cows, and ponies.

We also went on the caterpillar ride (usually an additional £2) which is where a quad drives you around the fields in your own cart, I went in with Olivia-Grace, and George went in his own cart, it was really fun.

 

 

The Soft Play Area at Thornton Hall Farm

The soft play is incredible, and even if you travelled all the way here just to go to the soft play area, it would be totally worth it.

They had an area perfect for Olivia-Grace our daughter (1 year old) and they had a bigger play area section for the “big kids” like my husband and George. We were really impressed by the soft play area, and it was also very clean which was nice to see.

In addition to this area, there is also a roleplay area for young kids.

If you are thinking of getting food at the farm, I would recommend visiting the diner which is located in the soft play area. The pizza and burgers are amazing, we loved ours so much, so I meant to take a picture but completely forgot.

There are plenty of seating available and plenty of high chairs so you can watch your children whilst you eat. For dessert I recommend the brownie, we got one of those, and it was so nice.

Summary

We enjoyed the whole experience from start to finish from waking up to the breathtaking countryside to hands-on animal encounters with the little ones. We will definitely be back in the Spring or Summer, and we can’t wait.

If you are looking for days out with your family, you can read our recent Nickelodeon Land Review here.