Crockey Hill

Crockey Hill is not a hotel destination in its own right – it is a small roadside village on the A19 with a handful of local businesses rather than guest houses – but its position just two or three miles south of York makes it a sensible option if you want quieter, cheaper accommodation than the city centre while still being a short drive or bus ride from the Minster, the Shambles and York’s city walls. Anyone booking a hotel for this area is really booking a base for York, so it is worth deciding first whether you want to be inside the walls for an evening stroll to the Minster, or just outside them for easier parking and lower prices. Fulford, the nearest York suburb, sits between Crockey Hill and the city centre and has a scattering of guest houses along the main road, with the Designer Outlet and the York bypass making onward travel straightforward whichever direction you are heading. Families touring by car often prefer this southern approach to York, since it avoids the more congested routes into the city from the north and west, and it puts the A64 and A1(M) within easy reach for onward trips into the Yorkshire Wolds, Selby or further afield. Expect a fairly ordinary mix of budget and mid-range chain hotels and independent guest houses in the surrounding villages and suburbs rather than anything distinctive in Crockey Hill itself; the appeal here is practicality and value rather than a destination hotel experience. Booking ahead is sensible during the York race meetings and over the summer and Christmas markets period, when demand across the whole city and its outskirts rises sharply and prices follow suit.

Crockey Hill itself is residential and agricultural rather than a visitor destination, but it is superbly placed for days out in and around York.

• York Designer Outlet – a large outlet shopping centre at the A19/A64 junction, about a mile north of the village, with well over 100 stores.
• York city centre – the Minster, the medieval Shambles, the city walls and JORVIK Viking Centre are all under three miles away and easily reached by car or bus.
• Pool Bridge Farm – an outdoor swimming spot in the village itself, a popular local warm-weather attraction.
• Wheldrake Ings – a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve on the flood meadows of the River Derwate, a few miles south-east, good for wintering wildfowl and summer wildflowers.
• Fulford and the York Bar Walls – the closest built-up suburb of York, with the Millennium Bridge footpath into the city centre along the River Ouse.

The village has a transport café serving travellers on the A19, along with a fruit and vegetable stall, but for a proper meal out most visitors head into York or to the Designer Outlet, both a short drive away, where there is a much wider choice of pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Crockey Hill sits in the flat, gently drained farmland of the Vale of York, a landscape of arable fields, dykes and hedgerows rather than dramatic scenery, but one that suits a simple, low-key camping trip within easy reach of a major city. As everywhere in England, wild camping without the landowner’s permission is not legal, so a proper campsite or a caravan club Certificated Location is the way to go, and Crockey Hill itself is home to one: a small, peaceful Certificated Location on Wheldrake Lane with a large flat field, electric hook-ups, well-draining sandy ground suited to early and late-season pitches, and a rural setting screened by mature trees and hedges, though it has no shower or toilet block, so a self-contained motorhome or caravan is the practical choice here. Its big selling point is location: only around ten minutes from York city centre, with direct bus links into town and member discounts at attractions such as Clifford’s Tower and the JORVIK Viking Centre, so campers can spend the day exploring the Minster and the Shambles and come back to a quiet, rural pitch in the evening rather than paying for accommodation inside the city walls. The flat terrain and easy A19/A64 access also make it a convenient overnight stop for longer tours up and down the eastern side of England. Spring through autumn is the most comfortable window, when the ground is firmer and the long evenings suit sitting out; the well-draining sandy land does, however, extend the useful camping season into early spring and late autumn compared with heavier clay sites nearby. Campers wanting more comfort, including showers and toilets, should look to the larger commercial sites and glamping options dotted around York and the Vale of York, several of which offer pods, safari tents or static caravans with full facilities, useful if you are travelling without your own toilet and shower set-up. Whichever option you choose, book ahead for the summer months and during major York events, when both campsites and the city itself get busy.