Golden Square Caravan & Camping Park
North Yorkshire
Five-star family park on three terraces above Helmsley, inside the national park
About Golden Square Caravan & Camping Park
Golden Square sits on former farmland at Oswaldkirk, a few minutes south of Helmsley and just inside the national park boundary. The site is laid out across three broad terraces cut into a south-facing slope, which is what makes it work: instead of one open field, you get a series of smaller enclosures separated by mature trees and hedging, so pitches feel private and the views out over farmland, forest and the moors beyond are unobstructed from most of them. There are around 130 touring pitches for caravans, motorhomes and tents, with grass and hardstanding options and electric hook-up widely available.
Facilities are the reason this park keeps winning awards. Two heated shower and toilet blocks have underfloor heating and private cubicles, and there is a separate accessible bathroom, a laundry, a motorhome service point and gas sales. An on-site shop covers basics and camping gas, and free wi-fi reaches most of the park. Families are well served with two outdoor play areas, an indoor play barn for wet afternoons, crazy golf and a football field, and there is bike hire and coarse fishing on site.
For exploring, the location is hard to fault. Helmsley, with its castle, walled garden and unusually good food shops, is a short drive or a decent walk, and Rievaulx Abbey, Sutton Bank and Duncombe Park are all within twenty minutes. Ampleforth and the quiet lanes of the Howardian Hills start immediately outside the gate, which makes this a good base for cyclists as well as walkers. Dogs are welcome throughout, with dog-walking fields on site. The park opens from early March to the end of October.