Farsyde Farm

On arrival at Farsyde Farm on the North Yorkshire coast, most campers pitch tents and then make a beeline for picturesque Robin Hood’s Bay. Its fish and chips and ice creams are just a mile’s clifftop walk from here. But proximity to fish and chips and ice cream are just one of this campsite’s charms. Others are its back-to-basics approach to camping, the horses and sheep in the surrounding fields and, perhaps best of all, the view from your pitch; all countryside, cliffs and sea.

From sunrise when the cockerel might wake you, to sunset when the barn owl and bats appear, this place immerses you in the great outdoors. And the drama doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. This is the North York Moors National Park, an International Dark Skies Reserve, where the stars seem to shine brighter.

With no electricity on site, Farsyde Farm is doing its bit to keep light pollution low – so don’t go forgetting your torch. In fact, there’s not much here to distract you from your surroundings at all; a couple of loos, a rustic hot water shower and a washing up sink – that’s it. It’s a simple site for campers who need nothing more than the essentials and plenty of space to have a good time. The camping field is three acres with a pitch-where-you-please policy for the 10 tents and five campervans that are allowed at a time. That leaves plenty of room for kids to run about in and for dogs, who are welcome here, to be walked.

For longer walkies (with or without the dog), there are plenty of options. In fact, you needn’t get back in the car for the duration of your stay if you don’t want to. You can set out on foot and reach the Cleveland Way National Trail in a matter of minutes. Then turn right for the short walk to Boggle Hole for swimming or left for the picturesque fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay. Seven miles beyond is Whitby and its Gothic abbey. Leave site in the other direction, heading away from the sea, and you soon hit the Cinder Trail, a disused railway track that’s been repurposed for yet more walking, family-friendly cycling and horse riding.