Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite

View prices & book 7.8 60 reviews
View across the site
View across the site
Hardstanding and grass pitches
Pub at the front of campsite available for food and drinks
Beer garden
Level grass pitches surrounded by fields
A general view of the site
Camping field protected by mature trees
Plenty of seating in the pub beer garden
1/38
New
Hardstanding and grass pitches
Pub at the front of campsite available for food and drinks
Beer garden

  • Family-run site at a County Durham pub surrounded by the countryside
  • Durham and Raby Castle, Park and Gardens both 25 minutes’ drive
  • Restaurant and beer garden on site; supermarkets five minutes' drive
There’s much to see and do in County Durham, so it’s only right that you pick a nice base to unwind after a day’s exploration. And a very good choice would be Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite, a laidback spot barely five minutes’ drive from Newton Aycliffe and with one very important USP… It has pedestrian access to the Hammer and Pincers (closed on Mondays, and open at varied times in the afternoon and/or evening), a pub with a restaurant and a spacious beer garden, where you can dodge any self-catering issues with a menu of good home-cooked food for lunch and evening meals. The site has well-kept grass pitches tucked in between the trees and surrounded by scenic countryside. There is a convenient facilities block with showers, loos and a washing-up. If you’re after entertainment, there’s an occasional schedule of live music events at the pub. A trainline runs along the bottom of the site, so there is some noise around the site. Supermarkets, shops and a train station are just over in Newton Aycliffe, five minutes' drive away. Here, you're only a 35- to 40-minute drive from the seaside towns of Hartlepool and Seaham, too. More inland, the boundaries of the North Pennines National Landscape are half an hour's drive away.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 30
Tent pitches 30
Motorhome pitches 30
Open all year
Opens

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • The charging of electric vehicles is not permitted on site.
  • Electricity is metered on site at £0.30 per kWh and must be paid onsite using a pre-paid topup card. Please note there may be noise from the train line running along the bottom of the site.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
Other options

Reviews

7.8

Overall rating from 60 Pitchup.com customers

  • 36%
    10
  • 8%
    9
  • 26%
    8
  • 5%
    7
  • 6%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 5%
    4
  • 3%
    3
  • 3%
    2
  • 3%
    1
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 6
Budget/backpacker

73% would recommend this site to a friend

70% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a friendly, small campsite with a popular on-site pub. Guests frequently praise the welcoming and helpful staff. Facilities are generally clean, although some mention they are a little dated. A significant number of reviews highlight noise from the nearby train line and occasional wedding functions as a drawback, with some finding it disruptive. Pitches can be uneven. The site is considered good value and convenient for stopovers.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

The owners were lovely and very helpful Just off A1…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Heather M.

Electric optional hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked The owners were lovely and very helpful
Just off A1

Disliked Very uneven pitches and almost impossible to level caravan which was ok for one night.
Toilets very basic and not clean but think it customers just not cleaning up after themselves. When I went in showers had rubbish and hairs everywhere
Strong smell from what looked like standing water/sewage in nearby field

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nous ne le recommandons pas

Overall

2 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Alain T.

Electric optional hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Nous avons beau chercher mais nous sommes déçus de la prestation.

Disliked Le site n’était pas propre.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff, helpful and chatty. Great for the dog.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Debbie C.

Non-electric grass and gravel pitch

Liked Friendly and welcoming staff.

Disliked Nothing really, the tent field is quite large, so chose your pitch carefully of you want a flat one! It does have a train track, but the trains stop at midnight and resume at 6am and didn't disturb too much.

Recommend to friends Visit again

To be fair would be fine for a party pitch

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 2
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Tish G.

Non-electric grass and gravel pitch

Liked Pub was lovely and staff were nice

Disliked Ground was very uneven pitched right on railway line which we knew but wasnt expecting trains every 10 mins or so🤦‍♀️until about 12 then workmen on line from 4ish

Recommend to friends Visit again

Help from the owner when we discovered our fridge wasn’t working on…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
DAVID C.

Non-electric grass and gravel pitch

Liked Help from the owner when we discovered our fridge wasn’t working on propane

Recommend to friends Visit again

Enjoyable

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 9
Ken B.

Electric optional hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Friendly and very helpful staff

Recommend to friends Visit again

Bring ear plugs and toilet rolls. OK for the price

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 1
Terri H.

Non-electric grass and gravel pitch

Liked Small site so not loads of people
Friendly owners
Toilets were clean

Disliked Only a hedge separating the tent field and the train line so trains very loud all day and night
Play park was a little tikes climbing frame and play house
Grass not level and covered in thorny nettles so kids were covered in stings from playing
Nowhere to dry hands in toilets
No toilet rolls for most of the weekend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Close access to pub. Good facilities too…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
David P.

Non-electric grass and gravel pitch

Liked Close access to pub. Good facilities too

Disliked Train noise every 20 mins from 5am

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good pub, but very noisy with passing trains.

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 3
Anonymous

Non-electric grass and gravel pitch

Liked The pub is lovely. Small play area for the children.

Disliked The tent field is right next to the main train line. Very noisy but you do start to get used to it. This place is not for you if you're wanting peace and quiet. Also a popular venue for weddings etc, so it's very noisy with loud music. Field has a little slope so pitch with this in mind.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very good for price would stay again

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 3
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Andrew H.

Electric optional hardstanding and grass pitch

Liked Pub

Disliked Noise neighbours

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pub campsite

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite

Preston Lane

Newton Aycliffe

Co. Durham

England

DL5 6JH

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.60898°N
1.54143°W

Nearest transport

Coach
5.9 mi Dolphin Centre
9.7 mi Roseberry Road
9.7 mi Swan Hotel
Rail
1.8 mi Heighington Rail Station
2 mi Newton Aycliffe Rail Station
4 mi Shildon Rail Station
Ferry
12.7 mi Transporter Bridge South Side
12.7 mi Transporter Bridge North Side
26.8 mi Newcastle International Ferry Terminal
Airport
8.1 mi Durham Tees Valley Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

There are loads of outdoor activities to keep the family happy: golfers can be out on the greens within 15 minutes’ drive, and there’s much alfresco fun to be had on wakeboards or kayaking at the North East Wake Park (10 minutes’ drive). There are plenty of options of a cultural nature in the region too. Raby Castle, Park and Gardens (25 minutes) has tours of opulent interiors, fabulous gardens, a kids’ adventure playground and a deer park for family walks. Visit The Bowes Museum (35 minutes) for its important collection of Spanish paintings, and in summer, book tickets for the historic outdoor extravaganza ‘Kynren’ in Bishop Auckland (15 minutes). If the kids are not objecting to all the history, set off for Durham (25 minutes) to explore the UNESCO-listed cathedral and castle. However, if tiny tempers are getting fractious, make a detour to Adventure Valley (35 minutes) for an afternoon of blowing cobwebs away on the crazy golf course and go-kart track.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Crimdon 14.3 mi Sea GoodExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaton Carew North 14.7 mi Sea N/AN/AGoodGood
Seaton Carew Centre 14.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaton Carew North Gare 15.3 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaham Beach 18.4 mi Sea N/AGoodExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Locomotion:The National Railway Museum at Shildon 4.2 mi

Durham Cathedral 11.4 mi

Durham Castle 11.6 mi

mima 12.6 mi

Captain Cook Birthplace Museum 13.5 mi

National Trust

Moulton Hall 13.4 mi

Ormesby Hall 15.1 mi

Mount Grace Priory 18.3 mi

Washington Old Hall 20.3 mi

Gibside 22.8 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Brafferton 1.6 mi

WINDLESTONE HALL 3.4 mi

Hardwick Hall Country Park (Durham) 4.4 mi

HARDWICK PARK 4.5 mi

Ceddesfeld Hall Gardens 4.8 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Co. Durham?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite? There are loads of outdoor activities to keep the family happy: golfers can be out on the greens within 15 minutes’ drive, and there’s much alfresco fun to be had on wakeboards … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  12 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite? From £20 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.