The Durham Ox

View prices & book 9.5 130 reviews
Aerial view of the site
Aerial view of the site
Aerial view
Beer garden
Roaring fire
The cosy bar
Dessert at the durham ox
Fish and chip night at the durham ox
Homemade soup
1/45
Aerial view
Beer garden
Roaring fire

  • Small caravan park behind a country pub in Thimbleby, Lincolnshire
  • Five minutes’ drive to the Wolds Wildlife Park; 40 minutes to Lincoln
  • Restaurant, bar and beer garden on site; shops five minutes’ drive
Fancying the idea of a few days exploring the Lincolnshire Wolds, but really don’t want to be cooking every day? Time to consider stopping over in the caravan park tucked neatly into leafy grounds behind The Durham Ox, a traditional country pub and restaurant in the village of Thimbleby. As well as being close to many big-hitting attractions like Lincoln Cathedral and Skegness, a stay at this quiet spot allows guests a discount on food when dining at The Durham Ox. Classic dishes like burgers and curry feature on the menu, along with fish and chips and lots of gooey desserts. In winter there’s a roaring fire in the snug, and summer sees the action move outside to the beer garden – you’ll just need to bear in mind that the pub closes on Monday and Tuesday. Small but perfectly formed, the caravan park has just a few pitches with electric hook-ups. neatly tucked into a leafy area in the grounds. If you should run out of any essentials, you can pick them up in the market town of Horncastle, just five minutes’ drive away.

Campground type

Caravan sites 5
RV & Motorhome sites 5
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • This campground/park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • This campground/park has no on-site toilet and shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No charcoal barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.5

Overall rating from 130 Pitchup.com customers

  • 74%
    10
  • 8%
    9
  • 12%
    8
  • 1%
    7
  • 1%
    6
  • 0%
    5
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Peaceful

97% would recommend this campground to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

This little, peaceful spot behind a friendly country pub gets top marks for its roomy, tidy gravel sites and great value. Punters rave about the yummy food at the Durham Ox, especially the cow pie. The staff are always called welcoming and helpful. It has the basics like water and waste disposal, with metered power available. While some note the absence of toilets and showers, this is generally understood to be why it's cheap and fine for those with their own facilities. The location's handy for checking out Horncastle and nearby.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 09/06/2026

Reviews page 1 of 13
Arrival date (latest first)

We had a lovely peaceful stay…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Louise L. 1 review

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked We had a lovely peaceful stay in our caravan at the Duram Ox. Perfectly located for exploring the local area and the multitude of antique shops.

We had a lovely meal in the Duram OX and had the most delicious deserts.

We especially enjoyed watching the wildlife and relaxing a beverage or two.

We will definitely return.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will return

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Patricia B. 4 reviews

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Lovely little site. Very clean and well maintained. Pub very good for food. Staff very friendly and welcoming. Nice short walk into Horncastle.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely peaceful setting with ehu at…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 9
 Debbie T. 9 reviews

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Lovely peaceful setting with ehu at small cost of needed , ideal for walking into horncastle , fabulous Italian restaurant called Montebello

Disliked Toilet facilities! Even though I was aware of it !!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great small site for an evening.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 No rating
Value for money
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Good hard standing pitch in a very quiet area away from the pub. Water, waste and hookup available, but no toilet or shower so you require your own facilities. We didn’t eat in the Durham Ox, however our neighbors did and they were very complimentary of the food.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent small site, pub and food excellent.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Nicholas V. 1 review

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Great welcome on arrival. Pitch was great. We went in the pub for evening meal and a drink, great atmosphere and food, the cow pie was fantastic all reasonably priced. This site is a hidden gem.

Disliked Nothing at all, we will definitely going back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Spacious pitches, good facilities to fill…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Hollie M. 1 review

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Spacious pitches, good facilities to fill up and empty waste.
Can't comment on pub as we're unable to use due to opening times and things we had planned in Lincoln. Will deffinately stay again. Great value for money

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent all round

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Trevor f. 2 reviews

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Great pitch,great food,fantastic hosts

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely spacious pitches with little gardens…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Nicola E. 2 reviews

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Lovely spacious pitches with little gardens behind and plenty of space to sit outside and around the caravan. Really warm and friendly welcome as always. The pub and restaurant is great, serving excellent food and there’s plenty of good walks direct from the site.

Disliked Nothing to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice little campsite great for pub.…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Michael O. 1 review

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Nice little campsite great for pub. Good beer.

Disliked Sunday lunch could have been better.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good food and a warm welcome from Jaqui, Kelly and staff

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Valerie M. 5 reviews

Power optional grass and gravel caravan site

Liked Well kept grounds and proximity to the pub

Disliked Nothing much, no showers or toilets but the bub is right there

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs 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 Laundry 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

Themes

Peaceful Walkers' paradise

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby

Type

Pub campground Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Surf school nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

The Durham Ox

Thimbleby

Horncastle

Lincolnshire

England

LN9 5RB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

53.21301°N
0.13706°W

Nearest transport

Coach
1.5 km Interchange Shelter
8.3 km St Peter's Church
8.3 km St Peter's Church
Rail
18.9 km Metheringham Rail Station
23.2 km Market Rasen Rail Station
24.6 km Thorpe Culvert Rail Station
Airport
43.5 km Humberside 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

Basing yourself at The Durham Ox means bags of stuff for all the family to do. Scenic walks wend their way across the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, and you can meander in the footsteps of Norse invaders along the Viking Trail from Horncastle (five minutes’ drive). If you’d rather watch someone else do all the work, catch the motor racing at Cadwell Park Circuit (15 minutes), or have a flutter on the horses at Market Rasen Racecourse (25 minutes). History abounds hereabouts; Lincoln (40 minutes) rewards your visit with a medieval castle and spectacular Gothic-era cathedral, while fans of aviation history can tour the Spitfires and Hurricanes at the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Visitors Centre at Coningsby (20 minutes). Kids with you? Consider a visit to the big cats and bears at the Wolds Wildlife Park (five minutes), or meet some of the cute rescue animals at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park (35 minutes). You might get lucky and see seals basking at Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve (45 minutes), while seaside Skegness (35 minutes) is the place for funfairs, mini-golf and summertime dips in the North Sea.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Sutton-On-Sea 30.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Mablethorpe Town 30.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Moggs Eye 31 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Anderby 31.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Chapel St Leonards 31.8 km Sea GoodExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Lincoln Medieval Bishops' Palace 26.7 km

Lincoln Cathedral 26.7 km

Lincoln Castle 26.9 km

Belton House 44 km

Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and Gardens 47.7 km

National Trust

Tattershall Castle 13 km

Gunby Hall Estate: Monksthorpe Chapel 20.5 km

Gunby Hall 22.4 km

Grantham House 47.2 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Horncastle - Viking Way - Woodhall Spa 1.4 km

SCRIVELSBY COURT 4.8 km

Battle of Winceby, 1643 7.1 km

Scamblesby - Belchford - Fulletby 9.3 km

Snipedales - Ashby Puerorum - Hagworthingham Circular 9.7 km

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.

Want to know more about camping in Lincolnshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Durham Ox have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Durham Ox dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Durham Ox? Basing yourself at The Durham Ox means bags of stuff for all the family to do. Scenic walks wend their way across the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, and you can meander in … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Durham Ox?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  noon –  9:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11:30 a.m.

    On arrival please park your unit as far to the left of the gravel area of your pitch as you can and 3 meters off the boundary fence, then check in at the pub.

    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Durham Ox? From $22.86 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.