Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite

Liked: Great peaceful very friendly site with all the facilities you need for a fantastic camping experience.
Dog friendly too which is a bonus
We had a great sleep ready for our journey to Scotland the next day
A great location for seeing north east ie Durham Hartlepool Newcastle etc
Owner was very friendly and welcoming and gave us great information on arrival of where the facilities were.

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Liked: Absolutely beautiful site booked again for August

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Liked: Absolutely brilliant specially as restaurant is dog friendly big bonus as we could take our doggy in with us have already booked again site is well maintained

Disliked: None

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Liked: As soon as we got there, the owner, an older gentlemen, I didn't catch his name so please forgive me, he couldn't do enough for us! He made sure we had the electric hook up & that it reached our tent (we did have our own but he said he had one, saves us packing ours away when finished with it I suppose 🙈) & then we forgot out pump for the tent... nightmare! But the camping community are one of the more generous & again, with the help of the owner, we managed to borrow one off another camper, truly grateful! The site is split into 2 parts, the touring & then the tents, like most sites that accommodate both, the electric points are close to the tent also, there was no pre-paid card like it states on the webiste though & this certainly wasn't 30p per kwh. We were required to pay £10 as well as the cost to stay. There is a pub on site & the food looked like lovely british pub food when we popped in to pay on arrival. There is a park on site as well as toilet & shower facilities, also washing up & a waste disposal point.

Disliked: The grass is uneven which makes for awkward lumps & bumps under the tent & loose bits because the ground is uneven & the guy lines can't be tightened properly to prevent this (hope that makes sense).
There is a train track about 200 yards from the site & about every 5-10 minutes there's a train going passed & its quite loud, this stopped at around about 23:30 & started again at about 7am. There is no barrier from the site to the track (or at least it was broken in places) so very unsafe for children who may wonder.
The toilet blocks could do with someone popping in every so often through the day as there were times where I tidied up after someone else, and child had obviously pressed the soap pump & there was soap all over the sink & another time someone had put the toilet roll tube down the toilet... could have easily been a mistake but again, just someone popping in to give it a once over a few times a day to keep it tidy 😊
Another thing I disliked, but you would get anywhere really, there was a family right in the middle of the site & one man clearly couldn't handle his alcohol and was shouting very aggressively at a child, very threatening and abusive things. Luckily this noise stopped at about midnight... I say luckily because we weren't too bothered as we were (trying) to enjoy a rare child free night away, but if we'd of had our children it would have been a different story.

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Liked: Very nice stay at this site , friendly people both in the site and the pub area , I would definitely recommend for touring vehicles

Disliked: Nothing

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Liked: The friendly and helpful staff. Showed us where to place caravan. Helped with the electric.
Went to the on site pub for tea. The food was great and well priced. Service good too. Even made a fuss of our old dog who was welcome. It is noisey from trains going past frequently but that didn't bother us

Disliked: Nothing

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Liked: Nice little campsite, lovely staff very friendly and helpful not far from the centre, 11 minute bike ride.

Disliked: Thought the £10 a night for electric was a little steep said on the website that it would be a prepaid card but once we got there is was £10 a night.
Toilets and shower blocks need an update one of the showers did not drain water

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Liked: Thoroughly enjoyed our 2 night stay this weekend. The staff were brilliant and couldn’t do enough for us from the minute we arrived. The pub and restaurant was amazing. We did take food to cook ourselves but after eating in there on night 1, we couldn’t resist it for night 2. The food was unbelievable. All fresh and home cooked and prices were very reasonable. Being able to have a camp fire makes our caravaning trips and it’s very rare you get sites that allow this. We will definitely be back in the near future with our kids this time.

Disliked: Nothing

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Liked: What a great, friendly site! We stayed for two nights and really enjoyed it. The setting is fab ( so handy for the A1 and would be the perfect stop-over e.g. travelling from Scotland to the South of UK) and the whole vibe easy-going and laid back. Ruth, Henry and family who run it are so helpful and personable, they couldn't have been nicer and it was a sheer joy to meet the lovely grandchildren. The pub on site is excellent and was very busy both nights we were there ( you may need to book if you want to eat) lush warm, homely atmosphere. Local artisans sell some of their wares within, such a lovely touch. Excellent value too! £44 for two nights plus ehu. Top-up card with added £10 for electricity was plenty for us, even though it was icy cold frost both nights we were there ( and ran small oil-filled heater all night for 2 berth van plus fridge). Would recommend and would definitely go back as Locomotion museum worth a second visit at the very least!

Disliked: Toilets and showers a bit basic still, but perfectly functionable.

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Liked: Henry was so helpful went above and beyond to help and make sure our stay was comfortable food in hotel was amazing as were staff

Disliked: Nothing

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