Swallowtails

View prices & book 9.1 95 reviews
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Around the site
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Small pitch
Family fun
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1/48
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Pitches
Pitches

  • Small, friendly site 15 minutes' walk from the centre of Pickering
  • Flamingo Land Resort and Go Ape Dalby within 15 minutes' drive
  • Play area and playroom on site; communal campfire and pizza nights
What sort of location do you want for your North Yorkshire break – somewhere rural and peaceful or a handy town location so you can get to shops, pubs and places to eat without having to get in the car? Mix both of these together and you'll have the excellent setting of Swallowtails, a small site on the edge of Pickering. This place ticks a whole lot of boxes on the location front – it’s on the edge of the North York Moors National Park for your rural rambles, it’s about 40 minutes' drive from the coast for your beach days, and within easy walking distance (about 15 minutes or so) of Pickering’s shops, cafés and places to eat (and its heritage railway station too). Options for days out nearby are plentiful, as you’ll also be within easy reach of the thrills of both Flamingo Land and the Go Ape course and mountain bike trails in Dalby Forest. Swallowtails is a fairly small-scale campsite but it's got a big heart – and a good list of facilities too, with an outdoor play area and an indoor playroom, a shared kitchen and a bathroom block with showers and toilets. Pitches all have electric and water hook-ups to keep life nice and easy, and there’s a sociable communal campfire area where you can gather for chatty evenings by the fire (although you're also welcome to bring your own raised firepit if you wish). Being on the edge of Pickering means it’s easy to get into town for an evening out if you like, but do make sure you’re back on site if it's pizza night, when guests gather once a week for tasty treats from the two outdoor pizza ovens.

Campground type

RV & Motorhome sites 9
Tent sites 9
Rent a tent 5
Open all year
Opens
Please note

General

  • Entertainment and activities are available between 23/07 and 21/08.

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Dogs

  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

Reception

  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Vehicles

  • Units longer than 7 metres are not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Site types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesRV & Motorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

9.1

Overall rating from 95 Pitchup.com customers

  • 55%
    10
  • 20%
    9
  • 9%
    8
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    7
  • 3%
    6
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    5
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    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 7
Peaceful

93% would recommend this campground to a friend

93% would stay here again

What customers say

Great little, friendly spot near Pickering, perfect for walks. Facilities (showers, playground) are good and clean. Owners are a legend! Some reckon pitches are a bit tight, and a couple mentioned basic loos and dodgy electrics, but the owners are sorting it.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 04/08/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 10
Arrival date (latest first)

The perfect little camping spot for families.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
 Carly R. 3 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (large)

Liked It was simply gorgeous. I stayed with my son and nephew and we loved it. The staff were incredibly helpful. I had forgotten my tent pegs too, but the staff were armed and ready with spares! The site had many games to keep the kids entertained and the facilities were really good! The site was very clean and Marianne was really friendly and helpful! We would definitely recommend and will be back. I'm not sure if there is any WIFI, but I didn't ask.

Disliked There was nothing to dislike.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice site and all staff were…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Martin W. 2 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (large)

Liked Nice site and all staff were very friendly and helpful

Disliked Not a fan of porta loos sorry 😢

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would recommend

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Marcus J P. 5 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (medium)

Liked Fab location, wonderful facilities. Mark and Marianne were so warm and welcoming. Communication was excellent.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fijne kleine camping, schoon, warme douches.…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
 Susan T. 1 review

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (medium)

Liked Fijne kleine camping, schoon, warme douches. Locatie top! Superleuk dorp met alles wat je maar nodig hebt voor een fijne vakantie op loopafstand. Aardige eigenaren. Mooie omgeving. We waren nog lang niet uitgekeken.

Disliked Een wasmachine voor vieze kleding was een fijne extra geweest.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful,yet convenient for walking into Pickering…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
 Susan H. 4 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (large)

Liked Peaceful,yet convenient for walking into Pickering and the hosts were really friendly and helpful

Disliked Wasn't keen on the pigeon flapping about in the shower,just needs roof space netting off to keep them out of the shower area

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, nice and peaceful…

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
Kevin R. 1 review

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (large)

Liked Lovely site, nice and peaceful

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to review Swallowtails. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future.😊

Showers were awesome. Mark was lovely…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Paul K. 4 reviews

Unpowered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (small)

Liked Showers were awesome. Mark was lovely

Disliked Very scruffy. Nothing a strimmer and hedge trimmer can't sort. Foul smell of sewage near the toilets. Needs some love.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to review Swallowtails. Sorry to hear that you were not totally happy with your stay. However, we would disagree that the campsite is generally scruffy and in need of 'love', and expensive (we are actually one of the cheaper campsites in the area as we charge for the pitch and not per person. We also do not charge for dogs and don't charge for electricity).
We regularly cut the grass and strim. The long grass that you pointed out to one of our staff around the edge of our luxury yurts is deliberately left long to stop wind going under the yurts and blowing through the floorboards. The rest of the site is well strimmed and taken care of. We would definitely not describe our campsite as 'scruffy'.
The odour you mentioned has now gone. We just needed to change the filter on the tank which is well away from any pitches. If you had mentioned this whilst you were here, we would have happily changed the filter for you. We think you are being a little harsh on us and the vast majority of our reviews reflect that our guests enjoy their stay with us.

Lovely friendly quiet site. Facilities 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
Christine R. 6 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (large)

Liked Lovely friendly quiet site. Facilities excellent and very clean. Locality very good. Rural yet close to Pickering town. Lots of walking.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to review Swallowtails. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future.😊

Warm welcome when arriving at site,…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (large)

Liked Warm welcome when arriving at site, explained all site rules and where facilities were located.
Clean facilities and well maintained.
Communal fire pit.
Location ideal for day trip to the seaside.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to review Swallowtails. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future.😊

Great quiet site - fantastic facilities…

Overall

9 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
Kayleigh D. 2 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or motorhome site (medium)

Liked Great quiet site - fantastic facilities for kids will definitely be back

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for taking the time to review Swallowtails. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future.😊

Features

Dogs allowed

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 Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Themes

Leave the car at home Luxury Peaceful Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge 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

Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site

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

Swallowtails

Wayside

Goslipgate

Pickering

North Yorkshire

England

YO18 8EQ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.23749°N
0.7837°W

Nearest transport

Coach
0.9 km The Royal Oak
24.3 km Sunday School
24.3 km Playing Fields
Rail
11.8 km Malton Rail Station
22.3 km Egton Rail Station
22.4 km Grosmont Rail Station
Ferry
48.2 km Transporter Bridge South Side
48.2 km Transporter Bridge North Side

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 of course lots of walks to try in the North York Moors National Park – a couple of favourite spots include the trails around the Hole of Horcum (15 minutes’ drive) and Mallyan Spout Waterfall (25 minutes). To take in some of the scenery from a different angle, climb into the trees at Go Ape Dalby (15 minutes) or settle in for a viewsome ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (five minutes’ walk). Getting to know a bit about the area might involve outings to Ryedale Folk Museum or Eden Camp Modern History Museum (both 15 minutes' drive), covering different aspects of the region's past. Scampston Hall & Walled Garden (20 minutes) is another nice spot to visit, with some lovely trails through parkland and gardens designed by Capability Brown. A couple of top picks for family outings are the rides of Flamingo Land Resort (10 minutes) and the beaches, castle and amusements of Scarborough (40 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Scarborough North Bay 25.2 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood
Scarborough South Bay 25.7 km Sea PoorPoorPoorPoor
Robin Hoods Bay 26.9 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood
Cayton Bay 27.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Whitby 30.1 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

North Yorkshire Moors Railway 1 km

Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo 3.9 km

Dalby Forest Visitor Centre 7.5 km

Kew at Castle Howard 15.2 km

Castle Howard 15.2 km

National Trust

Bridestones, Crosscliff and Blakey Topping 11.6 km

Nunnington Hall 13 km

Rievaulx Terrace 21.4 km

Yorkshire Coast 26.1 km

Treasurer's House 36.2 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Pickering to Levisham Station by Train - Return on Foot 1.1 km

Lockton - Stain Dale - Bride Stones - Lockton 8.6 km

Lockton and Levisham 8.7 km

EBBERSTON HALL 10.2 km

SCAMPSTON HALL 10.9 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 North Yorkshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Swallowtails have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Swallowtails dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Swallowtails? There are of course lots of walks to try in the North York Moors National Park – a couple of favourite spots include the trails around the Hole of Horcum (15 minutes’ … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Swallowtails?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Swallowtails? From $51.54 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.