Swalefolk Camping

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 7.8 4 reviews
Easby Abbey in the distance.
Easby abbey in the distance.
Pitching area
Camping meadow
Camping field
Pitching field
Bell tent interior
Grass pitches
Reception tent and honesty shop
1/20
New
Pitching area
Camping meadow
Camping field

  • Peaceful, leafy pop-up site with Easby Abbey views in North Yorkshire
  • Yorkshire Dales National Park 10 minutes’ drive; Reeth 20 minutes
  • On the Coast to Coast Walk; restaurants and shops five minutes’ drive
Small, simple and family-run are the watchwords at pop-up Swalefolk Camping. The site is set amid peaceful farming parkland on the immediate outskirts of Richmond – the gateway to the northern dales – in North Yorkshire. Guests can be at the pretty marketplace within a three-minute drive or only a 10- to 15-minute walk. Reception is in a tent in the main camping field, surrounded by mature trees; it has a simple shop selling local produce like chutneys and jams, and renting out stuff you might forget to pack, such as teapots and cafetières. From the site, there are views towards Easby Abbey and the River Swale in the fields beyond. It's family-friendly here, with plenty of space for kids to run around and explore; well-controlled pets are welcome to join in the fun too. No-frills hot showers, washing-up facilities, fresh water, toilets and secure off-road parking are all part of the deal, and there is a 4G signal but no electricity (bring torches for night-time). Fires and barbecues are permitted but only in a firepit (your own or hired) to protect the grass. Swalefolk is run as a low-impact venue, so there’s a strict no-forage policy – however, you can buy firewood and kindling at the shop.

Site type

Tent sites 22
RV sites 22
Rent a tent 6
Opens July 10
Please note
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro) and/or any of the following: Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler, any Mastiff or Tosa.
  • Group bookings of 4 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, RV or accommodation hire) traveling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jul 10 to

Open from Tue, Aug 18 to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

No availability at present on Pitchup.com

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Accommodation

Tent sitesTravel trailer sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
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2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

7.8

Overall rating from 4 Pitchup.com customers

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

75% would recommend this site to a friend

75% would stay here again

What customers say

Great views & helpful owners. Site closed briefly by council pre-opening. Some guests frustrated by cancellations, others understanding. Manager explains council issues, aiming to reopen soon.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 2026-07-07

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Reviews page 1 of 1
Arrival date (latest first)

Never got there…

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
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Louise W. 1 review

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Never got there

Disliked Our stay was cancelled 3minutes before check in! We were 3 miles away with a car full of gear and the dog. On a bank holiday when everywhere was full!
The council are apparently to blame, however who opens a site and takes bookings when it’s not been approved?

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Dear Louise,

We fully understand your frustration, and give you our fullest apology. In particular we regret our attempts to contact you before you set off were unsuccessful. For what it is worth, and just to ensure we have addressed your last point: I’m afraid this kind of campsite doesn’t get council “approval”, or rather, it already has approval under national law. But the council reserves the right to withdraw approval at any time, if in its own opinion the campsite doesn’t meet some very specific criteria. We were hostage to that opinion, which was unlawfully made. We also notified them of the campsite 7 weeks in advance of opening day. They waited until the night before opening to withdraw approval, and then forbade us to open under threat of criminal prosecution. I’m afraid yourselves, and over 150 other guests including some who had already arrived, were innocent ‘casualties of war’ to the council’s vindictive action. We know it doesn’t make it any better… but we wanted you to have the full explanation. We hope to see you in the future, when the issue is locked down and immovable! Kind regards, Swalefolk.

The owner was very helpful over…

Overall

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

Primitive grass RV campsite

Liked The owner was very helpful over my booking and always informed off anything we needed to know. Looking forward to our next stopover.

Disliked Shame the council closed the site temporarily over a yame and could not stop

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic View and great location. The…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Fantastic View and great location. The owners were wonderful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Thank you Nick

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
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Jacqueline J. 3 reviews

Primitive grass RV campsite

Liked The site is lovely and Nick is very friendly. We were looking forward to our stay and visiting the centre but Richmond Council decided to close the site after 1 night open. They had allowed it to open earlier in the day but then withdrew permission on the Friday night because of historical issues at the bottom of the field. This was totally out of Nick's hands and we felt heartly sorry for him, having to ask everyone to leave. Wish we could have stayed longer and we will definitely be back when all the official issues are sorted. Thank you Nick and I hope you get everything sorted with the council. Hopefully see you next year.

Disliked Richmond Council.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Tents for hire Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

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

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

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

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites) Pop-up campground

Accessibility

Level campground, no steep slopes

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Swalefolk Camping

Barn Closes

Maison Dieu

Richmond

North Yorkshire

England

DL10 7EW

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.40337°N
1.72006°W

Nearest transport

Coach
6.4 km High Green
6.5 km The Angel
17.2 km Dolphin Centre
Rail
17.2 km Darlington Rail Station
18.3 km North Road Rail Station
19.7 km Northallerton Rail Station
Ferry
37.6 km Transporter Bridge South Side
37.8 km Transporter Bridge North Side
Airport
22.1 km 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

If you don’t fancy yomping the Coast to Coast Walk (it passes close by the camping field), you can have a leisurely stroll down to Easby Abbey in 15 minutes and then begin the popular Easby Loop circular walk. Surrounded by spectacular North Yorkshire countryside, the lively market town of Richmond (20 minutes’ walk/five minutes’ drive) offers restaurants, pubs and supermarkets. It also has a castle with views over the River Swale from the keep, and the painstakingly restored Georgian Theatre is open for guided tours by day and shows in the evening. Richmond is also the springboard for exploring the Yorkshire Dales National Park (10 minutes’ drive). Take a walk along the Swale from the bustling village of Reeth (20 minutes), or head up Arkengarthdale (40 minutes) and hike to Old Gang Smelting Mill. There are dramatic cascades at Aysgarth Falls (half an hour), and you can follow sections of the Pennine Way from the Tan Hill Inn (40 minutes), the highest pub in the UK. If kids are with you, The Forbidden Corner (half an hour) has a labyrinth of tunnels and follies for them to discover, while Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park (35 minutes) has rollercoasters and waterslides for all levels of bravery. Should you hit a rainy day, take everyone to watch a blockbuster film at the Station Cinema (20 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Seaton Carew Centre 45 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seaton Carew North 45.1 km Sea N/AN/AGoodGood
Seaton Carew North Gare 45.1 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Crimdon 47.2 km Sea GoodExcellentExcellentExcellent
Redcar Coatham 47.9 km Sea N/AExcellentGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Easby Abbey (EH) 1 km

Richmond Castle 1.2 km

Jervaulx Abbey 15.2 km

The Bowes Museum 19.9 km

Barnard Castle 21.4 km

National Trust

Moulton Hall 5.4 km

Braithwaite Hall 16.3 km

Mount Grace Priory 26.4 km

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden 32.9 km

Brimham Rocks 36 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

ST NICHOLAS, RICHMOND 0.2 km

Richmond - Easby - Richmond 1.2 km

TEMPLE GROUNDS 1.5 km

Richmond - Jockey Cap - Gilling Wood - Aske Hall 1.6 km

ASKE HALL 2.4 km

Local events

  • Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival (Saturday, August 8, 2026 – Saturday, August 8, 2026)

    Skipton, England 35.7 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 North Yorkshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Swalefolk Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Swalefolk Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Swalefolk Camping? If you don’t fancy yomping the Coast to Coast Walk (it passes close by the camping field), you can have a leisurely stroll down to Easby Abbey in 15 minutes and then … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Swalefolk Camping?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  6 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more