Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite

View prices & book 8 52 reviews
View across the site
New
Hardstanding and grass pitches
Pub at the front of campsite available for food and drinks
Beer garden

  • Quiet family site at a County Durham pub just outside Newton Aycliffe
  • Durham and Raby Castle, Park and Gardens both 25 minutes’ drive
  • Restaurant and beer garden; delicatessen and gift shop on site
There’s much to see and do in County Durham, so it’s only right that you pick a quiet 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. Yes, the site has well-kept grass pitches tucked in between the trees, plus a facilities block with showers, loos and a washing-up sink. But much more importantly, it has pedestrian access to the Hammer and Pincers – a pub with a restaurant and spacious beer garden, where you can dodge any self-catering issues with a menu of good home-cooked food for breakfast, lunch and evening meals. Should you need to stock up on anything, there’s a deli and gift shop on the premises selling homemade jams, chutneys, cakes and takeaway savoury dishes as well as beers and wine. If you’re after entertainment, there’s an occasional schedule of live music events at the pub too.

Campground type

Camper sites 30
Tent sites 30
RV sites 30
Open all year
Opens

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. 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.

Languages spoken

English

Campsite types & availability

Reviews

  • 42%
    10
  • 3%
    9
  • 28%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 7%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 3%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 3%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
6

75% would recommend this campground to a friend

73% would stay here again

What customers say

This campsite boasts a friendly vibe & helpful staff. Guests rave about the pub's food & prices, plus great views & spacious pitches. Some facilities are dated, & train/road noise is common but often manageable. A few pitches are uneven.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 6
Arrival date (latest first)

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

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass campsite

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.

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Pub

Disliked Noise neighbours

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Amanda C.

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Good position to motorway, friendly staff, very accommodating when we were late because of traffic

Disliked This isn’t a site for you if you want quiet, it’s was quite noisy

Recommend to friends Visit again

A perfect overnight stop

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Our host was really welcoming - he stayed around to greet us until we arrived at 11pm. All this whilst he was hosting a birthday party and a wedding the following day.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location and amenities camp site was very clean with a lovely atmosphere…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
10
Alex M.

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Location and amenities camp site was very clean with a lovely atmosphere , owners where very helpful and friendly

Disliked Nothing to dislike will definitely be back

Recommend to friends Visit again

I enjoyed my visit, but I wouldn't go back, because of toilet area.

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
2
Wifi
10
Anonymous

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked I liked the campsite and we had a lovely meal in the pub attached to the campsite, the staff were so friendly and made us feel very welcome.

Disliked Two things I disliked about here:
1. The toilets and shower were terrible, they weren't clean at all. One visit was enough for me.
2. The railway line running along side the campsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with clean facilities, friendly staff and level pitches

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
9
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
Graham H.

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Very Friendly staff, Lovely views from the pitch, which was a generous size. The Pub was not open on a Monday and Tuesday, we had a meal on Wednesday which was a good price and tasty. Some reviews have been negative regarding noise from the Trains and the A1 Which run nearby, but we didn't find this a problem. Toilets and showers were clean if a little dated.

Disliked Electric hookup was metered and a bit of a pain. If I had the site I would dump the system and charge more per night with electric, as the nightly charge was pretty cheep anyway.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will not be returning.

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
4
Value for money
2
Accommodation
1
Facilities / Activities
1
Customer service
1
Child friendliness
1
Cleanliness
1
Wifi
1
Robert H.

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Nothing.

Disliked Overcrowding, poor customer service no apologies to our complaints. Separate electric payments. Pub was shut for most of our stay, no coffee shop, shop or delicatessen as advertised. Not a quiet family site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good location and communication. Facilities clean. Pub on site. Unfortunately pub was…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
No rating
Claire J.

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked Good location and communication. Facilities clean. Pub on site. Unfortunately pub was closed day we were there (Mondays)

Disliked Not enough toilet/shower for men (only 1).

Recommend to friends Visit again

pub food was great, staff were really friendly and helpful.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
6
Value for money
6
Accommodation
5
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
Jenny B.

Power optional cement/asphalt and grass campsite

Liked pub food was great, staff were really friendly and helpful.

Disliked stagnant water near pitch was a bit smelly.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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 Car parking by site/unit 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 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

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 sites) Pub campground

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 +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.60898°N
1.54143°W

Nearest transport

Bus
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 wake boards or kayaking at the North East Wake Park (10 minutes’ drive). There’s 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 campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

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 wake … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  noon –  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 $27.05 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.