Swallowtails

View prices & book 9 102 reviews
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Around the site
Pitches
Pitches
Pitches
Small pitch
Family fun
The first guests
Play area
1/49
Pitches
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 sites 9
Tent sites 9
Rent a tent 5
Open all year
Opens
Please note

Admission

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

Dogs

  • 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).

General

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

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 2 or more units travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette 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.

Reception

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

Vehicles

  • Units longer than 7 metres are not allowed.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

9

Overall rating from 102 Pitchup.com customers

  • 55%
    10
  • 20%
    9
  • 8%
    8
  • 7%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
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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

92% would recommend this campground to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

Swallowtails is a small, quiet campground with a friendly welcome, praised for its location within easy walking distance of Pickering. Facilities are generally clean and well-maintained, with specific mention of good showers and a useful games room and play area for children. Some guests noted that the toilets are in porta-potties and that pitch sizes could be tight. Electrical issues were reported by some visitors, with the manager indicating upgrades are planned.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 8/25/2026

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Reviews page 1 of 11
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely little site, everything spotless, very…

Overall

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

Primitive grass and gravel tent or RV campsite (small)

Liked Lovely little site, everything spotless, very welcoming hosts. Short walk into Pickering.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Don't go if you don't have children

Overall

2 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 3
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 3
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 David S. 2 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or RV campsite (medium)

Liked Flat pitches. Good drainage. Amenities very clean.

Disliked Very noisy. Not maintained to a good standard. No wash basin in jumbo pitch toilet. Only 1 washing up sink.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Sorry that you did not have a good experience at Swallowtails. Most of our guests comment on how peaceful the campsite is in their reviews. However, as we have a play area and it was the school holidays when you stayed, it is to be expected that you will hear children playing. I seem to remember that we let you move to a jumbo at a significantly discounted pitch fee in order for you to move further away from the play area, but, after being moved, you still found it necessary to swear at other campers who were happily playing with a group of under 5 year olds which was not acceptable behaviour at Swallowtails.
As we are a small campsite, we never have anyone queuing for the washing up area to our knowledge, either. It feels as though you are picking holes in the campsite because you were told that your attitude to other campers was not acceptable as a result of other campers complaining about your you and also about your TV being too loud.
It seems that Swallowtails is not the campsite for you and perhaps you would be better off booking at an adults only campsite or booking outside of school holidays.

Good site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 No rating
Shaun A. 22 reviews

Powered grass and gravel tent or RV campsite (medium)

Liked Pitch size and location good facilities

Disliked Nowt

Recommend to friends Visit again

It is a very charming camping…

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
Anonymous

Primitive grass and gravel tent or RV campsite (small)

Liked It is a very charming camping Site. A good place to start hiking around Pickering (inclusive an interesting geological place below Pickering Castle) or going by historical steam train to Goathland. Very nice pubs and shops in walking/ cycling distance. It was the perfect mix for our Holiday. The staff is very nice and helpful.
Petra and Jens

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site would highly recommend

Overall

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

Primitive grass and gravel tent or RV campsite (small)

Liked Nice and quiet and location 15 min walk into Pickering

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great little campsite, will be staying again in future.

Overall

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

Powered grass and gravel tent or RV campsite (medium)

Liked Gorgeous small campsite.
Very friendly.
Close to shops and pubs but feels remote.

Recommend to friends Visit again

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 RV campsite (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 RV campsite (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 RV campsite (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 RV campsite (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

Features

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 Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Scouts welcome 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

Hikers’ paradise Leave the car at home Luxury Peaceful Spectacular scenery Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge 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

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 Horseback 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

Bus
0.6 mi The Royal Oak
15.1 mi Sunday School
15.1 mi Playing Fields
Rail
7.3 mi Malton Rail Station
13.9 mi Egton Rail Station
13.9 mi Grosmont Rail Station
Ferry
29.9 mi Transporter Bridge South Side
30 mi 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).

Food and drink

  • Spice 4U 0.6 mi
  • Noyon 0.6 mi
  • Figaro's 0.6 mi
  • Feast Deli & Cafe 0.6 mi
  • Capplemans 0.6 mi
  • Spencer's Bar and Grill 1.2 mi
  • Blackboard 1.9 mi
  • Gourmet Grill 2 mi
  • Zoo Bar 2 mi
  • Big Pizza Pie 2.1 mi

Parks and play

  • Garden Way Park 0.4 mi
  • Hawthorn Lane Play Area 0.7 mi
  • HMS Bouncy 2.1 mi
  • Lily Bobtail™ Nature Discovery 2.3 mi
  • Peter Rabbit™ Adventure 2.3 mi

Public transport

  • Lyndale 0.4 mi
  • Rosecroft 0.4 mi
  • Royal Oak 0.6 mi
  • Royal Oak 0.6 mi
  • County Inf School 0.7 mi
  • Eastfield Road 0.7 mi
  • Eastfield Road 0.8 mi
  • Manor Drive 0.8 mi
  • Thornton Road 0.9 mi
  • Thornton Road 0.9 mi

Groceries

  • Lidl 0.5 mi
  • One Stop 0.6 mi
  • Co-op Food 0.6 mi
  • Co-op Food 0.6 mi
  • Costcutter 2 mi

Family days out

  • Garden Way Park 0.4 mi
  • Hawthorn Lane Play Area 0.7 mi
  • HMS Bouncy 2.1 mi
  • Lily Bobtail™ Nature Discovery 2.3 mi
  • Peter Rabbit™ Adventure 2.3 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

North Yorkshire Moors Railway 0.7 mi

Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo 2.4 mi

Dalby Forest Visitor Centre 4.7 mi

Kew at Castle Howard 9.4 mi

Castle Howard 9.5 mi

National Trust

Bridestones, Crosscliff and Blakey Topping 7.2 mi

Nunnington Hall 8.1 mi

Rievaulx Terrace 13.3 mi

Yorkshire Coast 16.2 mi

Treasurer's House 22.5 mi

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 0.7 mi

Lockton - Stain Dale - Bride Stones - Lockton 5.3 mi

Lockton and Levisham 5.4 mi

EBBERSTON HALL 6.3 mi

SCAMPSTON HALL 6.8 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.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Swallowtails? From $36.81 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.