Heygates

View prices & book 8.9 16 reviews
Fishing pegs on the Grand Union Canal (added by manager 10 Jun 2023)
View of the canal towpath from elkington bridge
View of the site
View of the canal towpath from elkington bridge

  • Peaceful, adults-only site 20 minutes’ drive from Rugby
  • Coton Manor Garden 15 minutes’ drive; Leicester 40 minutes
  • Fishing pegs on the Grand Union Canal; excellent road connections
An adults-only fishing holiday in a remote corner of Northamptonshire: if there’s nothing about that statement that you take exception to, consider booking a place at Heygates, on the banks of the Grand Union Canal. This rural site sits just outside the tiny hamlet of Elkington (which is proud of a history that dates back to the Domesday Book) – this all translates into a blissfully quiet experience. However, it’s also close to major roads such as the M1 and the A14, which means that reaching cities like Rugby (20 minutes) and Northampton (35 minutes) is a (relatively) stress-free exercise. There’s not much on site besides a number of well-maintained hardstanding touring pitches and water hook-up points (you’ll have to have your own toilet and washing facilities). Having said that, if you don’t mind a degree of wild camping, this is a pretty good spot for de-stressing, which you can do on one of the site’s fishing pegs (available by arrangement; license required), fishing rod in hand and your faithful canine companion (a welcome guest here) by your side. No need to fret if fish don’t bite: you can source what you need for your barbecue from the local supermarkets, either in Welford (five minutes) or West Haddon (10 minutes). Or maybe you prefer to make your way to a country pub – the nearest is in Yelvertoft (40 minutes away on foot). Fancy a more challenging walk? The long-distance Jurassic Way (stretching between Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire) is a 10-minute drive away, and you can follow it for about 12 miles all the way to Market Harborough (should take about four hours on foot).

Site type

Motorhome pitches 1
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • This park has no on-site toilet and shower facilities.
  • Guests under the age of 17 are not allowed on site.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • There are no garbage cans onsite: all garbage will need to be taken home with you.

Languages spoken

English

French

Reviews

94%

would recommend this site to a friend

94%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Beautiful private 1 pitch site. Nice helpful owner. We only had…

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi 10
Clare e. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Beautiful private 1 pitch site. Nice helpful owner. We only had 1 night and would have liked to stay longer. Not advised if you don't have a caravan motor mover. Beautiful canal walk. As you go through the gate park your car in the middle.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent rustic spot for getting away and doing some canal fishing

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
James F. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Fishing on the canal right next to the pitch. Water tap on the pitch

Disliked: The lack of elsan point, but they make you aware of this on the listing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for the review James, hope you got a few bites :-)

Area was nice…

Overall 2/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
Trevor D. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Area was nice

Disliked: Got to the campsite but was a corn field so the farmer guy had to cut the grass for us to pitch

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: You booked for 4 people, but turned up with 5. Your party was rude, noisy, and left 3 large bags of rubbish behind, despite clear instructions to take everything away with you. You turned up without any toilet facilities, despite the ilsting making clear that we did not offer any. You drove your camper van down a pathway, then despite asking you to stay away from the Lodge areas, the 5 of you wandered through our garden area later the same day, making lots of noise. The listing makes perfectly clear that this is hard-standing pitch, but despite that, one of your group expected me to know that you were bringing tents. I offered you a full refund at that point, which you refused. I see that you've rated cleanliness as 1 - I'm curious how you think I can make a 3 acre wildflower meadow cleaner. I am glad you have stated that you wouldn't stay here again - please don't ever come back.

Nice place small and rural

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Nice quiet spot and owner was very nice

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very welcoming solo pitch backed onto a river

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Seweryn T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Large solo pitch, the owner has made me feel very welcome. Secure gate with pin padlock. River behind the pitch, nice walk along side Fair 4G signal on mobile data

Disliked: Not much to dislike

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
rebecca s. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: The owner gave full instructions before I arrived and was very helpful. The Instructions were spot on. Very peaceful and right by the canal. Thoroughly enjoyed the peace being the only one there

Disliked: Was a bit awkward reversing in without getting stuck in the stones. But no issues exiting the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very friendly staff who'll move the earth to make your stay relaxing.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Robbie-Lee V. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: The owner of the site was very kind and helpful. I received an email prior to my stay with full instructions about how to access the site and with a "what 3 words" location which meant that I arrived exactly where I was supposed to. That saved so much stress and hassle, as with a caravan in tow, the last thing you need is to be going round in circles with Google Maps. I sprung a leak when I arrived so I had no running water to get a shower but was offered the use of their own shower! I fixed the leak in the end and was able to use my own onboard facilities. I was offered a coffee & a guided of the amazing lodges they have just down the path. Very fancy indeed! The site is strictly for off-grid caravaners. When booking, bare in mind that you must take your own rubbish away with you, that includes your cassette toilet. There is a public toilet just a couple of miles up the road. It's a HGV lorry stop but they have toilets and showers. I took my toilet there and emptied it. On the way back. I stopped off at the Mini Meadows Farm to get a coffee. Finally, I wanted to do a walk whilst I was here so the owner pointed me in the direction of a lovely canal side stroll that goes into Yelverton. Passes through a woodland and there is a lovely church yard. On the day that I walked, it was very muddy so make sure to bring suitable footwear. Overall, to summarise, don't expect anything more than a pitch and a tap. I was very happy that I chose to stay here and will definitely be back!

Disliked: I got stuck trying to tow my caravan out of the pitch as there is a steep-ish slope back up to the gate. If you're on your own and dont have a motor-mover, it might not be for you. But I had my trusty mover and I'm sure if they're around, someone will help you give your van a nudge. The state of the roads around the pitch aren't great. Lots of pot holes and very unkempt, but what do you expect out here in the middle of no where.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful quiet site

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Lesley F. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Really peaceful quiet site, yet close enough to main road link to M1. The owners were very friendly and helpful with the information and directions. Unfortunately the bad weather inhibited us being able to walk along the grand canal.

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful and beautiful location…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Rachel L. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Peaceful and beautiful location

Recommend to friends Visit again

Easy to find, quiet spot right next to the Grand Union canal.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric gravel touring pitch

Liked: Easy to find, quiet spot right next to the Grand Union canal. Great for a stroll and to watch the canal boats going past. Coded padlocked gate so felt secure being the only one there. Gravel hardstanding and water tap.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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 Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

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

Themes

Peaceful Remote location Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Sailing nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Tourer storage facilities Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

Heygates

Elkington

Yelvertoft

Northamptonshire

England

NN6 6NH

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

52.38439°N
-1.08659°W

Route directions

Use postcode NN6 6NH for your satnav. If you use the WhatThreeWords app, the entry required for the car park entrance is "spouse.asking.wicket"

Nearest transport

Coach
11.6 km Clifton Road
11.6 km Clifton Road
11.7 km Hall Lodge
Rail
10 km Long Buckby Rail Station
11.2 km Rugby Rail Station
16.1 km Market Harborough Rail Station
Airport
26.5 km Coventry Airport
44.5 km Birmingham International Airport Terminal 1
44.5 km Birmingham International 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

Whatever the season, there’s always something to look at Coton Manor Garden (15 minutes’ drive), which spreads around a 17th-century manor house. First laid out in the 1920s, the gardens are home to woodland bluebell meadows, fragrant rose bushes and colourful foxgloves. For more landscaped gardens, head to Lamport Hall (20 minutes). A vibrant university city, Leicester (40 minutes) is where the remains of Richard III were discovered in 2012. The King Richard III Visitor Centre has interactive displays on the monarch and the War of the Roses, while the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery has a large collection of German Expressionist art. Coventry (40 minutes) is home to a remarkable modern cathedral, built next door to the ruins of its 14th-century predecessor, destroyed during World War II. An exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum explores the history of Lady Godiva, who was said to have ridden a horse through the streets of the city in the nude.

Must see

Althorp 13 km

Foxton Locks 14.7 km

78 Derngate 21.2 km

Rockingham Castle 28.4 km

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum 28.7 km

National Trust

Canons Ashby 26.4 km

Farnborough Hall 33.3 km

Lyveden New Bield 37 km

Stowe Landscape Gardens 39.3 km

Charlecote Park 41.3 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

STANFORD HALL 4.8 km

Welford - Sibbertoft - Welford 4.8 km

Battle of Naseby, 1645 6.8 km

COTTESBROOKE HALL 9.1 km

ASHBY ST LEDGERS 9.6 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Northamptonshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Heygates have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Heygates dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Heygates? Whatever the season, there’s always something to look at Coton Manor Garden (15 minutes’ drive), which spreads around a 17th-century manor house. First laid out in the 1920s, the gardens are home … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Heygates?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Heygates? From R464.44 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.