Golden Square Caravan Park, York

Nice laid out site; very clean toilets (shower 20p). Disappointed with the welcome, there was little information provided about the site (facilities, tokens etc). The shop didn?t open until 9.00 (most sites I have been to, shop opens at 8.00 or earlier). At 9.00 am I gave some ice blocks to freeze for the day (25p each). On returning from a day out (8.5 hours later), the blocks were not frozen. I mentioned this to the staff and they were un-concerned about the fact that I had bought some food for breakfast and had no means of keeping it cool overnight. I asked for a refund (on principal) and it was refused due to the fact that I had used space in the freezer.
The games room has a table tennis and table football; these are very old and you have to pay a fee to use them. There is miniature golf that consisted of concrete gulleys, very plain and was seldom used (fee to pay).
I could only find two washers and two dryers on the site; where only one of each was working. The dryer swallowed two pounds before another camper told me it was not working.
The two play areas are good for the kids and did keep them occupied, except a few parents where complaining about the sand staining children?s clothing; we experienced this first hand.

The field at the back of our pitch was used for dog exercise and was covered in excrement; this could account for the enormous quantities of flies.

On the whole the site was ok but, the staff couldn?t deal with a minor concern and became un-friendly. I wouldn?t go back to this site.

Stayed here July 2002. Excellent site.Well-stocked shop, toilets/showers spotless. My son loved the play area for older children and the football field. Beware if staying in the top tent field, though. The ground was so stony and hard that we had to buy a new set of tent pegs because ours all bent and our porch was uprooted during a windy, wet night, leaving our walking boots out in the rain.

It is a while since we used this site but it remains the best site I have ever stayed at for the clenliness and condition of the facilities - the toilet block has to be seen to be believed.

I agree that there are not many facilities nearby, but the site is central for many wonderful areas and always seems peaceful anad relaxing

Family stayed here for 2 nights, the site is large but on split levels so despite its size it still felt personal and 'cosy', no defining boundry but plenty of space between pitches most of which back onto steep raises between the split levels.

Most facilities operate on a 20p token (bought from shop) including the spacious heated bathroom which enabled children to be bathed rather than showered. Toilets / showers / wash cubicles all well cleaned and maintained, including washing facilities for plate etc, laundry good.

Kids open air play area was a joy, though the sand protected the bumps etc it does stain, also the 9pm shutdown was not followed and expect large numbers of young children to be playing noisely till about 10pm, play area can be only 10 yards from certain pitches. Great for young children but not older ones. Minor gripe about the crazy golf not functional at all.

Use this site as a base for exploring or as a quiet young family retreat and it scores highly.

40min from York, 50 min from Scarborough and 25min from Thirsk otherwise secluded.

Acid test is that we will go back!

We spent almost three weeks at this site, summer 02. It is very large but
clean, quiet, and well-organized. There is an extra charge for showers. A
shower coin is 20 pence and lasts 4 minutes after inserting, no matter if you
let the water flow or not. We were surprised to learn that this is indeed
enough for a nice shower including hair-washing! A most welcome effect of this
regulation is that the shower cabins are used for a short time only so that
one rarely has to wait for a shower.

The office building contains a little shop (some food, drinks, cups, plates,
postcards, maps, paperback books etc.). Useful.

Many caravans and many families with children. There were practically no
unpleasant habitually radio listeners. Spacing is generous. We even had a fine
view from our tent. The ground is grassy and level, but (at least at our
pitch) in parts stony under the grassy surface. The site is situated at a
height where the nights can be rather chilly even if the day has been very
warm.

Terms: Tent + 2 adults: 10 GBP. Child: 1.50 GBP. Electricity: 2 GBP.

To open the barrier (when leaving the site by car), a special key is needed for
which a deposit of 10 GBP is charged and refunded at the end of one's stay.

An electric cable can also be borrowed. The deposit is 25 GBP, 23 GBP of
which are refunded. If you only need an extension because your own cable is
too short, the same deposit is charged but fully refunded.


Unfortunately there are very few near-by places to eat. At the camping site
itself you cannot even buy a snack. Many people use their grills on the site.
It is even a problem to find an open (!) fish and chip shop. There is one in
Helmsley but we never found it open when we were hungry (e.g., at 8 p.m.), and
the only alternative is in the village Ampleforth, but even there you must be
lucky to find it open. There is a nice inn at Oswaldkirk, though. England has
become expensive as everybody probably knows, but at that inn you still get
good quality meals at an acceptable price in a pleasant atmosphere. Helmsley
is nice to look at but grabby, in particular around the charming market-place
in the centre. We found that Thirsk is a much better place for dining and
shopping.