Experience Freedom, Cayton Village – Review
By Karl Hornsey, May 2023
The traditional caravan site holiday has come an awful long way since I was a child. Then, it was a case of a static caravan on a site in Flamborough, where the only facilities seemed to be the ablutions hut and accommodation in which you’d struggle to swing a cat. But, thankfully, something wonderful has happened in the last 15 years or so, with glamping becoming all the rage, and even more so since the pandemic as more and more people realise that holidaying in this country – the awful word ‘staycation’ springs to mind – can create memories just as special as going abroad.
image: Emma Wilkinson
“Warm welcome”
And so to the east coast and the quiet village of Cayton, which has been enlivened in recent years by two developments. One being The Farrier, an outstanding hotel/restaurant in the village, and the other being the Cayton Village glamping site run by Experience Freedom, an offshoot of the historic Caravan and Motorhome Club, which has been looking after the needs of campers for more than 100 years. The site itself was everything you would expect from a glamping establishment these days, and we thoroughly enjoyed our two nights there, staying in one of the glamping cabins, with the likes of yurts, pods and safari tents being among the other forms of accommodation available.
The staff gave us a warm welcome and were friendly and helpful throughout, and even the fact that the wind and rain were lashing away at the cabin failed to dampen our spirits. And that certainly wouldn’t have been the case in that Flamborough caravan all those years ago…
“Fully equipped”
The cabin itself is something of a minor miracle in the art of creating space when there seemingly isn’t any, and the ingenuity of design is something to behold. Ours slept six, should we have wanted to share our space with others, with a mezzanine bed up a ladder giving the cabin a ‘two-floor’ element, and a pull-out double bed at the rear, along with pull-out sofa beds should you need them. The bed was incredibly comfy, the shower offering piping hot water at all times and the kitchen fully equipped with oven, microwave, kettle, toaster etc, meaning you can, if you choose to, fend for yourselves without the need for eating out or takeaways.
The cabin was spotlessly clean and the radiators kicked out plenty of heat on demand, and there seemed to general air of efficiency about the place, as people went about their business in a somewhat old-fashioned manner on the site, knowing that their accommodation was well worth heading back to after a day at the beach or out enjoying the wonderful fresh air that only the coast can seemingly offer.
“Ideally located”
In all, it’s hard to find fault with Cayton Village, which is just four miles from Filey and the same from Scarborough, and I’d happily recommend it to anyone wanting to avoid the airport and passport control queues when the summer holidays kick in later in the year.
Located 4 miles south of Scarborough, the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Cayton Village Club Campsite is ideally located to explore the beauty of North Yorkshire. Experience Freedom from the Caravan and Motorhome Club provides glamping accommodation in some of the most stunning locations in the UK.
Experience Freedom’s glamping cabins at Cayton Village Club Campsite start from just £178 for 2 nights and sleep six (up to four adults). With comfy bedding, an en-suite bathroom and an integrated veranda for private al-fresco dining, enjoy all your creature comforts in these cabins.
More info: experiencefreedom.co.uk
