Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite

View prices & book 7.6 73 reviews
View across the site
View across the site
Hardstanding and grass pitches
Pub at the front of campsite available for food and drinks
Beer garden
Level grass pitches surrounded by fields
A general view of the site
Camping field protected by mature trees
Plenty of seating in the pub beer garden
1/38
New
Hardstanding and grass pitches
Pub at the front of campsite available for food and drinks
Beer garden

  • Family-run site at a County Durham pub surrounded by the countryside
  • Durham and Raby Castle, Park and Gardens both 25 minutes’ drive
  • Restaurant and beer garden on site; supermarkets five minutes' drive
There’s much to see and do in County Durham, so it’s only right that you pick a nice 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… It has pedestrian access to the Hammer and Pincers (closed on Mondays, and open at varied times in the afternoon and/or evening), a pub with a restaurant and a spacious beer garden, where you can dodge any self-catering issues with a menu of good home-cooked food for lunch and evening meals. The site has well-kept grass pitches tucked in between the trees and surrounded by scenic countryside. There is a convenient facilities block with showers, loos and a washing-up. If you’re after entertainment, there’s an occasional schedule of live music events at the pub. A trainline runs along the bottom of the site, so there is some noise around the site. Supermarkets, shops and a train station are just over in Newton Aycliffe, five minutes' drive away. Here, you're only a 35- to 40-minute drive from the seaside towns of Hartlepool and Seaham, too. More inland, the boundaries of the North Pennines National Landscape are half an hour's drive away.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 14
Tent pitches 10
Motorhome pitches 14
Open all year
Opens

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Electricity is metered on site at £0.30 per kWh and must be paid onsite using a pre-paid topup card. Please note there may be noise from the train line running along the bottom of the site.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

7.6

Overall rating from 73 Pitchup.com customers

  • 33%
    10
  • 8%
    9
  • 25%
    8
  • 6%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 2%
    5
  • 6%
    4
  • 5%
    3
  • 2%
    2
  • 2%
    1
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 6
Budget/backpacker

68% would recommend this site to a friend

65% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a friendly, small campsite with a popular on-site pub. Guests frequently praise the welcoming and helpful staff. Facilities are generally clean, although some mention they are a little dated. A significant number of reviews highlight noise from the nearby train line and occasional wedding functions as a drawback, with some finding it disruptive. Pitches can be uneven. The site is considered good value and convenient for stopovers.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely friendly staff. Pub looked…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Tracy W.

Electric optional hardstanding pitch

Liked Lovely friendly staff. Pub looked very inviting but we didn’t use in the end. Quite basic but that’s fine we were only there one night.
Lots of reviews about train noise but it really wasn’t that bad
I didn’t use the shower or toilet as I used our own so cannot comment on those.

Disliked The only thing was having to put the electric on a card don’t get that when you could charge extra for electric.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Toilets and showers were clean and…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 2
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Electric optional hardstanding pitch

Liked Toilets and showers were clean and easily accessible.

Owners we're very friendly and helpful.

The pub onsite was lovely and had a great atmosphere with a good choice of food and drinks.

Disliked Sewage pipe running along the site was very smelly.

Paying for electric on a top-up basis was a little inconvenient but the owners were great and coming down and topping it up.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly welcome and plenty of space.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 8
Vivien D.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Friendly welcome and plenty of space. Quiet after 10pm.

Disliked Uneven field, train track next to field quite noisy till midnight.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff and the pub was the saving grace. Won’t camp again.

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 3
Value for money
 4
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 2
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 No rating
Rebecca D.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Friendly staff and decent pub food.

Disliked The field was littered with cigarette butts and bottle caps, and there was an abandoned airbed, metal railings and traffic cone and an old wheel lying around which made the site look really scruffy. The field was also a slope which wasn’t ideal for pitching tents.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing location for stop offs just by the A1M with basic facilities

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked fantastic location just by the A1M, with a cheerful community pub on site, which opens at the weekends with reasonably priced meals. The pub has a venue at the back which some campers had hired on Saturday night.

Disliked Whilst this is a perfect site for a stop off it wouldn't be my choice for a longer holiday. The campervan pitches are in a small area in the middle of the field with no privacy between units, with permanent users being around the edge of the field. Facilities whilst more than adequate for a stop-over were limited for longer stays.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff, shower was warm and…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Friendly staff, shower was warm and powerful.

Disliked Some of the site is sloped. Toilet/shower block is a bit run down. Quite expensive for a single person with small tent, limited facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Facilities were clean.…

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 1
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Facilities were clean.

Disliked Take your pick between being metres from a railway line or metres from an electricity pylon. One of the staff was very helpful with our tent and I am grateful for that however.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would stay again.

Overall

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

Electric optional hardstanding pitch

Liked Nice set up. Was quiet and facilties was good.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with clean facilities, friendly staff and level pitches

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Ian R.

Electric optional hardstanding pitch

Liked Really helpful staff. Clean and looks to be maintained daily.
Pitches are not cramped together so lots of space to spread out.

Disliked Pub wasnt open on our visit, the opening times are on the website so not an issue, next time will go towards end of the week for a weekend visit.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The owners were lovely and very…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Heather M.

Electric optional hardstanding pitch

Liked The owners were lovely and very helpful
Just off A1

Disliked Very uneven pitches and almost impossible to level caravan which was ok for one night.
Toilets very basic and not clean but think it customers just not cleaning up after themselves. When I went in showers had rubbish and hairs everywhere
Strong smell from what looked like standing water/sewage in nearby field

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 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

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

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

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pub campsite

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 BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.60898°N
1.54143°W

Nearest transport

Coach
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 wakeboards or kayaking at the North East Wake Park (10 minutes’ drive). There are 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.

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 wakeboards … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Hammer and Pincers Caravan and Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  12 p.m. –  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 £20 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.