Although we live relatively close to Haggerston, we had not actually visited the holiday park until recently. Having 11 year old and 2 year old sons we decided to give it a go for a long weekend and see what it was like.
We kept an eye on the special deals until just a couple of weeks before we wanted to go and managed to get a very good price on a Gold Olympic caravan which included passes for the activities in the main centre. We did have reservations about it being August bank Holiday and how busy it would be but decided to go ahead.
We drove up the coast on Friday lunchtime, admiring the wonderful scenery as we went, arriving around 2pm which being on a gold package meant we could get into our caravan earlier than those with silver/bronze packages.
The initial impression of the park was that it was huge! The reception area was very nicely presented and checking in took no more than 10 minutes. We were given a map and directions to our caravan.
The caravan itself was sited on one of the main roads through that particular area of the park which meant that most of the cars passed our caravan to get to the others in that area which made it rather noisy and not very safe for children to play outside. Not having stayed in a caravan for some years, I had forgotten how much can be heard from others nearby and spent an hour listening to a drunken couples
marital argument in the early hours of one morning! Making a mental note not to raise my voice when the kids were creating!
The caravan itself was in desperate need of sprucing up. It looked like an old lady who had had a rough few months! I concluded that this was probably one of the older caravans and could well be ready to be replaced by a new one next year. having said that, It was pretty clean except for just under the fridge which hadn't seen detergent for a long time. Now I wouldn't have been aware of that had I not had to fish out my son's cheesestring that had gone astray!
The bed linen was included for all of the beds but extras such as tea towels, dish cloths, bin bags etc were not, although the previous occupiers had kindly left matches, cooking oil, sugar and a half eaten pack of digestives for us. The linen was well washed and a bit threadbare, I would recommend taking a blanket for the beds as sleeping on a plastic sheet with just a sheet on top wasn't very comfortable. Other items were avaiable to hire at a small fee. E.g. irons, coffee machines, highchairs, cots etc.
If there is anything you forget to take then a trip to the mini market near reception will produce just about anything you'd need - and at very reasonable prices. I enjoyed a walk there every morning to get the paper and any bits and bobs. There is also a breakfast counter where you can buy bacon rolls and other hot food to take away.
Within the park itself there is also a chineese restaurant, we thought it rather unusual but didn't actually eat in there. There is a golf club which is very relaxing and serves delicious coffee and home made cake as well as a few other snacks. There is another cafe in the activity field which sells hot food and snacks all day. Apart from that there is Burger King and a Fish n Chip shop inside the main activity centre and a very pleasant poolside bar where you can find good reasonably priced meals.
Because of the fact that it was a Bank Holiday, many of the activities were very busy. We went to the pool and it was packed. the outdoor pool was closed because of scuba lessons which meant everyone but the five scuba divers had to use the indoor one. The changing facilities left a lot to be desired. The cubicles of which there were only a few are on the poolside and we had to queue for 15 minutes before we could get changed. Anyone with a toddler will appreciate how difficult it is to control a child who wants to leap into the pool, hang on to the towels, and anything else necessary for 15 minutes. I would suggest going with swimsuits on and changing beside the loungers, keeping all clothing in a large waterproof bag for easy access. There were plenty of staff supervising and were very quick to stop any inappropriate behaviour from other swimmers.
The pony rides were very popular. I don't know how much pony rides are elsewhere but at £10 for 30 mins I thought it possibly a one off thing for most holiday makers. There were ponies of all shapes and sizes and we ssaw everyone from youngsters to elderly people riding them around the park. There was the option to trek along the beach, which did appeal to me but I never got around to it.
The Activity fields is an area where there is a football pitch, bouncy castle, go-carts and other kiddie rides. this is a good place to have a kick around and burn off some energy. There is also a football coaching scheme on certain days which must be booked before hand.
The childrens activity clubs were very good and the staff enthusiastic about their work. The youngest were given toys to play with but must be supervised by a parent throughout. The next age group were given art and crafts or outdoor activities to do and could be left for the two hours. The 12 - 16 group were given choices of various outdoor activities. My son said he really enjoyed playing basketball and table tennis.
In general the park is very good. There is lots to do and it does promote other activities in the area too. It is full of families with children. There are also a lot of couples who spend the evenings drinking. We are not people who enjoy sitting drinking in smokey club type environments and just 20 minutes on the first evening in one of the bars only re-inforced that. We preferred to enjoy a quiet night infront of the tv with a few cans of lager.
Many of the staff are very young, most of them friendly and helpful but there were a few who obviously found the job a chore. Perhaps this was because it was coming to the end of a long season but a few more smiles wouldn't have gone amiss.
My main problem was with safety around the park. Apart from cars driving around narrow roads through the caravans, there were buggies and bike that could be hired to get around on. This sometimes meant that you had to take your life in your hands when walking around. Personally I would have preferred pedestrian only paths to all the main activity areas. I feel that a serious accident is waiting to happen especially as we saw plenty of 'boy racers' only too happy to rev and race around the roads late in the evening.
Security is present all the time, so should anything happen then they would be able to respond very quickly.
Would I return? Haggerston Castle is obviously a well run and loved holiday park for many people. I would consider going again but at a quieter time and not at the end of the season. It was too busy for me. I also felt that there could have been more activities available for toddlers. I was most surprised to find no softplay area for them to have a run around in on wet days. Ensure you take a drive around Northumberland as there are some beautiful places close by to spend some time away from the park.
The holiday was good value for money considering we got a special deal. I would have been less happy If I had paid the full price.
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excellent review, i love this place and visit it every year!
Dan2k5 27.03.2005 22:40
I have visited this park before and found it to be very good value for mone that us until i went to the launderette where they charge £3.25 for a medium Wash and £2.25 for 20 minutes in the dryer, plus the price of the soap powder in the site shop is over double of what you would pay in a standard supermarket.
Now many people would argue that washing clothes on holiday isnt a nessesity but with 6 kids on a two week break it really is
Grea review
Delicate_Orchid 10.10.2004 12:04
Another great recommendation! I am especially tempted by the pony rides. Desiree x
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Advantages: Great Chinese Buffet Restaurant on site. Good location. V. near A1 Disadvantages: V. near A1. Extortionate price at shops/takeaways on site.
mrs_g_p 07.10.2006 (07.10.2006)
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Oct 6th, 2004
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