Your local guide to getting around Thirsk & North Yorkshire

The local guide / Places

Campsites near Thirsk

Camping here ranges from a five-minute walk into town to a genuinely rural, no-bus village. Worth knowing which is which before you book.

The view across the Yorkshire countryside from Sutton Bank
The view across the Yorkshire countryside from Sutton BankChristine Matthews · Credit

Station Road — 5 min walk to town

Thirsk Racecourse Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite

Right by the racecourse, opposite Tesco and Lidl. On race days, pitches move to the rally field — check dates before you book. Caravans can't use the A170 over Sutton Bank to get here.

Islebeck Road, Sowerby — close to town

Sowerby Caravan Park

About a kilometre south of Sowerby, an easy walk from Thirsk.

Knayton — Hillside Village, no bus

Hillside Caravan Park

Family-run farm site on Moor Road, Knayton — one of the villages with no public bus service. See Villages.

Balk, near Bagby

York House Holiday Park

Caravans and lodges to hire, a few miles from town.

Bagby

Scenecliffe Caravan Park

Moor Lane, Bagby — near Monk Park Farm.

Hambleton

Wethercote Farm Campsite

A small farm campsite out toward the Hambleton Hills.

Sessay

The Oaks Lakes

Touring and camping pitches attached to a fishery.

South Otterington — between Thirsk & Northallerton

Otterington Touring Caravan & Camping Park

40-pitch family-run site with disabled facilities.

Getting into Thirsk without your own vehicle

  • The Racecourse and Sowerby sites are genuinely walkable — most people won't need a taxi for the town trip itself.
  • For the more rural sites (Knayton, Bagby, Sessay, Hambleton), a taxi is often the only way into town outside daytime bus hours — see Bus Services for what actually runs.
  • Give the campsite name and road, not just the village — several of these sites sit down farm tracks that aren't obvious from a postcode alone.

💡 Local Tip

If you're staying at the Racecourse campsite during a race meeting, remember the site itself becomes part of the raceday operation — check with the site in advance rather than assuming your usual pitch and access will be unaffected.

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