Woodclose Park, Cumbria

Description

A serene and tranquil location, surrounded by stunning greenery on all sides, Woodclose Caravan Park is the perfect location to absorb the breath-taking scenery of the Yorkshire Dales while also only a short reach from the Lake District UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Situated in the valley of the river Lune, this beautiful park provides easy access to some of the UK’s most remarkable landscapes and is the ideal location for those who enjoy all things wildlife and the outdoors.  Read on to discover why this park has received so many awards and accolades from the tourism industry.

About Woodclose

Situated in a prime location for visitors to the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks, Woodclose provides top-class facilities for holiday home owners as well as temporary visitors.  The park boasts an on-site shop which stocks all the essentials, gas bottles sales and exchange, a laundry room, play park, Wi-Fi available to purchase and an information room which is packed with ideas, brochures, timetables and information about local attractions. Furry friends are welcome, with designated dog walks around the Park, or for longer dog walks, the river Lune runs just alongside the park.

As we will discover later, Woodclose’s location makes it ideal for residents who love to explore, visit and learn about nature.  A key attraction at Woodclose is the wildlife corner, near the reception area, which provides information about the huge variety of wildlife species that can be found in and around the park at different times of the year.  The much-loved swallow cam also broadcasts live videos of the birds who return to Woodclose Park every year to their nest in the eaves of the main building.

In addition to the holiday home facilities, Woodclose provides plenty of options for visiting tourists – perfect for family who might want to visit you at your holiday home! The touring area provides serviced pitches with electric and TV hook-ups along with excellent washing facilities (with hairdryer and hair straighteners available).  For visitors without touring transport, the park also offers glamping pods and a self-catered flat within the lodge.  Whatever their requirements, visitors to your holiday home will find an ideal option for their accommodation at Woodclose.

Although the main season ends on 1st November, the park offers an extended season for holiday home owners, up until 2nd January, meaning that home residents can enjoy the Christmas and New Year period at Woodclose.  Spend Christmas in the cosy surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales and enjoy attractions such as the nearby Kirkby Lonsdale Fair in early December, with carols, parades, markets and festive cheer in abundance, it is an event that is truly not to be missed!

Where is Woodclose?

The park is located just outside Kirkby Lonsdale, around six miles from J36 of the M6.  The nearest mainline railway stations are Oxenholme (around 10 miles away) and Lancaster (around 17 miles away).  Local buses operate from the village of Kirkby Lonsdale to and from Kendal, Lancaster, Skipton and Sedbergh, where connections can be made to the national public transport network.

Kirkby Lonsdale

The nearby market town of Kirkby Lonsdale is a charming and picturesque place, set against the stunning backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with all the amenities you would expect in the English countryside.  Here you will find a local butcher, Booths supermarket (a fabulous Northern staple), inns, tearooms, a sweet shop which also sells Double Jersey ice cream, restaurants and country pubs.  The village is just ten minutes’ walking distance from Woodclose.

Nestled at the borders of the three counties of North Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, the village is perfectly placed for access to events in all three regions. This makes the area around Woodclose a hive of activity for all things food; in just the space of a few weeks, the region around the park plays host to a multitude of festivals dedicated to, among other things, cake, Italian food and produce, chilli peppers, local dishes, and the traditional County Show.  The rest of the year is equally as jam-packed with foodie events too!

Get outdoors

The real highlight of Woodclose Park is its proximity to the Yorkshire Dales, and its myriad options for outdoor activities.  The area is exceptionally well-catered to walkers, cyclists, and cavers, with endless natural attractions to explore.  Read on to find out more about ways to immerse yourself in the Yorkshire Dales’ natural beauty.

Walking

For walkers, the options around Woodclose are endless.  The park sits right next to Devil’s Bridge, a magnificent three-arch structure on the River Lune dating from around the 13th century.  It is now closed to traffic, which makes it the ideal spot for a quiet and peaceful picnic, while admiring the structure and learning about the legend behind the name Devil’s Bridge.  It is the perfect start or end point to a gentle riverside walk, and furry friends will enjoy paddling in the shallow river near the bank!  Follow the river to the north, around the town of Kirby Lonsdale, to a point known as Ruskin’s View, a stunning panorama immortalised by JMW Turner in a famous painting which led the poet John Ruskin to describe it as ‘one of the loveliest views in England, [and] in the world’.

For longer walks, there are a multitude of options and sights to see around Kirkby Lonsdale.  These include: Hutton Roof, a tucked-away village with fantastic views of the surrounding countryside; Hutton Roof nature reserve; Farleton Knott, a wonderful viewpoint from a limestone pavement; Barbon, a village to the north within walking distance of Woodclose; High and Low Bentham; Dentdale and Levens Hall.  There are an infinite number of walking routes around these areas; why not dig out the Ordnance Survey maps and plan your own route?

For the most experienced walkers, follow in the footsteps of thousands of mountaineers each year who scale the Yorkshire Three Peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent.  These are the most famous peaks in Yorkshire, taking in many impressive sights on the routes to the summits, such as Ingleborough caves, the world-famous Ribblehead viaduct, the Lake District and, on clear days, Morecambe Bay is visible.  Many people tackle one of the three peaks as a day trip, but for the more competitive hikers, the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge is a classic route, where the aim is to cover the 24-mile track of all three peaks in under twelve hours.  Can you take on the challenge?

Cycling

The Yorkshire Dales are a popular destination among cyclists of all abilities, with the region featuring in the Yorkshire-based Tour de France Grand Départ in 2014 and continuing to host stages of the annual Tour de Yorkshire event since.  Cyclists staying at the Park have a huge variety of routes and terrains to choose from; from the gentle route up the Lune Valley to Sedbergh to slightly more challenging routes through Dentdale or the Howgills.  There is also excellent provision for mountain biking in the area, with routes starting from the nearby towns of Dent, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Sedbergh and Clapham.

Ingleton Falls

Six miles from the park lies the Ingleton Falls trail, a four-mile circular walk whose route takes in some of the most outstanding natural features in the area; it has been described as one of the best woodland and waterfall walks in the UK!  Easy to follow, the walk’s route passes by seven waterfalls, each with distinct features.  The park also boasts a wealth of unique geological features and rare plants, birds and trees – perfect for nature lovers!

Ingleborough and White Scar Caves

Hand in hand with, and just as breath-taking as, the incredible peaks found in the Yorkshire Dales district are the caves that are found beneath them.  

Just next to the Ingleton Falls trail is White Scar Cave, a guided tour of underground caves discovered nearly a century ago and that still proves incredibly popular today.  As part of the tour you will encounter waterfalls, stalagmites, tight spots and some spectacular geological features.  A truly educational experience for anyone who wants to learn more about this remarkable corner of the world.

Ingleborough Cave is another show cave located just a little further south near the village of Clapham and on the south side of the Ingleborough peak.  Like White Scar Cave, expert guides lead visitors on tours through the array of wonderful natural limestone formations that were 450 million years in the making.  The entrance to Ingleborough Cave is found along the scenic Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail, a gentle 1.3 mile walk that would serve as the perfect accompaniment to a visit to the caves.

Do you like what Woodclose Park and its surrounding area has to offer? Are you looking to purchase a holiday home in the future?  The park offers a ‘try before you buy’ option for holiday homes, so you can get a feel for how it feels to be a park resident and acquaint yourself with the area before making the purchase.  Please enquire for more details.

Address

Woodclose Park
Kirkby Lonsdale
Cumbria
LA6 2SE