📍LOCATION – Kelso Rd, Coldstream TD12 4LG
Let’s explore why Coldstream Holiday Park is a great base to explore the Scottish Borders.
We picked Coldstream Holiday Park as there was a great deal on Hoseasons. And we do love a quiet holiday park. We’ve taken my little one to the well-known caravan sites, and whilst the entertainment is amazing, it’s too overwhelming and overcrowded for us all. These days, we opt for a small caravan site, surrounded by nature, with a playground. Where we can feel relaxed, but also use this as a base for day trips. We are usually not too fussy about the bar or swimming pool – if a park has these, then great. But it isn’t a must for us!
As a family of three, we created a tradition of visiting castles and exploring local attractions, using our English Heritage membership. Therefore, any decision about the location of our staycation depends completely on our itinerary for the days we are there.
With this particular holiday at Coldstream Holiday Park, I am glad we opted for a caravan with a hot tub. The little one was quite unwell for the first few days we were there, and it was great to ditch the day out plans and actually relax in the hot tub and a quiet and peaceful location.
For this post, I want to do something a little different and tell you everything we got up to in the area, as well as my thoughts on the park and some pictures.
A walk to the town
From the holiday park, you can take a 10 -15-minute walk on the main road, to the local town. It’s mostly flat and safe to walk with a child. In the town, you will find a Coop, a charity shop, cafes, the best playground we’ve ever visited, and a few pubs. As well as lots of other shops, we didn’t get to experience.
We got some lovely bits at the charity shop and had some lunch and a few drinks in the local pub, where my little one became besties with a dachshund for an hour!
The walk back was a little difficult after the food and drink, and with a moaning six-year-old, but it was lovely to get dressed up and go out in the fresh air, without worrying about taking the car out.
The playgrounds
The caravan site has a playground, but it was very overcrowded at night, with older children. One night, my husband took her to the playground in the town centre, and we returned many times throughout the week, due to how amazing it was.
There were times when the on-site playground was quieter, and we still had a walk over to it on some evenings.
Berwick Upon Tweed
We visited Berwick upon Tweed expecting a seaside resort town, but what actually got was a bit of a small, run-down town. There are plenty of shops, but we were a little disappointed with the English Heritage site at the top of the hill. I probably wouldn’t return unless we needed something in particular from some shops.
Castles
We usually organise our holidays so that we can visit castles in the area. And this dictates everything we do during the course of our holiday.
Our English Heritage membership allows us to visit many sites and receive discounted rates at some National Trust sites as well. It’s exciting to see what events are upcoming!
There are some great Halloween events planned – check out the English Heritage website, and if you want to sign up for your own membership, click the button below.
Bamburgh and Alnwick Castle
The highlight of our week was definitely the stunning castles that every tourist wants to see when visiting the area.
Because we had a poorly little girl, we unfortunately couldn’t do two castles in one day. But as a slight consolation, we found a lookout point for Bamburgh Castle and took some lovely pictures.
We also drove through the town, which is wonderful in itself. Setting ourselves up for when we return. Weirdly, I am glad we didn’t see everything during our week in August, because we’ve booked to go back to the Scottish borders soon. With a full itinerary and plan for the week.
Bamburgh is number one on the list. Unfortunately, by the time we go back, Alnwick Castle will closed for the winter, as the family returns and uses it as their home.
However, there are a few attractions next to the castle that are open. Including Alnwick gardens.
Shall we take a look at the Alnwick activities?
QUICK NOTE ON PARKING – Basically, when we got to Alnwick, we were confused about the parking, but the whole village is taken over by the castle, its grounds and the other amenities. Everyone parks in a huge car park, which you pay £3.50 to park all day, so it definitely is worth the day out costs.
Lilidorei:
A large adventure village within The Alnwick Garden, featuring the world’s largest play structure and other magical attractions
When we visited Alnwick Castle, my little one wanted to go into the attraction, but unfortunately, we were too busy with the activities we had planned. Therefore, we have agreed to take her back. Tickets are slightly cheaper if you enter between 1 pm and 4 pm, which I think we will do.
Forgotten garden crazy golf
If you wanted to park up and do the crazy golf only, you can. Head to The Golf Kiosk or Gift Shop to book! No Garden entry ticket required.
The charm of the park – five things I love
How quiet it is
We’ve done the Haven and Parkdean thing, and honestly, all of us got overwhelmed with the noise level and how busy it is. It’s great if you can go whilst your children are under 5 years old, and we took advantage of this. But for our family, it’s just too much during school holidays.
The views
I know we were holidaying on the Scottish Borders, but the views were absolutely immense. So beautiful, and it felt peaceful and relaxing to wake up to that each day.
The hot tub
The hot tub was a massive bonus. Something we didn’t expect when we started looking for our holiday, but we managed to get a great deal! It was lovely and relaxing, but to get a look in with my toddler around, I had to be up early in the morning, and I made sure to have a dip late at night.
Because it was way too expensive to add the hot tub for the next holiday (£350 more for the hot tub caravan) we have settled for a basic caravan this time. For three of us, that’s fine. We may just have to find a local swimming pool to take the little one to!
The playground, kids around, but also relaxed vibe
Sometimes it’s difficult for a caravan park to find the right balance, where families and kids are involved, but some people also want a relaxing vibe. But Coldstream Holiday Park gets it spot on. There are loads of kids playing in the playground, but around your caravan is still peaceful and secluded.
Location
This is by far the best bonus. You get to be i the heart of the Scottish Borders but without the price tag. Within driving distance of Edinburgh and the coast. You can’t really put a price tag on this, which is why we are returning soon!
