Camp sites near the club waters (+ near other decent rivers)

[nige_LS7]

I'll introduce meself first - Nige - live in Meanwood, Leeds.

I'm one of the many who's suddenly got back into river fishing in "midlife" after not doing any since my teens. Ever since I moved to Leeds for a teaching job (nearly 20 years ago!!), I've been thinking about taking up a rod again, but somehow the time hasn't been right until this summer.

Spent a month this summer working right by the River Severn in Worcester and as my Mrs. had recently inherited all her dad's fishing gear she kept encouraging me to show her the ropes of fishing (as far as I could remember it from the seventies at least!!)

Anyway to cut along story short, I didn't do any fishing down there as I was working way too hard, just  did a lot of wishing I did have all the gear I needed, and more time to use it .... and so when I came back to Leeds I was determined to get back into it, so I collected most of the bits and pieces I thought I needed (in addition to the old father-in-law's gear) and sure enough have spent the last 5 weekends on the rivers and canals of Yorkshire catching literally hundreds of small fish. The first perch I caught (at Boroughbridge) was actually my biggest fish so far - and even that fish wasn't quite a pound!!  But I've been enjoying every minute and hoping to start to target bigger fish: barbel and chub in particular. I'm not into PB's and specimen hunting and all that, but just would like to catch something a bit more exciting than dozens of tiny perch, trout, roach, dace, gudgeon, minnows, ruffe, etc. Been watching  a lot of youtube videos about Yorkshire barbel tactics in particular.

The other thing that's changed this year is that my Mrs. has got the camper van she's always wanted, and has been well up for all kinds of weekends in the glamorous Yorkshire resorts (like Boroughbridge, Linton Lock, Thirsk and Thorganby (on the Derwent) to name but a few of the exotic places we've pitched up in recent weeks).

So anyway, we're now thinking of joining  a club for 2015, cos we've already spent about £40 each on day tickets in the last 5 weekends, and obviously L&DSAA would be the obvious one to join, so we're thinking of getting the half price membership on October 1st  as a "taster".  If we don't both get it, then maybe just I will, cos I've not got any work on after about mid-October, as things stand at the moment.

I had all kinds of questions when I started this post, about venues, tactics, etc but actually that would have been too much like hard work for you regulars on here, so i think I'll save them for later posts and might just ask a couple of the most important questions to start with:

(1)  Are there any of you who combine the fishing with a bit of camper-vanning or know any members who do? Which LDSAA barbel/chub venues are near camp-sites? or what farmers do you know of who might let us pitch the van for a tenner? - and are they any which are near the ultimate Holy Grail of having access to all of the "big three" as far as me & the Mrs are concerned, ie 1. Camping 2. pub within walking distance with decent real ale selection  3. Barbel & Chub fishery ??

(2) cheeky question this, but has anyone on here recently upgraded their barbel gear and got a second-hand rod going?

[tim2105]

Hi Nige and welcome potential new member.
The Wharfe at Ulleskelf is good for barbel and chub, there is a caravan site just outside Ulleskelf which has it's own bar and there is a pub in Ulleskelf. I don't know what the site is like but here is the linkhttp://whitecotecaravanpark.co.uk

I live at Kirby Wharfe and fish the Wharfe a lot so if you are ever down this way let me know I might hook up with you.

Cheers Tim.

[av1nbarb3l]

i know you have said you want to fish yorkshire rivers but trent at smeatons caravan park near newark is good for barbel and chub in particular peg 7 you have to book by phone in advance the phone number is 01636 605088 and the sat nav code is ng236ed some big fish reside here so 12lb line is a minimum requirement hope you have luck where ever you go

[nige_LS7]

Good info and many thanks to you both - they are both places that I've passed on my travels and wondered about fishing, especially Ulleskelf, which I pass on the train quite often. Never realised there was a caravan site there but that looks great for some early morning fishing access (and if we stayed there on a Saturday night we could always get a taxi into Tadcaster and back for a couple of pints of the Sam Smiths).

Stayed in the camp site at Linton Marina a few weeks back, right next to the upper end of the L&DASA Newton-on-Ouse section but was told that day tickets are no longer available for that stretch, so fished a couple of other stretches instead (the campsite's own pegs at the weirpool and DT for Newton-on-Ouse AC at Beninborough).

[neil61]

I would recommend Topcliffe, Its possibly LDASAs premium barbel/chub water. Theres a caravan site within the village although Ive no idea whether they take tourers/campervans. There are 2 pubs within the village & a 3rd thats a short walk, in the direction of Asenby.
Asenby is about a mile down the road from Topcliffe, which is also a noted LDASA barbel/chub water.
Theres a small area within the field you walk through, when heading to the river, that is used for camping although I dont know who owns it. Presumably the nearest farm. Hope this helps & good luck - Regards Neil

[nige_LS7]

Many thanks to anyone who has replied with info.

Just thought I'd update this thread with the various campsites we've found out about, and going to try with the van in 2015 when we have our Leeds books:

*Pheasant Inn Harmby (less than a mile walk from the river at Middleham and Leyburn's pubs are a similar distance)

*Great Ouseburn campsite (less than a mile walk to the Ouse at Aldwark (with Aldwark's pub less than a mile further on across the golf course footbridge). There's a beer festival at Great Ouseburn in October, to make up for the fact that the village's own pub has closed down.

*Linton Lock (where we've been before) camping in the next field to the Leeds stretch

*the campsite near Ramsgill during the trout season

*the campsite north of the river at Boroughbridge where we've stayed before (technically it's another village that side of the river but I don't remember the name) handy for a quick drive to loads of Leeds waters - and the most informative tackle shop owner! There's a few reasonable alehouses in Boroughbridge but nothing outstanding.

*the campsite on the island at Stamford Bridge looks like it could have decent fishing on site, when it's quiet out of school hols (I'm guessing that the nearby Leeds water at Kexby isn't up to much, judging by searching threads on here?).

*Ulleskelf was a good shout by someone above, but there's no point camping that close to home (not unless the pub was very special, anyway, which it isn't)

*Topcliffe caravan site doesn't have any visitors' pitches (though it is the same owners as Boroughbridge, which does, so you can fish the caravan site at Topcliffe for free as part of your stay at Boroughbridge). Can't find any info about the Asenby camping field that was mentioned, so maybe we'll just  ask .... except the rules say never to approach the farm on the Leeds stretch, so we'll have to find a way of doing it without approaching the farm. 


Maybe this info might help someone else one day, and there must be other places so I'll add to it whenever I find somewhere else.

[nige_LS7]

I like the look of this place near Newark for this summer- good barbelly stretch of the Trent by a parkland site, stately home to visit, pub nearby

www.kelhamhall.co.uk/fishing

day tix £10 a day for non members but the camping is cheap.

got put onto it via this thread (which is mainly about camping at commercials  )

yorksfishing.proboards.com/thread/29811/fisheries-camping

[nige_LS7]

Oh and I recently found out that the winery at Nun Monkton takes occasional camper vans and caravans... they make wine & beer and even have their own little festival but alas it was during the closed season.