I liked this site although it is hard to find anything outstanding or, indeed, anything particularly bad. The pitches are well organised, most of them around a main trapezoid shaped road with some grass pitches in the middle and further hard standing pitches on various offshoots and enclaves from the main roadway – some pitches being rather gloomy I thought and not at all to my taste. I always prefer a nice open aspect and I had a service pitch on the opposite side to the loo block and reception. The pitch was very good and level. I was struck by the fact that the non-awning service pitches appeared to be identical in size and shape to the awning service pitches. The loo block was very clean and modern and fresh and there’s nothing to complain about there. The wardens I met were friendly and the site appeared well kept if not especially attractive – but it was mostly wet, gloomy, foggy autumnal days when I was there. I thought a surfaced path between each of the long sides of the main road would have been good to avoid walking across the grass or the long walk round. But this is nit-picking. Everyone comments on the road noise. It comes from two busy roads and the junction between them and anyone who comes here must be aware of it so their complaints are hard to justify. Mostly the noise is of the “tyres on road surface” type rather than the sound of engines. In some ways this can be worse than the engine noises one gets when much nearer a busy road. Nonetheless, whilst this is unavoidably noticeable when outside, one can barely hear it in the van. At night, just the occasional boy-racer accelerating onto the A1. It’s not a big deal. I prefer it to total silence. For caravaners the location is excellent of course being less than three miles outside of Durham. In a motorhome, however, with no car, the location turns out to be not so great. There is a park and ride half a mile walk away, but it is a treacherous walk requiring the negotiation of very busy roads and few paths. Mostly one has to take the muddy, badly maintained, grass verges with cars, lorries and buses flying past within seemingly inches, and with every opportunity for twisted ankles. You really do have to take immense care and I found it took me the best part of 15 minutes to cover this short distance. Plainly the junction was not designed for pedestrians and one is hardly likely to expect the highways authority to cater for a few caravanners wanting to get to the park and ride. Nor can one blame the CC out of whose hands this is. But it is a great shame because were there a comfortable, safe way of accessing the park and ride on foot this site would move to a new level for those in motorhomes. On my bike, it felt marginally safer. There is also a great bus service (but still requiring the same walk) from the top of High Street in Carrville (opposite the PnR). Here one can get buses to Durham or to Houghton le Spring, Sunderland and South Shields. There’s a really good play area.