St Helens Camping and Caravan Park, Scarborough: 'I run England's best camp and caravan site and it's in Yorkshire'
Fifty years ago, before the internet came into being, it provided an escape. With the demands of modern technology perhaps now, more than ever, there is an ever present need to switch off.
Surrounded by breath-taking countryside, St Helens Camping and Caravan Park is the perfect place to do just that. Established in 1976 the 36 acre site was re-purposed from a sand and gravel quarry and transformed into a top regional tourist attraction.
Testimony to its popularity is the impressive accumulation of awards.
The latest being the AA’s highest Five-Star Platinum Award, one of only three in North Yorkshire – and add to that the AA’s top campsite in England and Overall winner for 2025/26.
Of course, it is the team behind the scenes that can be credited for this hard-earned success, and that comes from Richard Dawnay, 12th Viscount Downe: “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our exceptional team, whose hard work has made St Helens a place our guests return to year after year.
"This award belongs to them as much as it does to the Estate.”
The Wykeham Estate, home to the campsite, lies to the eastern end of the Vale of Pickering, six miles west of Scarborough, and also comprises a water park, a mature plants nursery, game shooting, a business centre and a hotel.
Covering 7,000 acres, it is the smallest of the two estates which have been the seat of the Dawnay family since 1656.
Thirty five miles away, and 12 miles west of Whitby, lies the largest of the estates.
Extending to 14,500 acres, The Danby Estate includes 10,500 acres of grouse moor, tenanted hill farms and a highly successful wedding venue at Danby Castle.
While celebrating their success, resting on their laurels isn’t an option. Lord Downe is keen to stay one step ahead and is constantly looking at ways to improve the park which, he recalls, provided a playground for him and the children of Wykeham.
“It gets its name from the spring that came out, probably 20 yards away from the reception block. That had to be pumped away before we could build the site and, almost inevitably, a large pool of muddy water appeared and when five/six-year-old boys see a pool of water they want to jump in it - that is exactly what I did.”
Lord Downe also recalls helping with the removal of tens of thousands of stones from the quarry. “St Helens produced a lot of pocket money for the children in Wykeham while it was being built.”
His late father John Dawnay, the 11th Viscount Downe, was the visionary for setting up St Helens in the seventies paving the way for the Estate’s other enterprises including the 150 acre nursery, Wykeham Mature Plants, office developments and the North Yorkshire Water Park.
“I think he realised quite early on that an Estate might not be viable long term if it just relied on traditional forms of income such as shooting and farming.
"St Helens was the first in a series of diversifications. Now, by my calculations, about 80 per cent of the estate’s income comes from these new sources,” explains Lord Downe.
Speculative foresight, and investment, has led to the Estates’ development and progression into a multi-million pound enterprise encompassing both business and leisure pursuits.
At St Helens the introduction of glamping pods, modern amenities including under-floor heated toilet and shower facilities, launderette, hot tubs and a jacuzzi have transformed the traditional camping experience with a mindful consciousness of the impact on the environment.
Eco-friendly site enhancements include a 150kw ground mounted solar array providing around a third of the power to the site.
“We had to do something because caravanning 50 years ago was gas lamps and gas stoves. Now caravans are reliant on electricity and the draw on power is huge on individual units,” says Simon Roe, General Manager at St Helens.
“We put in metered hook-ups and the combination of charging for power used and solar has been beyond expectations,” explains David Steel, CEO of The Dawnay Estates.
Recycling also forms an integral part of the operation with waste being diverted to a picking line. With more than 150 touring pitches and two separate camping fields, St Helens offers plenty of space for campers, caravans and motorhomes too.
The children’s play areas, dog washing stations and adults-only areas are among the on-site facilities along with a licensed shop and café.
“I am personally really proud, but I am very pleased for Lord and Lady Downe because this is their baby. This was their first diversification project for the Dawnay Estate and I think it was at the right time.
"It used to be a sand quarry and the National Park hadn’t been around that long and they were looking for landowners to attract tourism,” says Simon.
Also credited with bringing St Helen’s to life is the late land agent, Paul Hutton OBE.
“He was pivotal in the design and delivery of St Helens,” says David. It is in Paul’s memory that the first of 50 trees, celebrating the park’s 50th anniversary in 2026, will be planted by one of his sons, Jonathan.
This will not only add to the beauty of the natural landscape, but, along with the man-made pond by Bedale View, the former warden’s lodge, re-located from the park entrance to a tranquil area of the park and thoughtfully re-purposed into a modern and spacious sanctuary for guests, will also provide additional retreats for wildlife.
Perennial planting and bug hotels have been introduced as part of the nationwide initiative, David Bellamy ‘Blooming Marvellous’ Pledge for Nature, encouraging holiday parks to care for their natural environments. They have also made available some land to local schoolchildren and nurseries.
This community-focused retreat closes for only four weeks in January so there is always plenty to do whether it is looking after guests or managing the surrounding landscape.
Planning for the park’s 50th anniversary celebrations is already under way with special events for corporate and stakeholder clients, and seasonal guests who make the park a welcoming and family-focused place to be.
Jill and Peter Bamforth initially came to St Helens with their touring caravan in 1984. They love it so much they purchased a pitch in 2013 and, when the neighbouring pitch became available, they purchased it for their two daughters to enjoy with their families.
Chatting in the comfortable on-site café with their dog, Milly, the couple say their pet has practically grown up at St Helens, which has hosted around 450,000 guests since it opened. “It is a dog walker’s paradise,” says Jill. “It is like living in a country park rather than a caravan park. It is just so lovely. The facilities are outstanding.”
Accessibility to the surrounding areas is important too. “Turn right and you are inland and turn left and you are on the coast,” says Peter.
Memories of the fun and enjoyment St Helens has brought over the years will be re-lived as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, including a series of seventies-inspired events which will also raise funds for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support. Of particular interest is an exhibition of old slides from the archive.
Simon talks of the many happy holidays enjoyed by generations of families, and the importance of preserving those memories through initiatives such as turning the Belfast sinks on site, once used for bathing babies, into planters.
“Little things like that mean so much to people,” says Simon. “By taking what we have done over the past three or four years this secures St Helens for the next 50 years. We can continue to make those memories, we are very people orientated here. It is a very happy place.”
“We often say St Helens is the jewel in the crown of the Estate and it is important to keep it going,” adds Lord Downe.
www.sthelenscaravanpark.co.uk