Our bank holiday stay at Woodhouse Farm – the good, the chaotic, and the constipated toddler moments!

When we roll down the country lane in North Yorkshire, where Woodhouse Farm is tucked away, I immediately feel like I’m arriving at my second home. It’s such a peaceful place (until we show up), where I genuinely feel so happy.

Despite us having a hard weekend with Luca, I still can’t wait to return. So here’s the low down on our bank holiday trip. The highs and the lows – but that’s just caravanning with kids.

Friday – Arrival day in the sunshineeee

Check-in day, the sun is shining and we couldn’t wait to arrive on site. My mum and dad have a caravan too, and had already set up camp on Thursday. So unpacking was very easy as Luca played with his speed track, cousins, and grandma was on babysitting duty! We also have the Suntrek easy pitch awning, so it doesn’t take long for us to pop it up.

We picked a pitch on the top paddock because it’s closest to the toilet block and pub, plus there’s hardly any traffic as it’s not a “through road”. Luca can happily ride up and down on his bike or scooter.

It didn’t take long to set up and we soon had the Cadac out, table and chairs set up outside, and bevvies flowing. The kids entertained themselves, which is always a bonus, so here’s my top toy recommendations if you want five minutes peace at the caravan:

• Rocket launchers – the ones you step on and a foam rocket fires into the air. The only time we have to get up is when they launch them onto the awning.
• Balance bike – We have a foldable balance bike that fits in a bag, which is ace for travelling as it’s so compact. It’s super lightweight and Luca LOVES it. Ours is from Be Fun Wheels and it’s honestly one of our best caravan purchases for little ones.
• Liferyder scooter – Luca’s scooter also folds, so we travel with it under the caravan seat. It lights up at night too, which is a bonus for those darker caravan evenings. Again, this is from Be Fun Wheels and we genuinely use it every trip.
• Aeroplane gliders – These are in all the shops at the moment. You can get them with a little launcher gun that fires them into the air – hours of fun.
• Speed track – This is just a long track that sticks to glass, so we stick it to the car window. The boys race their cars, the dads get involved, and so do the mums haha. We like to make little ramps and see if we can get the cars to land in a basket. It rolls up and fits into a bag.

Friday was just one of those days that all caravanners dream about. Sun shining, kids playing happily, Cadac cooking with some banging halloumi kebabs, (recipe here) and us adults sat around catching up and having a laugh.
It’s a good job Friday was like this, because it quickly went downhill after that…

Saturday struggles at the camp

A day trip to Brimham Rocks
We woke up Saturday to glorious blue skies and thought YES, today’s going to be a good one.
But unfortunately for us, we’d let Luca snack too much on Friday and he hadn’t eaten any proper food. I’m not sure if this is common with little ones, but if Luca doesn’t eat properly for one day, he can get really constipated. So he was in a terrible mood because he was obviously really uncomfortable.

We did manage a morning at Brimham Rocks, which is only a ten-minute drive from Woodhouse Farm. We managed to get some smiles from Luca, climbed to the top, had a play around on the rocks and stopped for a little picnic.

I also announced some exciting news which we’ve been keeping under wraps! We’re so happy to finally share that we’re expecting the tiniest caravanner yet in November!

After Luca attempted a “poo with a view” on his carry potty (which we take EVERYWHERE with us by the way), we headed back to camp. Honestly, I recommend these to every parent we know because they’ve saved us so many times while caravanning
www.mycarrypotty.com/THETINYCARAVANNER
Use code THETINYCARAVANNER for 10% off.

Luca moaned for the majority of the day and honestly, it was just a tough one. But we still got some sunshine and tried to make the most of it. My mood is very much linked to Luca. If he’s feeling down, I am too.

So that was that. A bit of a shame as we were hoping for a repeat of Friday, but what can you do – caravan life.

Sunday – winner winner chicken dinner

Sunday was our last full day before heading home on Monday. The rain was POURING – it literally rained all day.
Luckily for us, Woodhouse Farm has a small indoor soft play area where we spent most of the day. We booked into the pub at 3pm and after Luca had finally been to the toilet, he came out dancing like a new man.
I had halloumi fries to start, cottage pie and cake – it was gorgeous. Despite having bad morning sickness that lasts all day, I just couldn’t resist. The rest of the adults had the Sunday dinner and they all said it was delicious.
There’s such a nice atmosphere in the pub. It’s rustic with a log fire burning away and above it there’s a shelf full of books and DVDs you can borrow. It’s all the thoughtful little touches like this that make Woodhouse my favourite.
When we got back, we packed away a few things to make departure day a little smoother. Here’s what we normally do:

• Pack away most of the awning including chairs, table, shoe cupboard and accessories
• Get all the washing up done
• Pour milk into mini cereal boxes for breakfast to save on washing up in the morning
• Clean and put away the Cadac

Monday – departure day made easy

On Monday the sun was shining again and we were genuinely gutted to be leaving. Especially since Luca had finally returned to his happy self.  Jordan packed down the awning whilst I took Luca and his cousin, Pips, to the pump bike track on site. Note to self – if it’s been raining the day before, wear wellies. It was sooo muddy and we definitely weren’t dressed for it, but we had fun.

The mini pump track is tucked away in the woods on site. There’s also glamping pods and a fishing lake. Luca needed pushing up some of the bigger bumps as he isn’t confident enough yet to pick up speed going downhill, but he absolutely loved it… right up until he fell off his bike haha.

We always try to tire Luca out before the journey home, so he’ll sleep in the car. When we got back from the track, Jordan took Luca and I unpacked inside. I always clean the caravan on site ready for our next trip. It takes two minutes and it’s one less job to do before we head off again. We use the Silwy magnetic system in our cupboards, which means I don’t have to pack away any of our glasses as they stay put on the magnetic strip. I really recommend these if you’re looking to save time on departure day.

Use code TINY10 if you fancy trying them yourself.

All our washing goes into a pop-up laundry basket, Luca’s toys go into an Ikea bag under the bed, and our towels go into another pop-up basket ready for the wash. Honestly, I don’t think you can ever have enough foldable/pop-up baskets when caravanning.

We were so sad to be leaving Woodhouse Farm – we absolutely love it there.
There’s a sandpit, two parks, soft play, pub, shop and loads to do nearby. I honestly really recommend it for families. They take tents too, and the big field at the bottom was full of tents and kids playing, which was lovely to see.
Site photographs?

It’s also a really secure site. You get an access code to enter and once it’s been used, nobody else can use it – so no sharing codes.

If you want to see more of Woodhouse Farm, I’ve shared loads of photos and videos from our stay over on Instagram @thetinycaravanner. From muddy bike tracks to pub dinners and real-life caravan chaos with kids – come and follow along

By Hannah Hey

Image credits, Hannah Hey