20th August 2026, guest from Select Ethnicity:
"I think we must be almost into double figures with the amount of times we have used one of the camping pods at Finchale Abbey. Always clean, warm and very comfortable. The showers and toilets are close by. There's a nice walk along the bank of the River Wear - spot herons and dippers, along with many mallards. Also a walk across the bridge and up the hill into Cocken Wood is nice too -seen plenty of spring flowers when we visit at the right time of year for them. Then there is Finchale Priory ruins to explore - very impressive. If you want a bit longer walk, you can walk to Durham. We did this once after arriving at the pod - it takes a while, but is well worth it. "

Would Recommend: Yes

20th August 2026, guest from Southampton:
"A hidden gem of a campsite, with spectacular views of the abbey. "

Would Recommend: Yes

19th August 2026, guest from Norwich:
"We had a really lovely few nights here and overall enjoyed our stay very much. Having the river just a few steps away was such a treat. It really is a lovely place to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
There were just a few things sadly which became noticeable, the traffic to and from the lodges behind the campsite was quite frequent, vans coming back and forth delivering items. As the site is quite compact, we also found that pitches alongside the roads could feel a little lacking in privacy at times.
We also noticed the golf buggy being used regularly during the evening. We completely appreciate that staff need to look after guests and manage the pitches, but the frequent trips did become a little noticeable, particularly when it was quieter in the evening.
The river was such a beautiful spot, although it was sad to see some rubbish left behind by larger groups, including beer cans & other litter. It would be wonderful to see such a beautiful area kept as pristine as possible.
That said, we would still absolutely recommend this site. The toilets were super clean, and we genuinely couldn't fault the cleanliness of the campsite itself. The Priory is one of the nicest campsites we've visited, and we really did have a lovely stay."

Tip:
"Take levellers! Sloping pitches, which the site information already tells you but it was pretty hard to get a level for us. "

Would Recommend: Yes