Riverside Caravan Site

Before I write my review. I would like to say, this is a total honest statement and I have zero reason to lie. I would also stand on oath should I have to and swear this is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have been visiting Pateley Bridge since I was 6 years old, I am now 53 years old. I was doing the Nidderdale way. Something I had planned some months ago. I started on Thursday the 28th August and parked in the centre of Pateley Bridge. It was planned that my wife and two kids would meet me there when I had completed my three day through hike. (Which was absolutely brilliant by the way) RIGHT here we go. My wife and kids had booked onto Riverside Caravan park from Friday 29th to Monday 1st Sept in our VW campervan. A place we have visited numerous times over the years and it holds so many fun memories. We have two awnings and my wife decided to take our small drive away awning but without the van connector because of the weather forecast as this can be very tedious to attach and can sometimes be compromised by the wind and as she would be alone with the kids until I arrived there on Saturday, thought this the easiest option. She got set up on the Friday and all was good. Then on Saturday morning the lady owner of the site was knocking on the van and shouting “is there anyone in, hello, is there anyone in”. My wife opened the door and was asked to take down the awning as she deemed it a tent. My wife didn’t really know what to say, other than it’s not a tent it’s an awning, so throughout the morning my wife did take the awning down and packed it away. Not really ideal when all other vans had awnings. I arrived back into Pateley at around 4pm on Saturday afternoon, my wife and kids met me on the last steps of my hike. As we were waking to the site my wife told me what had happened and that we had no awning. Hhhhmm I thought, I will have a word with the owner and see if we could come to some compromise. What happened when I went to the reception will live with me until the day I die. What a rude, unprofessional and uncompromising lady stood before me. I asked why my wife had been told to take down the awning and was told. “It’s not an awning it’s a tent” it’s not though, we just haven’t brought the part that connects it to the van. We have our wind out awning covering the actual awning as our way of walk through. I was told “it’s not an awning and I’m not having this conversation, otherwise we will fall out, that is our rules” with the lady firmly holding up what looked like a site leaflet, with all the rules on it. I said it’s not an awning, google the manufacturer and it will show you, “no and you haven’t paid to have an awning anyway and it’s not connected to your van” I was told. Oh it’s about the money is it ? I retorted, we were happy to pay whatever it would cost to use the awning. I left and went to the toilet upstairs above the reception. As I was there I had a thought, as we were only a 90 minute drive from home, I could have gone and brought the van connector part of our awning as it really does help when you have the kids and storage items to place in the awning. We used this on our last trips around the whole of Ireland for 3 weeks and also last year on our tour of Europe for 4 weeks (not an issue on ANY other site out of approximately 30) Honestly it’s a game changer for ease of storage and also in my opinion, looks far better than sitting beside the van with boxes, chairs, cooking equipment etc strewn around. I thought I will ask the lady if it would make a difference if I went home to fetch it. “No, I’m not having this conversation because your are talking to me like an arse” no please let me talk, if I “no, these are the rules(again waving the leaflet at me like it’s the Bible of the site) and you either leave or leave the site” I was interrupted with. Again I said, No, please listen, I am willing to go and get the van connector. “NO, now leave before I remove you from this site” I simply left and said “get ready” here we are, this is me with what I meant by get ready. Honestly, it felt like a prison camp, “you can’t do this” “you can’t do that” kids can’t play on their bikes after 7:00pm, kids aren’t allowed to ride their bikes up the small ramp to where the toilets are, they have to leave them at the bottom of the ramp. None of which is signposted. I can only imagine one has to read all the rules. Maybe just me but a kind word rather than a Gestapo attitude would suffice, unless people generally do go on short breaks to sites and read a rule book, maybe it’s just me but isn’t fun supposed to be FUN ? Anyway to conclude, this site has many many family memories for me but unfortunately seems to have lost its way, or has it ? In my opinion, this site should be listed as over 50’s and couples only, no families. It has changed. Not for me anymore I’m afraid. My money is better off going to sites that are diverse in their attitude to life rather than a rule book that doesn’t allow an awning that isn’t fixed to the van. To add to that, they actually advertise they take tents through the week but not at weekends. WOW, so on a weekend if your awning isn’t fixed to the van, look elsewhere, also if your kids like to play, look elsewhere. If you don’t fancy sitting and reading the rule book before you set up pitch for an hour or so, look elsewhere. If you want a place bursting with rules, get yourself here you will love the feeling of being controlled. We left Sunday the 31st August and found a beautiful place only 15 miles away for our last night, guess what, no Gestapo owner, we’re currently sat with our awning up and loving van life once more. My daughter (aged 8) didn’t hear any of my conversations with the owner or have any idea as to what had happened during our stay but on our way to the other site, said. Why is the lady on the last campsite so mean. I asked her what she meant and she said, she was always telling us off. There you go, from the mouthes of babes eh.
Anyway, I hope you read this (owner of Riverside Caravan site) and change your ways, people want to have fun, they want to be friendly, they want sometimes, something that’s a little bit different to your opinion of an awning. Just because you don’t like someone, it doesn’t give you the right to take their money and then be cantankerous and mean during their stay. We won’t be visiting again. Life is too short to meet people of that elk twice. Good luck and good riddance.