Where is Griffon Forrest

Griffon Forest and their lovely private lodges are found just a 20-minute drive from York.

Welcome to Griffon Forest

In case you want to have a look on Google Maps, their postcode is YO60 7RG.

More about Griffon Forest and the immediate surrounding area

Griffon Forest is set in 100 acres of tranquil woodland.

You will find the reception within the shop which is open from 9am till around 5pm every day except for Sunday. You can hire bikes and toddler trailers from the shop.

Griffon Forest has over 60 lodges of which dogs are welcome in quite a few.

Here’s a map from a couple of years ago, just to give you an idea.

A 5-10 minute walk from your lodge takes you to Tykes Bar & Restaurant at Sandburn Hall. As a Griffon Forest guest, you get a 10% discount off your meal.

You will also find a Golf club at Sandburn Hall. Griffon Forest guests also get a discount on the green fee rate.

We have had breakfast at the Sports bar before and it was lovely, with a view over the golf course. It was a lovely morning, so we sat outside with our dog Archie.

Sandburn have also recently built a hotel. I have to say the room images on the website look amazing!

None of the facilities at Sandburn Hall affect the peace and tranquillity at Griffon Forest, they are a short walk if you want to utilise them, but their guests are not allowed on Griffon Forest, that is for the lodge residents only.

Anyway, let’s get back to the lodges at Griffon Forest!!

Apart from the lodges themselves, our favourite part of Griffon Forest is the Walks and Trails. Perfect for our dog and safe for him to be off the lead. Generally, we never see another soul, the forest is so large.

But be assured, we pop him back on the lead if we do see anyone else.

Which lodges have we stayed in?

We have stayed in several lodges over the years with our favourite being Gardeners Premier. We have also stayed in the Woodmans Lodge and Keepers Lodge

Gardeners Premier is our favourite as it has 2 king ensuite bedrooms, perfect for 2 couples (and Archie our dog!) As a bonus, we get the use of robes and gifted a bottle of fizz and a box of chocolates per bedroom. It is just a special place. Not only that, but badgers also visit the lodge we have stayed in a couple of times, regularly in the evening. They are very noisy eaters!! There is a channel on the lodge TV for badger watching.

What do you get in the lodges?

The lodges all come with hot tub and furniture on the decking. Plus, a barbeque area.

There is generally a utility area with a washer and dryer.

Reading the website, I see that Gardiners Premier now has an American Fridge freezer, which is amazing. We have yet to visit at Christmas for example as the fridge was so small. So that is a really positive addition.

I’ve broken down the information below, from the website, showing exactly what is in each of the different lodges.

What are the lodges like?

The lodges are solid, wood-built buildings. None of these caravans, that some places call lodges.

They are set in the forest and most are situated with complete privacy. Generally, you feel like you are alone in the forest.

It is simply perfect, hence why we just keep on going back and cannot wait to book our next visit.

Here are some pictures of the lovely lodges we have stayed in.

We always book our stay through Hoseasons – https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/

Visiting York

There is a park and ride for York, check here for details Park & Ride – iTravel York

But we like to park at the Marygate Long Stay car park which is close to the river. Its postcode is YO30 7DT and is a 22-minute drive from Griffon Forest. Parkopedia will give you the latest charges and you can pay on foot – cash or card. York Station – Long Stay – Car Park (parkopedia.co.uk)

From the car park we head to the riverside and bear left and head to the outside (up the stairs) terrace of The Star Inn the City, here we start our day with a cuppa, overlooking the river, watching the folks at the rowing club across the other side. This also allows us a toilet break before we continue our day in York.

Some of the many things you can do in York as well as the fabulous walk along the river that we have done and enjoyed over the years are.

• The Jorvik Viking Centre JORVIK Viking Centre – a must see attraction in York
• York Castle Museum York Castle Museum
• York Minster Homepage | York Minster
• The Shambles The Shambles York | Plan your visit to the oldest street in York
• Bettys Tea Shop Bettys York

All of which are in walking distance from where we park.

Bridlington has an awesome dog friendly beach.

For our days out to Bridlington we use the Park and Ride Bridlington park and ride (eastriding.gov.uk) The postcode is YO15 3QN.

Bridlington is 1 hours’ drive from Griffon Forest.

There are toilets at Bridlington side of the car park and a Café. A quick way to get into town is to hop on the land train or bus. The cost of which is included in your parking fee and covers up to 5 people.

The large beach in the images above and below is ok for dogs all the way to the slip path just before the town (at the time of writing). Especially when the tide is out, there is plenty of room for dogs to have a good off lead run. We generally do this early in the morning when the beach is quieter.

After a pleasant walk along the beach, heading back onto the promenade, you will find an array of amazing Beach Huts.

Along the promenade you will find numerous toilets. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a block every 100 yards or so!

Bridlington is a harbour town called Brid for short.

A Gothic Day in Whitby

We park in the Endeavour Wharf car park, when visiting Whitby. The postcode being YO21 1YN Whitby parking – Car Parks, Street Parking, Private Garages (parkopedia.co.uk).

Whitby is just under an hour away from Griffon Forest.

Whitby Abbey inspired Bram Stoker the author of ‘Dracula’ Whitby Abbey | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk).

You need to be pretty fit to tackle the 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey! Good job the path is wide enough for resting places!

Whitby hosts the annual Whitby Goth Weekend ABOUT WGW – Whitby Goth Weekend.

The best and probably most expensive (but worth it) Fish and Chips I have ever tasted, were from the Magpie Restaurant in Whitby. If we visit without the dog, this is definitely on the agenda for our next visit.