Haven Blue Dolphin Holiday Park in Yorkshire Review

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​Blue Dolphin Holiday Park

We found that Blue Dolphin has pros and cons compared to other Haven resorts in Yorkshire

After spending some time at Haven Blue Dolphin Holiday Park, we concluded that there is a lot to like about it. However, there are also some things that we prefer about Haven's other Yorkshire resorts (Ed: great teaser, you've hooked me in already...)

Blue Dolphin is certainly a large site, and sits on a gentle slope. We find a bit of an incline usually works very well for a holiday park, as it gives it more character and better views then a very flat side. Of course, the exception is if you are the owner of a tent or touring caravan, who would rather pitch up on a flat site.

We had some excellent weather when we visited Blue Dolphin

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A good range of facilities at Haven Blue Dolphin

The facilities at Blue Dolphin are decent and are on a par with many of the other Haven resorts we have visited. There's an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool, as well as things like a modern mini golf course, which was in great condition when we visited.

This minigolf course at Blue Dolphin made me hungry

​There are also a couple of playgrounds in the main site, another in the touring and camping area and a smaller one on the grassy area near the clifftop.

We liked this playground with a view at Blue Dolphin

This smaller playground is convenient for campers and tourers

We found this modern playground near to the Blue Dolphin entrance

We stumbled across this small playground on the cliffs (not literally)

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Caravan layout and vibe at Blue Dolphin

The majority of the caravans at Blue Dolphin are in straight rows and are relatively close together. Some are in nice cul-de-sacs and overlook a lake, but that's not the case for the most of them. I would also say that it is not a particularly leafy park, although there is some green space for playing.

This a pretty typical row of caravans at Haven Blue Dolphin

We liked the fact that the slope gives lots of caravans a bit of a view

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What about the camping and touring area at Blue Dolphin?

We also had a wander round the touring and camping area at Haven Blue Dolphin Holiday Park, which is pretty massive and has 210 pitches. It's got a gentle slope on quite a lot of it, so you'll need to contend with that but will get good views (see our comparison of Haven's touring sites).

We saw more than 200 pitches at Blue Dolphin

We noted that there's quite a slope on parts of the touring and camping area

These are some of the facilities at the Blue Dolphin touring area

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Where Blue Dolphin differs from other Haven resorts

There are a couple of things though that make Blue Dolphin a bit different from the (many) other Haven holiday parks that we have visited. 

Firstly, it does not have a central Adventure Village. These have been added to a lot of Haven holiday parks in recent years, including parks such as Haven Caister on Sea in Norfolk and Haven Skegness Holiday Park in Lincolnshire. 

We are big fans of these Adventure Villages, as they provide something of a focal point for the holiday park. Some have outdoor stages where movies are shown (usually with animated animals).

As I said, the facilities at Haven Blue Dolphin are good and some restaurants are grouped together but it generally isn't quite as centralised, so it takes a bit longer to get your bearings when you first arrive.

It also makes it harder to keep children of various ages occupied all at once. At other resorts, our younger daughter has played on a playground whilst her sister is trying something more adventurous, such as a climbing wall.

We found several things to do at Haven Blue Dolphin including these mini 4 x 4 off roaders...

There's a sports court where you can kick a ball around, and where some activities are held

This building houses soft play and crafty activities

We also found a few places to eat out including The Brigghouse (the main restaurant)

Other options we were offered include a Papa Johns...

...and an onsite Burger King

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Blue Dolphin's distinctive location

The second thing that is very unusual about this Haven Blue Dolphin Holiday Park is the location. In one direction there are lovely rolling hills, whilst in the other is one of the most stunning stretches of coastline that you will find in Yorkshire. If you visit Blue Dolphin for yourself you'll see a steady stream of people walking the coastal path along here and enjoying the glorious views.

Most of the caravans and the touring site face towards the rolling hills rather than towards the coast.

The question then, is why are all the caravans facing in the other direction? 

We absolutely loved the coastal views from Blue Dolphin - but you can't see them from the caravans

Unusually, the topography means that you go uphill to get to the edge of the cliff and the beach itself is not accessible from the holiday park. 

The cliff edge location is gorgeous, but you can't get down to the beach

In fact, if you want to dip your toe in the water you will either need to go to Cayton Bay or Filey, both of which are a 10 minute car journey away.

You will need to drive for 10 minutes for an accessible beach (this is Filey)

The cliffs are also quite dangerous at Blue Dolphin, so I would be vary of letting younger children explore alone. There is a large green space between the caravans and the cliff edge, which provides a buffer. 

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Final thoughts on our visit to Haven Blue Dolphin

If you are a walker then I would highly recommend Haven Blue Dolphin, as you will be able to walk in both directions along the coastal path and enjoy some fantastic views. However, if easy access to a beach is more important to you then you may be better to look at Haven's other holiday parks along this part of the coast - such as Haven Reighton Sands or Haven Primrose Valley.

My overall sense then, is that Haven Blue Dolphin is a really lovely holiday park, but it's lack of access to a beach may mean that you plump for a different one in Yorkshire instead.

We very much enjoyed our visit to Haven Blue Dolphin

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