We took our own voyage of discovery to the birthplace of Captain Cook

CAPTAIN Cook discovered Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. We discovered a gem of a holiday park in the north east of England.

Angrove Country Park is nestled at the foot of Cleveland Hills and the perfect base to explore the North Yorkshire Moors.

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And we didn’t have to navigate very far to realise that the surrounding areas are very, very proud of their most famous son — James Cook.

There is a birthplace museum, a memorial museum, a heritage centre, pubs named in his honour and a monument sat majestically at the top of Roseberry Topping — once thought to be the highest hill on the Moors and one of the many great hikes in the area.

If walking and museums are not your thing then you can hit the bars and sample a gin named after the man whose epic voyages in the Pacific Oceans between 1768 and 1779 changed the world forever.

Talking of gin, the food and drink at Angrove Country Park — served appropriately at the G&Tea House — is top notch all the way.

My wife Rachel and I were invited to complimentary welcome drinks at the residents only bar on arrival — a classy touch in a classy park where the main bar is open to the public and understandably busy at peak periods.

We enjoyed a wonderful boozy brunch there to celebrate our daughter Rebecca’s outstanding exam results — eggs benedict washed down with Bloody Marys and Bucks Fizz.

Dinner was every bit as good with a fine selection of seafood, butchers and garden platters, all locally sourced. There’s a delicious on-site pizza bar too, ideal for takeaway and a cosy night in.

The only thing better than the nosh was the service.

From the moment we arrived until checkout, the staff — from General Manager Lee and food and drink director Michael to reception staff to waiters and waitresses to the guy who patiently cleaned the hot tub every day as our pesky dog Clover barked his brains out — they could not have been friendlier or more accommodating, ensuring we were well looked after but also giving us the space to relax during a much-needed break.

So to the hot tub, then. We were in Yorkshire during one of the hottest weeks in the year, topping 32°C each day.

And being a team of highly strung sweltering Scots the first challenge was turning it into a cold tub — it then became the ideal place to chill in the blistering heat.

The tub is just one of the great things about the Victory Leisure Homes’ Lakewood Lodge — known as the Escape Outdoor Living at Angrove.

We were welcomed with a movie kit, popcorn, board games, local guide books and a bottle of fizz chilling in the fridge.

GO: YORKSHIRE

ANGROVE Country Park offers a range of luxury holiday homes, lodges and eco-domes – all with their own hot tub – for week-long stays starting at £589 or short breaks starting at £365. With a selection of Victory Leisure Homes lodges available on-site, holidaymakers are also able to purchase their own piece of the North Yorkshire Moors from £129,999. To book your stay, visit leisureresorts.co.uk

Also in there was a fridge full of BBQ meat (succulent lamb, chops, burgers and steaks from the local butcher) to be used on the magnificent green egg BBQ in the outdoor kitchen. It kept us going for days.

There was goodie bags too for Rebecca, 16, and her sister Lucy, 14, and even Clover was well looked after with his own crate and doggie bag packed with tasty treats.

The spacious lodge comes with all the mod cons — fully integrated kitchen with washing machine and dishwasher, a large dining area, lounge en-suite master bedroom — and was the perfect luxury base for exploring nearby beaches at Saltburn by the Sea, Staithes and Whitby.

The quaint little towns of Great Ayton and Stokesly are only a couple of miles away either side of the park and well worth a visit too.

And if you want to travel just a little further afield you could check out Guisborough Forest and Walkways, Stewart Park and the North Yorkshire Moors Railways, while footie fans can head north to take in a Newcastle, Sunderland or Middlesbrough game — all within a 45 minute drive.

But all that said, it was so calm and peaceful back at base you really didn’t have to leave.
Angrove Country Park . . .  you should discover it for yourself.

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