20 of the best campsites in the Lake District

The Lake District is England’s largest national park and has the county’s deepest lake, Wastwater; its largest lake, Windermere; and its highest mountain, Scafell Pike. But, with so much beauty, it’s not superlatives that make the Lake District impressive; it’s about dramatic, natural scenery and the outdoor activities that are possible as a result. 

Take the lakes that give the area its name. They’re varied in size, shape, depth, and character: forested Thirlmere, elongated Ullswater, vast Windermere or more manageable sized Grasmere. And that’s without mentioning the thimbleful-sized (by comparison) tarns that can only be reached on foot. You can go sailing, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, waterskiing, gorge walking, open-water swimming or fishing — and if that all sounds too strenuous, well, there’s the possibility of hiring a boat to drift lazily for an afternoon.

Main photo: Coniston Water (Alamy)

Best for supporting the National Trust
This National Trust campsite near Ambleside is great for exploring the Langdale Pikes; indeed, there are striking views of them from the site. Tents and camper vans are accommodated all year (minimum two-night stay), with separate fields for families and groups, and the site has camping pods and yurts. It hosts an orienteering course, a bouldering wall and guided adventure activities during school holidays. Take the ten-minute walk to the NT-owned Sticklebarn pub for hearty meals.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £11 per night

Best for toasting marshmallows
Close to the A66 and mid-way between Penrith and Keswick, Gill Head Farm is easily accessible for touring caravans and motorhomes without the need for travelling along narrow lanes. Hardstanding pitches are available, as are grass pitches for tents. The farm campsite rents out fire pits and sells logs so you can kick back and toast marshmallows on a campfire while watching the sun set over the northern fells, including Skiddaw. The views are truly magical.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £12.50

Best for getting back to basics
Look no further than Syke Farm Campsite for a back-to-basics camping experience in Buttermere. There are, deliberately, no luxurious facilities though showers and toilets are available. Leave your vehicle in the car park and wander over the footbridge that crosses the bubbling beck to reach the tents-only camping field where you can choose your pitch upon arrival. The sound of the stream will lull you to sleep in the evening — if staring at the astounding views of the surrounding fells doesn’t keep you awake.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible N
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports N
Price from £9

Best for car-free camping
Overlooking Derwentwater, this is one of the finest campsites in the Lake District for kayaking and windsurfing, as craft can be launched directly from the campsite’s shoreline. It’s also one of the best for campers using public transport as the large, well-organised site is within walking distance of Keswick town centre and the bus station (with buses to the train station in Penrith). Non-members are very welcome.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £11.30 

Best for 360-degree views
It doesn’t get much better than Castlerigg Farm for a decent view. The campsite sits high on a Cumbrian fell, overlooking Derwentwater and — it seems — every other Cumbrian fell in the Lake District. It won’t matter which way your caravan or camper is parked up, or how you pitch your tent, your view is 360 degrees — and amazing. The popular town of Keswick is a couple of miles away for a visit to the Derwent Pencil Museum, home of the world’s first pencil.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £23

6. Sella Farm, Broughton-in-Furness

Best for adults only
With Coniston Water to the east, Wastwater to the north, the Cumbrian coast to the west and the Duddon Estuary (a Site of Special Scientific Interest known for its wildlife) to the south, you’ll find Sella Farm a convenient place to stay for visiting the most southerly areas of the Lake District. This is a small, child-free Certificated Site, licensed by the Camping and Caravanning Club, of which guests must be a member to pitch up. Situated within the national park, there are stunning views of the surrounding fells, with plenty of walking and cycling opportunities direct from the entrance. 

Pets welcome Y
Accessible N
Shower and toilet facilities N
Electricity ports Y
Price from £8

Best for families
Not many campsites within the Lake District are open all year, but Meathop Fell is. The site, which is specifically for touring caravans and motorhomes, is located on the southeastern edge of the national park. The site is designated as a Tourer Explorer site, dedicated to kids’ outdoor adventure activities, nature trails, bug-spotting, outdoor art and more. Facilities include a family washroom, baby changing, disabled wet room and laundry room.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £12.45

Best for sustainability
As the name suggests, this is the place to go for peace and quiet with fantastic Lakeland scenery, magnificent walks, and a roaring log fire to sit by after. The five-star site has all its facilities in traditional converted farm buildings and is extremely proud of its green credentials, including an outstanding zero-waste shop. If you don’t have your own tent or camper van, there are plenty of other ways to stay, including gingerbread houses, glamping burrows, cabins and pods.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £25

Best for parties
For proximity to Coniston Water, this is top trump. However, be warned, this is a campsite for groups of partygoers — at all times of the day and night. It’s not the place to come for a quiet family retreat or if you like military precision straight rows of pitches. You can pitch your tent or camper van where you like, and you can launch boats and paddleboards direct from the shore. Note that the site, open from March to November, takes cash only and there are no advance bookings taken.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible N
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports N
Price from £12

Best for trees
Become immersed in the natural surroundings as you pitch beneath the trees within Manesty Park, a National Trust-owned woodland at the southwestern edge of Derwentwater. There’s direct access to the water, and some fabulous lakeside loop walks that don’t have to be strenuous hill climbs. Carve some time out to stroll to the riverside tearooms in the nearby village of Grange.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible N
Shower and toilet facilities N
Electricity ports Y
Price from £14.20

Best for living with animals
Castlerigg Hall doesn’t have quite the same 360-degree views as its near neighbour, Castlerigg Farm Camping and Caravan Site. But it does have the better views over Derwentwater of the pair. With its remote location, the site has many environmental credentials, attracting red squirrels and other wild creatures. But guests will also enjoy saying hello to the resident donkeys, rare-breed sheep, pigs, Shetland ponies, goats, ducks and chickens.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £9.85

Best for visiting Wasdale
Church Stile Farm is located at the foot of the Screes mountain range, in the heart of the Lake District’s scenic Wasdale. There’s an easy walk to Wastwater, England’s deepest lake, which is surrounded by dramatic scenery including Scafell Pike. The peaceful site, offering tent and touring pitches plus pods and shepherd’s huts, is surrounded by gorgeous oak woods in which to go for a ramble. An on-site farm shop sells local produce alongside hot drinks, homemade cake and packed lunches.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £10.50

Best for water sports
As its name implies, you’ll be pitched beneath the trees at this pretty, woodland campsite close to Coniston. It’s a large site with 250 pitches; not that you’d know it, such is the layout, with grassy glades dotted throughout the woods. Coniston Water is a 400-yard walk from the site, where you can launch your dinghy, paddleboard, or canoe. Or take the short walk to Coniston Sailing Club, which is a Royal Yachting Association training centre.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £12.95

Best for pony trekking
This is a popular park at the northern end of Ullswater, especially for family camping holidays, as there are lots of facilities together with direct access to the lake. Many pitches provide a lake view from the five dedicated touring areas. Mountain bike hire is available direct from the site, as is pony trekking in the fells behind the park. Then, after a hard day’s sightseeing, a meal in TJ’s Restaurant will round off the evening.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £25

Best for multi-activity holidays
A drive or cycle ride over the dramatic Kirkstone Pass is not to be missed en route to this campsite in the north of the Lakes, though if you’d prefer quick and easy access, there’s a direct route off the M6 and A66 from Penrith. The site is in a valley beside Trout Beck, beneath Great Mell Fell and with spectacular views of Blencathra. For activity seekers, Rookin House Equestrian & Outdoor Activities Centre is next door, with quad bikes, horse riding, clay-pigeon shooting, archery and go-karting.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £20.80

Best for “wild” camping
It’s near the head of the Borrowdale Valley, so a stay at Seatoller Farm is about as close to wild camping as you’ll get — legally (wild camping is strictly illegal in England). The landscape is outstanding with a sense of remoteness, there’s no formal reception desk upon arrival and, once pitched, switch off your gadgets, as there’s no wi-fi or phone signal — the striking scenery will happily remove any need desire to be glued to a screen. Pitch up on a Friday or Saturday night and you can enjoy wood-fired pizza cooked in an old horsebox, with Seatoller’s own rare breed pork and Herdwick lamb for toppings.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible N
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports N
Price from £11

Best for wild swimming
Pull up at the Old Post Office and you can dip your toes into the shallow River Irt for a paddle from your riverside pitch. While you’re taking in the scenery and natural beauty around you, dream up some tall tales — the nearby Bridge Inn hosts the annual Biggest Liar in the World competition and pours pints of local ale. On the western fringes of the national park, the campsite provides access to Cumbria’s west coast in addition to pretty Eskdale.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £35

Best for steam trains
Where camping in the Lake District meets a coastal seaside holiday — this lovely woodland campsite is no more than 500 yards from the seafront in the pretty fishing village of Ravenglass. What’s more, you can make the short walk to the heritage railway station in the village for a trip on La’al Ratty, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway which transports passengers through the beautiful Eskdale valley on vintage steam trains.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £9.95

Best for climbing Helvellyn
Glenridding is one of the Lake District’s most popular villages, situated on the southwestern shore of Ullswater. And once you’ve stepped off the landing stage in the village after a boat trip around the lake, had afternoon tea in Helvellyn Country Kitchen and a meal at the Glenridding Hotel, it’s only a two-minute walk back to Gillside Farm for a night’s rest. The campsite, on a working farm, sits at the foot of the mighty Helvellyn and has a relaxed atmosphere; pitch where you wish.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible N
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £12

Best for facilities
With more than 400 pitches (including 150 touring pitches and 320 privately owned static holiday homes), Skelwith Fold is one of the largest parks in the Lake District. But such is the design of the layout that it doesn’t feel like a giant car park — the 150 touring pitches are spaced out among the trees in little glades. Luxury facilities on the five-star site are extensive; Skelwith Fold is the only park in Britain to offer dishwashers.

Pets welcome Y
Accessible Y
Shower and toilet facilities Y
Electricity ports Y
Price from £27.60

Take me there

Inspired to visit Lake District but yet to book your trip? Here are the best hotels from Booking.com* and Mr & Mrs Smith*.