Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

View prices & book 8.8 86 reviews
Pitches near the lake
Pitches near the lake
Pitches
Grass pitches by the lake
Grassy pitches
Grass pitches
The field
Grass pitches by the lake
Grass pitches with lake views
1/90
Pitches
Grass pitches by the lake
Grassy pitches

  • Small campsite with direct access to the Ullswater Way walking path
  • A 10-minute walk from Pooley Bridge, past the Ullswater Steamer Pier
  • Just 500 metres from the lake; short walk from bars, cafés and shops
How’s this for the first morning of your Lake District trip? Rolling out of the tent to lake views, before strolling 10 minutes into the village for coffee and breakfast and then backtracking five minutes to take up a spot on a historic Ullswater steamer. Such routines are commonplace at Waterfoot Carpark Campsite… This small, simple campsite is in a field around 500 metres from the shore of Ullswater, with views over the lake, so there’s always something to satisfy the eyes. As for satisfying the stomach, it’s just outside of Pooley Bridge, meaning that restaurants, bars, cafés and shops are only 10 minutes’ walk away too. The Ullswater Steamer Pier is just five minutes’ walk away from the pitches, so you’re in pole position for getting to other spots around the lake without so much as touching your car’s steering wheel. If you have Cumbria hikes high on your priority list, you’re also in for a treat. The site has direct access to the 20-mile Ullswater Way, a round trip around the lake. From Pooley Bridge, you can also follow the Lowther Castle Loop and Dalemain Loop.

Site type

Tent pitches 50
Open now
Opens 11 July
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 11 Jul to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.8

Overall rating from 86 Pitchup.com customers

  • 61%
    10
  • 8%
    9
  • 16%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 2%
    2
  • 2%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Lake and/or mountainSpectacular scenery

88% would recommend this site to a friend

88% would stay here again

What customers say

This basic campsite boasts an excellent location, a short walk from Pooley Bridge and directly accessible to Ullswater. Visitors frequently praise the stunning lake views, friendly and helpful owners, and overall value. While many appreciate the clean portaloos and convenient fresh water access, some note a lack of showers and occasional issues with toilet paper availability. The site can experience noise from other campers, and some pitches are on a slope.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 9
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely staff and come round to check everything is okay for you 😊

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked And great campsite ideally located close to the town area and ullswater lake which has easy access opposite the campsite 😊 toilets were nice and clean for portaloos aswell and bins located for rubbish.

Disliked Abit noisy but located near a road so its to be expected but was really a problem for us 😊

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location Friendly welcome Able to have…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 No rating
Rory G.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great location
Friendly welcome
Able to have a campfire (raised)
Nice and quiet
There is tap water

Disliked It can be a little bit cramped to get a flat pitch
No anti bac but told the staff who arranged replacement
The portaloos were getting a bit smelly towards the end as they weren’t the flap ones
Quite a bit of litter around the site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Louise was a lovely lady Absolutely perfect place, so peaceful

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Diane H.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Absolutely perfect place, so peaceful and only 10 minute walk in to the village.
Only water and porta loos on the site very basic but we loved it 😁 definitely come back

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had the most wonderful stay…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Lauren A.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked We had the most wonderful stay at this pop-up campsite! From the moment we arrived, Martin and Louise made us feel so welcome – they couldn’t have been more helpful and genuinely lovely. The location is absolutely perfect, with everything you could possibly need close at hand, and the amenities were spot on. This is a simple campsite but is just what we wanted!

It was our 1-year-old daughter’s very first camping trip, and she was so happy and settled the whole time – which really says it all!

We couldn’t recommend this campsite enough and will definitely be back. Thank you, Martin and Louise, for making our first family camping experience so special.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful little no frills site, very…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Stacey B.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Beautiful little no frills site, very friendly man and lady waiting to greet you 😊
family’s playing not far to the lake for water sports, booked for one night then added more would absolutely use this site again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site..clean..friendly. lovely place

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Diane G.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely site in beautiful surroundings..stunning views of ullswater lake just across the road..little path through the woods straight into pooley bridge about a 10 minute stroll..lady taking payment very friendly and gave us lots of local information on things to do and places to go..definitely going back

Disliked Not really a dislike but a shower block would be perfect..it does say in the description no shower block ..

Recommend to friends Visit again

No…

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 1
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Jason C.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked No

Disliked Uneven pitch rubbish been left noisey next to main Road otherwise ok !!!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: sorry you are one of few everyone else loves the place even the
view maybe camping isn't quite for you
i wish you had come to say you had a problem on the day

Great location. Staff very friendly and…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Megan G.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great location. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing location for views. Simple facilities…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Siobhan B.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Amazing location for views. Simple facilities for the back to nature vibe.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location near the lake and…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great location near the lake and village, lovely views, friendly owners, lake access.

Disliked Whilst the campsite does have a tap, it would really benefit from a washing up area. Just an old sink, with a gutter to take the water away from your feet.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: thank you for this we have taken note and will hopefully get this sorted soon

Features

No dogs allowed

Portable toilet

Pop-up campsite

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports Wild swimming

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year No dogs allowed

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Nearby leisure

Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

Pooley Bridge

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0LL

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.61132°N
2.83113°W

Nearest transport

Coach
4.6 mi Rail Station
12.5 mi Bus Station
13.2 mi Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
Rail
4.5 mi Penrith North Lakes Rail Station
8.8 mi Langwathby Rail Station
10.9 mi Lazonby & Kirkoswald Rail Station
Ferry
0.2 mi Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
3 mi Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
6.5 mi Glenridding Ullswater Ferry Landing

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Get your hiking boots at the ready, as there are plenty of walks to get stuck into from your pitch. The Ullswater steamers can drop you off in Glenridding (otherwise 15 minutes’ drive) for a quick loop up Lanty’s Tarn, which has views of Helvellyn, England’s third-highest mountain. You could also get off the boat in Howtown (15 minutes), where there's a walk to Hallin Fell overlooking Ullswater. If you’d rather tackle Helvellyn (20 minutes), it's not far away either. Aira Force Waterfall (10 minutes) is another splendid place for a good stroll – this waterfall with a 65-foot drop was a favourite spot for William Wordsworth. If you fancy breaking up all that walking with a cycle, you can hire bikes at Lowther Castle & Gardens (20 minutes). The estate trails make for an easy ride, and if you’re visiting with kids, there’s also a handy adventure playground. Stop by in Penrith (20 minutes) if you have time too. It has a 14th-century castle and a museum, and it's close to a lovely walk up Beacon Hill.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 26.4 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 1.5 mi

The Rheged Centre 3.2 mi

Ullswater Steamers 6.5 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 10.7 mi

Rydal Mount and Gardens 12.8 mi

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 9.6 mi

Grasmere and Great Langdale 14.2 mi

Townend 14.3 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 15.7 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 17.7 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Pooley Bridge and Heughscar Hill 0.4 mi

Pooley Bridge - Loadpot Hill - Howtown - Pooley Bridge 0.4 mi

DALEMAIN 1.7 mi

Howtown - Patterdale - Glenridding 3.1 mi

Howtown - Hallin Fell - Sandwick via Steamer 3.1 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Want to know more about camping in The Lake District and Cumbria?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Waterfoot Carpark Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Waterfoot Carpark Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Waterfoot Carpark Campsite? Get your hiking boots at the ready, as there are plenty of walks to get stuck into from your pitch. The Ullswater steamers can drop you off in Glenridding (otherwise 15 minutes’ … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Waterfoot Carpark Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  10:30 a.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Waterfoot Carpark Campsite? From £25 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.