Holmescales Campsite

View prices & book 8.8 207 reviews
Around the site
Around the site
Aerial view of the site
View of the site
Pitches and toilet block
Around the site
Around the site
Around the site
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Aerial view of the site
View of the site
Pitches and toilet block

  • Small site in the Cumbria countryside, 15 minutes’ drive from Kendal
  • Sizergh Castle 15 minutes’ drive; Windermere half an hour
  • Archery, quad biking and axe throwing; toilet and shower block
The gently undulating hills of the Cumbria countryside surround Holmescales Campsite, a small, friendly site a five-minute drive from the hamlet of Old Hutton, with its pretty stone cottages, and 15 minutes from the market town of Kendal. This is a handy spot for getting out into the fresh air and exploring the spectacular landscape, since the site sits between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales national parks. Not only that: being a mere three miles from the M6 and four miles from Oxenholme railway station makes Holmescales a nifty stopover point for those heading to and from Scotland. Life on site is pretty peaceful: each pitch has a view of the Lakeland fells, and you’ll often spot farm animals and wildlife in the surroundings, too. Amenities include shower and toilet blocks and a washing-up station, plus chemical disposal. Couples, families and well-behaved dogs on leads are all welcome to stay here, and barbecues and campfires are permitted to enhance those rural evenings on site – although there are several excellent pubs and restaurants within a few minutes’ drive, too. If it all sounds a tad too laidback, fear not: the folks here run a good set of on-site activities, so you can challenge yourself and have a go at archery, air rifles, crossbows and axe throwing, or spend days quad biking or clay-pigeon shooting. Please note: these activities incur an extra cost, and they’re pretty popular, so you’ll need to book ahead.

Site type

Tent pitches 18
Touring caravan pitches 18
Motorhome pitches 18
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • 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. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

8.8

Overall rating from 207 Pitchup.com customers

  • 55%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 26%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 4%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

91% would recommend this site to a friend

89% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a quiet, basic campsite praised for its stunning rural views and generally clean facilities, including warm showers and good washing-up areas. Many guests appreciate the generous pitch sizes and peaceful atmosphere, noting its convenience for accessing the M6 and the Lake District. While some mention road noise and challenging access lanes, and a few find the facilities basic for the price, most reviewers highly recommend it for its value and relaxing environment, with many intending to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 21
Arrival date (latest first)

Back to basics with facilities but a clean & tidy site.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 4
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 2
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 1
 COLIN J. 1 review

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Plenty of room on the pitches and beautiful views. Back to basics.

Disliked Lack of lights in the showers and toilets and didn't see any members of staff.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Peaceful and spacious with beautiful views.…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Rob W. 11 reviews

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Peaceful and spacious with beautiful views.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great spot for the view. Overpriced for what facilities are there.

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 2
Value for money
 2
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked The view and quietness.

Disliked No grey waste disposal for campervan / motorhome.

Showers really are basic and sadly weren't working the day we arrived. They got sorted by helpful staff.

Pitches are very tight for parking if you had long motorhome or caravan.

Pitches could be levelled more. Even on ramps we were on a steep slope on gravel pitch.

Access roads very narrow.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good size pitch, lovely views and…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Alison G. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Good size pitch, lovely views and walks. Proprietor very informative and helpful

Disliked Only stayed one night so all okay

Recommend to friends Visit again

small quiet site with a great…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 1
 Vicky D. 1 review

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked small quiet site with a great view

Disliked no dislikes, its a small campsite

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lovely site overall.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Karen H. 34 reviews

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked A lovely site with great walks off site and plenty of space on the site too. Brilliant views and a quiet place to relax. Staff were friendly. big pitches and choice of pitches.

Disliked the showers do let the site down. It wouldn’t stop me returning but it wasn’t the nicest shower. It was warm but not a permanent looking one and there are slight gaps in the wood doors where you change.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site nice owners

Overall

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

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Nice area, spacious pitches, owners are nice

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site, good value for money!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Good size pitches and being able to pick was nice.

Nice and quiet

Good facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely quiet site …can hardly hear…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
 Kathleen C. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Lovely quiet site …can hardly hear the motorway! Great view and perfect for my one night stay!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Spacious pitch with beautiful views. Basic…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Laura O. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Spacious pitch with beautiful views. Basic but very clean toilets, showers and washing up area. We liked the ability to turn up, pitch up, and just enjoy our stay without an onerous check in. The campsite was very quiet with only a handful of other campers. There was no motorway noise as mentioned in other reviews, we found it incredibly peaceful and we’ll definitely be booking again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit 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

Themes

Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Farm Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Holmescales Campsite

Holmescales Farm

Old Hutton

Cumbria

England

LA8 0NB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.27493°N
2.68536°W

Nearest transport

Coach
4.5 mi Bus Station
4.5 mi Bus Station
4.5 mi Bus Station
Rail
2.5 mi Oxenholme Lake District Rail Station
4.5 mi Kendal Rail Station
6.4 mi Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
10.8 mi Fell Foot Country Park Ferry Landing
10.9 mi Lakeside Windermere Ferry Landing
11.3 mi Bowness Ferry Nab 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

The vast grounds at Sizergh Castle (15 minutes’ drive) include woodlands, wetlands, orchards and a rock garden with a collection of lush ferns. The 14th-century mansion at the heart of it all has displays of Elizabethan furniture, paintings and armour; it is also home to the Inlaid Chamber, with its exquisite oak panelling. Petrolheads will appreciate a day at the Lakeland Motor Museum (25 minutes), where vintage cars and motorcycles are presented within the social context of their respective eras – for example, a 1940s tractor is part of a display on the Women’s Land Army (or Land Girls). There are also exhibits on pedal cars and caravans. There are rowing, sailing and racing boats on display at the Jetty Museum in Windermere (half an hour), where you can also take long strolls on the banks of the lake of the same name. Just a little further south, in Bowness-on-Windermere, children can meet Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin and other beloved fictional characters at The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Morecambe North 15.4 mi Estuary GoodN/AGoodGood
Morecambe South 16 mi Sea N/AN/AGoodGood
Haverigg 25.1 mi Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
Walney West Shore 26 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A
Walney Sandy Gap 26.2 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sizergh Castle and Garden 3.6 mi

Levens Hall & Gardens 3.9 mi

Blackwell, The Arts & Craft House 10.7 mi

Windermere Lake Cruises, Lakeside 11 mi

The World of Beatrix Potter 11.3 mi

National Trust

Sizergh Castle and Garden 3.6 mi

Fell Foot Park 10.8 mi

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse 12 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 12.2 mi

Hill Top 12.7 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

LEVENS HALL 3.4 mi

SIZERGH CASTLE 3.4 mi

The River Kent and Kendal 3.7 mi

Levens Hall and the River Kent 3.8 mi

Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle 3.8 mi

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday, 30 July 2026 – Thursday, 30 July 2026)

    Penrith, Cumbria 22.8 mi

  • Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival (Saturday, 8 August 2026 – Saturday, 8 August 2026)

    Skipton, North Yorkshire 27.2 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 Holmescales Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Holmescales Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Holmescales Campsite? The vast grounds at Sizergh Castle (15 minutes’ drive) include woodlands, wetlands, orchards and a rock garden with a collection of lush ferns. The 14th-century mansion at the heart of it all … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Holmescales Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1:30 p.m. –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  12:30 p.m.

    Please call or text when you are close to arriving.

    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Holmescales Campsite? From £26 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.