Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite

View prices & book 9.4 29 reviews
Green Bell in the distance
Pitch with spectacular views
Grass pitches with fell views
Peaceful tent pitch

  • No-frills family campsite with spectacular Howgills views in Cumbria
  • Bowness-on-Windermere 45 minutes’ drive; Ribblehead Viaduct 50 minutes
  • Set between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks
Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite sits at the foot of the majestic Howgills in Cumbria. Located on a working sheep farm halfway between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks, the peaceful (and please note, off grid so no electricity or showers) camping field has spectacular views of the summit of Green Bell. This is a stunning and out-of-the-way spot for a relaxing family break surrounded by untamed fells. Just a 15-minute stroll down the lane from the site is the pretty village of Ravenstonedale, where you’ll come upon two welcoming pubs serving excellent food and real ales. If you venture a little further out of the village, there’s yet another establishment renowned for its delicious fare. The market town of Kirkby Stephen (10 minutes’ drive) has a plethora of independent shops where you can stock up on goodies for the barbecue or fill up in the cafés and pubs. It’s also the gateway to Cumbrian walks and cycle rides taking you to dramatic waterfalls and prehistoric stone circles, and you can gen up on all your activity options at the visitor centre.

Site type

RV sites 3
Tent sites 10
Open now
Opens April 4
Please note
  • This park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Apr 4 to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

93%

would recommend this site to a friend

93%

would stay here again

  • 79%
    10
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    9
  • 17%
    8
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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Struck lucky with the weather, enjoyed a peaceful break.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Views of the hills, laid back feel

Recommend to friends Visit again

enjoyed our two nights here. Facilities were basic, but clean.

Overall 8/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 8
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Location. Fantastic scenery.
Fire pits available to use, wood can be purchased in site.
Laid back vibe.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Terrible experience – avoid this place

Overall 2/10
Location 2
Value for money 2
Accommodation 2
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 2
Wifi 2
David F. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Nothing

Disliked: The entire place was full of animal faeces — it was absolutely disgusting. The toilets were extremely dirty and unhygienic, and the whole site felt completely neglected.

We spoke to Suzie, the person in charge, who initially agreed to give us a refund due to the poor conditions. However, after we left, she changed her story and refused to refund us. This kind of behaviour is dishonest and shows a complete lack of professionalism.

Do yourself a favour and stay somewhere else — this place is not worth your time or money

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi David,

I’m sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet expectations. I want to offer clarity for future guests and respond to your concerns sincerely.

When your group arrived, it included six people, though the booking was made for three. When I addressed this, you informed me you wouldn't be staying due to the compost toilets not being what you had expected — clearly mentioned in our listing. I suggested following up via Pitchup or by email, and I welcomed a discussion about a refund.

After our conversation, you emailed me directly, and I offered you a 50% discount on a future stay as a gesture of goodwill — despite the circumstances. I believe this was a fair response.

The toilets were clean, as confirmed by both myself and other campers on-site at the time, and I’m proud of the consistent positive feedback we receive about our facilities and the peaceful atmosphere here.

I understand we won’t be the right fit for everyone, but I do take all feedback seriously and always aim to improve. Wishing you all the best in your future travels.

Suzie

Cozy small campsite surrounded by gorgeous views and sheep with their lambs.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Cozy small campsite surrounded by gorgeous views and sheep with their lambs. Facilities were clean, fellow campers were friendly. Composting toilets were clean and didn't smell terrible, well stocked with loo roll. Site was easy to drive to and easy to find

Disliked: Couldn't get the lights in the toilets to work so ended up taking a torch in with me

Recommend to friends Visit again

Basic, but lovely, wild site with a very friendly owner.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Beautiful Views & stream running through.
Only 10 mins from M6, so good stop off on way to Scotland.
Another 10 mins to lovely Kirkby Stephen, so chips still hot once pitched up.
Good coffee & cake a few minutes mins drive away at a local art gallery.
Greeted & directed on arrival.
Managed to find a level spot to pitch
Composting toilet better than expected.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly hosts Communication was fantastic prior to arriving Beautiful location…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Friendly hosts

Communication was fantastic prior to arriving

Beautiful location

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your review. We hope to see you again.

Location, welcome, pre stay contact and info.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Steve O. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Location, welcome, pre stay contact and info.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Steve,

We are now open again, and I am just going through some reviews. I just wanted to thank you for your review. We hope to see you again this year. Suzie & Sam

A beautiful, simple and friendly campsite away from the hubbub.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness No rating
Wifi No rating
Peter H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: The peace and quiet, and the simple but functional and useful facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Peter,

We are now open again and I am just going through some reviews. I just wanted to thank you for your review. We hope to see you again this year. Suzie & Sam

The view…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
jake r. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: The view

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Jake,

We are now open again, and I am just going through some reviews. I just wanted to thank you for your review. We hope to see you again this year. Suzie & Sam

Lovely little campsite with friendly host!

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Devin M. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Primitive cement/asphalt and grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked: Campsite just as expected from description.
Fire pits are a great touch and plenty of them, we were greeted as soon as we arrived from a friendly host and we could buy a big bag of wood for the fire for £10.
Toilets were lovely and clean.
Kids loved having a little splash in the stream, overall we all had a great time!

Disliked: Nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Devin,

We are now open again, and I am just going through some reviews. I just wanted to thank you for your review.
We hope to see you again this year.
Suzie & Sam


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Nearby leisure

Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite

High Greenside

Greenside Lane

Ravenstonedale

Kirkby Stephen

Cumbria

England

CA17 4LU

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.42973°N
-2.45045°W

Nearest transport

Coach
22.2 km Bus Station
22.2 km Bus Station
22.2 km Bus Station
Rail
6 km Kirkby Stephen Rail Station
14.5 km Garsdale Rail Station
16.9 km Appleby Rail Station
Ferry
31 km Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
31.6 km Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
31.6 km Bowness on Windermere Ferry Terminal

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

Local attractions and activities include: - Ravenstonedale (pubs): five minutes’ drive - Kirkby Stephen (market town): 10 minutes - Gamelands Stone Circle: 15 minutes - Smardale Gill Viaduct (walks): 20 minutes - Cautley Spout (waterfall): 20 minutes - Sedbergh (Dales town): 25 minutes - Bowness-on-Windermere: 45 minutes - Ribblehead Viaduct: 50 minutes.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Morecambe North 47.4 km Estuary GoodN/AGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sizergh Castle and Garden 26.5 km

Levens Hall & Gardens 28.6 km

High Force Waterfall 30 km

The World of Beatrix Potter 31.3 km

Windermere Lake Cruises, Bowness 31.5 km

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 26.1 km

Sizergh Castle and Garden 26.5 km

Townend 30.1 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 30.4 km

Hill Top 34.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

The Howgills Traverse - Sedbergh 4.4 km

Smardale Wildlife Reserve 5.3 km

Kirkby Stephen - Nateby - Wharton Hall - Lammerside Castle 7.9 km

Great Asby Scar Circular 8 km

Kirkby Stephen - Nine Standards Rigg 8.1 km

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday, July 31, 2025 – Thursday, July 31, 2025)

    Penrith, England 25.9 km

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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see pitch type section for details

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite? Local attractions and activities include: - Ravenstonedale (pubs): five minutes’ drive - Kirkby Stephen (market town): 10 minutes - Gamelands Stone Circle: 15 minutes - Smardale Gill Viaduct (walks): 20 minutes - … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite? From $36.81 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.