Wasdale Lakeside Campsite

View prices & book 9.4 212 reviews
Aerial view of the camping field
Wasdale valley
Campsite entrance
Wasdale valley

  • Basic and remote campsite five minutes’ walk from Wastwater in Cumbria
  • Wastwater Alpaca Trekking 25 minutes’ drive; Ravenglass 20 minutes
  • Pop-up pitches on a Lakeland fell farm; access to Scafell Pike
If you’re after a spectacular wild camping spot to lay down your head, you’ll certainly find it at Wasdale Lakeside Campsite. Set on a working Lakeland farm, this Cumbria pop-up site is big on views, looking up Wasdale to Yewbarrow, and right down to the shores of Wastwater. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to join your Lakeland jaunt, but must be kept on a lead at all times as there are always sheep about. You’ll all get lots of exercise, as there are numerous walks into the scenic Wasdale Valley from the camping field. Talking of the camping field, pitch numbers are limited so your wild camping experience can stay a private, peaceful one. Simple amenities run to portable toilets, on-site water in a container, cold running water a short walk from the pitches, recycling and washing lines for drying clothes and wetsuits. Small barbecues are allowed, but please place them on the slates provided. Pick up any vital supplies in Eskdale Stores (15 minutes’ drive), or order takeaways from the Lion and Lamb pub in Gosforth (they’ll deliver to your tent). If you fancy a change of scenery, hotfoot it down to the pubs in Nether Wasdale (10 minutes or half an hour’s walk). Please note there are no showers and no electrical hook-up points at this campsite. As this is a remote area, there is limited phone signal and data coverage; some networks have better coverage than others.

Site type

Tent sites 47
Motorhome sites 3
Open now
Opens 17 July
Please note
  • This campground/park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 17 Jul to

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

  • 74%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 15%
    8
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    7
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    6
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    5
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
5

97% would recommend this site to a friend

97% would stay here again

What customers say

Awesome remote spot with amazing mountain, forest & lake views. Friendly owners, peaceful vibe. Basic facilities but clean portaloos. Great for lake activities & hiking Scafell Pike. Many keen to return for this wild camping experience.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 22
Arrival date (latest first)

Fantastic site

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Fantastic rustic camp site.. loads of space and near the waters edge. Lovely owners, can't do enough. No phone signal for me..
Totally bliss

Disliked Too short a season..

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect camping spot close to lake…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Perfect camping spot close to lake unreal views. Campsite clean perfect for family’s and weekend away for mates. Owner really helpful and helped with anything we needed. Provided us with fire wood. Would highly recommend will be returning.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing site for people wanting a back-to-basics camping experience.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
7
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
1
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
7
Laura C.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Loads of space and some good flat areas for big tents. Direct path to the lake (Wast Water) for paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming, etc. Amazing dark skies when it's not cloudy. Owner very attentive and makes regular checks of the site.

Disliked Portaloos really aren't great in the summer with lots of people using them! Have to say they were cleaned very regularly but still smelled awful in the hot weather.
Maybe a sign on the rubbish container saying "no hot ashes" would stop bin fires (as we witnessed today when a group of young people emptied a fire pit into the bin!)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really nice, I would definitely recommend this site

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked The location and scenery were perfect. It was nice and quiet, plenty of space and you can pitch up where ever you want, no dedicated pitches.

Disliked The track to the campsite has some large rocks sticking up which catch the underside if your car if your not careful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice location…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
1
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
5
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Nice location

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would recommend to anyone basic site but that’s what we liked about it

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
No rating
Rebecca M.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked The lake just 5 minutes walk away beautiful to swim in.
Lovely owner and toilets cleaned at least twice a day

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved our time here as a family of four. We’ll be back!

Overall

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

Unpowered grass campervan site

Liked What an absolutely stunning location. The site is really spread out. Surrounded by mountains, it’s just a few mins walk through some lovely woods to the edge of Wastwater where our kids took our inflatable canoe out.

Disliked Loved everything but the only facilities are portaloos- we knew this when booking so it’s fine but if the site had something a little nicer in terms of facilities it would be probably my favourite place to camp in the UK. Definitely not a deal breaker!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful off grid campsite with stunning views!

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Beautiful location and views, quiet even when relatively busy. Can pick your own spot to pitch.

Disliked Portaloos.

Water tap was slightly temperamental.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic campsite and amazing value

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Large, peaceful campsite with clean toilets and perfect mobile data coverage. Stunning views in a fantastic location. David the Farmer incredibly helpful and friendly. Will definitely come again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely brilliant campsite - stunning scenery,…

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
Mary A.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Absolutely brilliant campsite - stunning scenery, friendly and helpful owners. Highly recommend!

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

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 Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. 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

Budget/backpacker Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Wasdale Lakeside Campsite

Easthwaite Farm

Nether Wasdale

Cumbria

England

CA20 1ET

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.42191°N
3.32446°W

Route directions

On arrival, please follow the sign to the campsite. Do not cross the farmyard, but drive through the double gates on your left. Drive carefully as there are sheep in the fields. What3words: goats.spotted.named. Please note that it is a farm track, not a tarmac road, so please drive carefully.

Nearest transport

Coach
20.3 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
20.3 km Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
22.3 km Tangier Street
Rail
9.2 km Ravenglass Rail Station
9.2 km Drigg Rail Station
10.8 km Seascale Rail Station
Ferry
18 km Coniston Ferry Landing
18.1 km Waterhead Hotel (Coniston) Ferry Landing
18.2 km Torver (Coniston) 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

Just five minutes’ stroll from the camping field, Wastwater is a hub for wild swimmers, scuba divers, paddleboarders and kayakers – you can hire gear from the rental shop 10 minutes’ drive away. The lake is also fertile ground for anglers, who can fish for Arctic char, trout and salmon (in season). Hardened hikers have access to ventures up Scafell Pike (three hours) from the site. If you’re thinking of less strenuous days out, play a round at Eskdale Golf Course (25 minutes), or take the weight off your feet completely with a train tour of the West Lakes fell and mountain scenery on Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, locally known as ‘La’al Ratty’ (15 minutes). Local kid-friendly options include trotting through the fells with alpacas at Wastwater Alpaca Trekking (25 minutes), or a gentle scramble up Wasdale (an hour and a half’s walk from the site) to the Fairy Pools. The sand-and-shingle beaches at Seascale (25 minutes) and Ravenglass (20 minutes) are both dog-friendly, with lots of rook pools for splashing around in.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Seascale 11.1 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Bees 19.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Silecroft 22.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Haverigg 26 km Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
Walney West Shore 33.7 km Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 9.1 km

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 20.1 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 21.6 km

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 22 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 22.2 km

National Trust

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 1.7 km

Buttermere and Ennerdale 17.3 km

Gondola' 17.8 km

Coniston and Tarn Hows 18.2 km

Grasmere and Great Langdale 19.6 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Eskdale Green - Muncaster Fell - Muncaster Head - Eskdale Green 3.6 km

MUNCASTER CASTLE 8.5 km

High Gillerthwaite - Red Pike Ridge Traverse - High Gillerthwaite 10.4 km

Seathwaite - Scafell Pike - Seathwaite 12.6 km

The Gables from Honister Pass 12.7 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Wasdale Lakeside Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Wasdale Lakeside Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Wasdale Lakeside Campsite? Just five minutes’ stroll from the camping field, Wastwater is a hub for wild swimmers, scuba divers, paddleboarders and kayakers – you can hire gear from the rental shop 10 minutes’ drive … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Wasdale Lakeside Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  noon –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Wasdale Lakeside Campsite? From $46.07 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.