North Lakes Campsite

View prices & book 7.1 7 reviews
Grassy field - panorama
Grassy field
Grassy field
Grassy field

  • No-frills site on the northern fringes of Lake District National Park
  • Cockermouth 10 minutes’ drive; Moss Force Waterfall 35 minutes
  • Dogs welcome; spectacular fell views; a 10-minute walk from a pub
If you spend your working life in front of a computer, behind the wheel or dealing with customers on the phone, you might want to disconnect from it all and go back to basics during your holiday. Cue North Lakes Campsite, an off-grid pop-up site on a farm that’s… well, north of Lake District National Park. And ‘back to basics’ really means that in this instance: there is no running water on site, for example – so that’s neither drinkable water (be sure to bring supplies from home, or stop at a supermarket en route to stock up on bottled water and other essentials), nor hot water. What there is, though, is indescribable peace and far-reaching views of splendid rural landscapes crowned by mountain peaks in the distance. (In more practical terms, there is also a portable toilet.) The vibe is distinctly remote, but you’re only a five-minute drive from the A5086 road, which leads into the market town of Cockermouth (10 minutes’ drive), with its shops and dining options, plus a leisure centre with a swimming pool. Arguably better than that: you’re a 10-minute stroll from the nearest pub, which also serves meals prepared with seasonal, West Cumbria-grown produce. The site owners welcome families with children and dogs (and there are plenty of canine-friendly walks in the vicinity); plus, the expansive field where you’ll set up your tent makes for a great playground on which to kick a ball around or fly a kite (just be aware and respectful of other guests, please).

Campground type

Tent sites 40
Opens July 17
Please note
  • This 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 Breed-specific legislation (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro) and/or any of the following: Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiler, any Mastiff or Tosa.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • This is a quiet park: no music is allowed.
  • 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.
  • There is no reception building on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • Fires, barbecues and/or firepits will not be permitted in dry, windy and/or hot weather conditions.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, Jul 17 to

Reviews

  • 42%
    10
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57% would recommend this campground to a friend

71% would stay here again

Reviews page 1 of 1
Arrival date (latest first)

Field with portaloo.

Overall 4/10

Location
8
Value for money
2
Accommodation
2
Facilities / Activities
2
Customer service
2
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
4
Wifi
2
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Remote location

Disliked This is a field with a single portaloo. The bin has a sign saying ‘please take your litter home’.
There is no water. When I messaged to ask was told ‘we don’t provide water’.
Expensive for (lack of) facilities.
Entrance gate got so muddy it needed run up to get out.

It's a very quiet place until morning that you could hear some…

Overall 2/10

Location
6
Value for money
4
Accommodation
4
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
2
Child friendliness
6
Cleanliness
2
Wifi
2
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked It's a very quiet place until morning that you could hear some works around

Disliked The toilet looked and smelled so bad... Probably one of the worst toilets I've seen. Tall grass so as soon as it rains it's so wet

Just booked it as a spur of the moment thing to do…

Overall 10/10

Location
4
Value for money
10
Accommodation
6
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Just booked it as a spur of the moment thing to do with the kids instead of sitting in the house. It was just what we needed. Close to home and cheap no frills field with a portaloo. The kids really enjoyed it

Excellent site, with clean facilities, level pitches and great staff.

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
8
Tasha H.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Great campsite, amazing communication. Clean field definitely come again, so close to a beautiful lake.

Thankyou

Excellent for the price

Overall 8/10

Location
8
Value for money
10
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Me and my girlfriend stayed here over the weekend and had a great time. Easy enough to find the location and we were allowed to pitch up anywhere which was nice. Making contact with Mike (the landowner) was simple and he was pleasant and easy going.

Disliked Portaloo was very unclean

Great site in a very good location

Overall 10/10

Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Oksana G.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Great place, very peaceful and quiet. Budget friendly campsite. Clean facilities. Would go back one day for sure.

Basic and cheap site, only one portaloo but good base to explore.

Overall 6/10

Location
8
Value for money
6
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Convalescent location for visiting derwent water and ullswater lakes, with local town providing having plenty of shops and takeaways.
Also fairly close to the motorway making accessing the rest of the lakes easy by car.

Disliked Grass on the field wasn't cut (was quite long) and only one portaloo on site, although this was clean.


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 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 Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No drinkable water point No hot water No running water Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

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

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site Level campground, no steep slopes

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Tennis nearby

Location

North Lakes Campsite

Croftlands Bracken Barrow Farm

Deanscales

Cockermouth

Cumbria

England

CA13 0SL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.6269°N
3.40572°W

Nearest transport

Bus
2.8 mi Gallowbarrow
2.9 mi Fairfield Junior School
5.7 mi The Queens Head
Rail
6.3 mi Workington Rail Station
6.3 mi Flimby Rail Station
6.5 mi Harrington Rail Station
Ferry
10.3 mi Nichol End (Derwentwater) Ferry Landing
10.3 mi Hawes End Derwentwater Ferry Landing
10.6 mi Low Brandelhow Derwentwater 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

With its pretty stone cottages, Cockermouth (10 minutes’ drive) sits at the confluence of the Cocker and Derwent rivers. On the banks of the latter is the National Trust - Wordsworth House and Garden, the elegant Georgian townhouse where the Romantic poet was born in 1770. Cross Miller’s Bridge across the Derwent to reach the Memorial Gardens, with a playground and riverside paths. From tiny, inquisitive meerkats to large, long-haired yaks, Lake District Wildlife Park (15 minutes) is home to a wide range of beasties. The park also runs a series of keeper talks, displays and animal experiences, and there are indoor and outdoor playgrounds, plus picnic areas. In these land of lakes, you owe it to yourself to spend some time in the water. Start with a wild swim with views of the surrounding peaks at Crummock Water (25 minutes), then clamber up Scale Fell all the way to Scale Force Waterfall, which thunders down a forested gorge. Alternatively, drive to Moss Force Waterfall (35 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 9.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Bees 12.5 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seascale 16.4 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Southerness 18.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent
Sandyhills 21.5 mi Sea N/AN/APoorPoor

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 8.3 mi

Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens 8.8 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 12.4 mi

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 18.7 mi

Ullswater Steamers 19.3 mi

National Trust

Wordsworth House and Garden 2.9 mi

Buttermere and Ennerdale 8.4 mi

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 14.2 mi

Grasmere and Great Langdale 20.2 mi

Coniston and Tarn Hows 22.4 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Cockermouth - River Cocker 3 mi

WORKINGTON HALL 5 mi

Buttermere - Haystacks - Red Pike - Buttermere 7.9 mi

Around Buttermere 7.9 mi

High Gillerthwaite - Red Pike Ridge Traverse - High Gillerthwaite 8.3 mi

Local events

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

    Penrith, England 27.7 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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see campsite type section for details

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does North Lakes Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is North Lakes Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near North Lakes Campsite? With its pretty stone cottages, Cockermouth (10 minutes’ drive) sits at the confluence of the Cocker and Derwent rivers. On the banks of the latter is the National Trust - Wordsworth House … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of North Lakes Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  9:30 a.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at North Lakes Campsite? From $24.54 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.