The Best Lake District and Windermere Camping Locations

Our clients top lake district camp sites

A must-visit area of the UK with 15.8 million annual visitors, the Lake District in Cumbria, north-west England is famous for its rugged fell mountains and vast glistening lakes. Many poets and writers have penned literary classics from their visits.

Many of these campsites are dog friendly. Make sure to check out our blog post on how to have the best holiday with your dog, if you are looking to find out how to make your campervan dog friendly.

Coniston Park Coppice Caravan & Motorhome (C&M) Club Site

Park Gate, Coniston, Cumbria LA21 8LA
01539 441 555

Mandy: “We had a fab mid-September week in the sunshine walking in the Lake District. We camped in a glade within a large National Trust wood.” Good facilities, BBQs permitted, and there’s a dog walk from the site. You can walk to village pubs and cafés. Activities: Coniston Gondola steamboat rides, cycling, pony trekking, rock climbing and birdwatching in Grizedale Forest.

Keswick C&C Club

Crow Park Road, Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5EP
017687 72392

Jeremy & Janice: “We stayed at Keswick C&CC site on our way to Scotland.” Some pitches are right by the lake. Good facilities, grass pitches and hardstandings and there’s a pub within a mile. Stunning mountain views. Book ahead in peak season.

Sykeside Camping Park

Brotherswater, Hartsop, Penrith CA11 0NZ
01768 482 239

Mandy & Steve: ”We stayed at Sykeside, in the Dovedale Valley, in the heart of the Lake District.” Ideal for walking holidays, it’s near Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield. From here you can stroll round Brotherswater, or do scenic drives. Brotherswater Inn is a three-minute walk from the site and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The campsite’s own Barn End Bar has a pool table and tabletop football. It opens at weekends in the summer and bank holidays. Sykeside is dog-friendly and open all year. There are hot showers, a laundry room, dishwashing area and a little site shop with provisions, camping gear and maps. Mobile phone and TV reception is poor but there’s satellite wifi for a small fee. 

Troutbeck C&M Club Site

Troutbeck, Penrith CA11 0SS
017684 83521

Andy: “I’ve been back a week now after a long weekend at Troutbeck Caravan Club site. There are fabulous views of Skiddaw, beautiful sunsets and the best shower facilities I've ever seen on a CC site.” There’s also a games room, a playground and a dog walk. Take a lake cruise on Ullswater, try archery, quad bikes, go-karts, horse riding or clay pigeon shooting at Rookin House Farm Centre.

We love to hear where you've been! If you have any recommendations please let us know; send us an email at lifestyle@sussexcampervans.com

Windermere Camping and Campsites

Windermere is a popular place for campers due to its beauty and incredible countryside views. The Lake district is renowned for being one of the best camping spots in the UK, and within it Windermere is arguably the top place to go.

The Windermere Lake that stretches from Rusland Mosses National Nature Reserve all the way up to Ambleside is one of the big landmarks that separates this area as one of the best places for camping in the Lake District.

The only problem we’ve found is that due to the geography of the area, there aren’t many formal campsites near Windermere. While there are large clusters up to the north, the more central Lake District area, camping next to the Lake is tricky. You could always think about wild camping, but you will need permission – check out our ultimate wild camping guide for more info!

Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Estate

Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Estate, Birks Road, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3PG

01539 531344

Fiona: “Immaculately clean, great resources and staff could not be more helpful. I crashed my car on their site and they helped rescue my car, rang a local garage, gave me a coffee and generally looked after me. Loved the nature information board.”

Approx Driving Distance to Windermere: 5 minutes

Campervan Friendly: Yes.

Google Maps: Directions

 

Low Cray Campsite, Lake Windermere

Low Wray, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0JA

015394 32733

Brian: “We've been going to Low Wray regularly since we started camping in 2007. It's definitely or favourite camping destination and will always try and visit with a woodland pitch at least once a year.

It does get very busy during the summer school holidays though (especially this year with holidays abroad off the agenda for most), so if you're after a quiet, woodland camping experience, it's probably wise to avoid the 2nd half of July and most of August.”

Approx Driving Distance to Windermere: 5 minutes

Campervan Friendly: Yes.

Google Maps: Directions

 

Windermere Camping & Caravanning Club Site (C&CC)

Ashes Lane, Staveley, Cumbria LA8 9JS
01539 821 119

Robin: “I collected my Paradise Compact in September and wasted no time putting it to use. Living close to the Lake District, a quick visit to the Windermere club site was in order. It’s a nice site with its own pub, which serves good quality ales. I was lucky, my maiden voyage in the new campervan was in glorious late summer weather.” 

Approx Driving Distance to Windermere: 10 minutes

Campervan Friendly: Yes.

Google Maps: Directions


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Kate Taylor

Journalist and Writer
A travel expert and a passionate writer with a creative spark, Kate has specialised in writing about campervans since 2008. Kate has worked for magazines such as Motor Caravan, Caravan, Practical Caravan and Practical Motorhome.