Bolam Lake Camping Paddock

View prices & book 9.8 297 reviews
Visitor image of the peaceful paddock & lovely views
Visitor image of the peaceful paddock & lovely views
Visitor image of the beautiful rainbow over the site
Green surroundings
Aerial view over the site
Level-grounded pitches
Greenery around the site
Views around the site
The view from the site
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Visitor image of the beautiful rainbow over the site
Green surroundings
Aerial view over the site

  • Dog-friendly wild camping site opposite Bolam Lake Country Park
  • A 25-minute drive from Hadrian’s Wall; 40 minutes from the coast
  • Barbecues permitted; walking/cycling routes and a food shop nearby
Wake up in peaceful paddocks surrounded by the Northumberland countryside and finish off the day with a lakeside walk. Bolam Lake Camping Paddock is a dog-friendly wild camping site opposite Bolam Lake Country Park, so head out in search of birds, picnic on the shores or grab a homemade scone from the café and visitor centre as you please. These paddock pitches are enclosed in a peaceful area next to a woodland where it’s pretty sheltered, and they have rather scenic views of the surrounding farmland. Still, while it may be pretty nicely tucked away, there’s still much to do out and about. Belsay, a scenic village with a small shop and café, is 45 minutes’ walk away (or a five-minute drive) and Ponteland is another spot with a selection of local shops, pubs, cafés, restaurants and takeaways. Of course, there’s Hadrian’s Wall too (Heddon-on-the-Wall is 25 minutes’ drive away). The splendid Northumberland coast is 40 minutes’ drive away, and to the north, the Scottish border is within reach too if you’re looking to cross into different territories. As for walking, well, there's certainly no shortage of trails around, including several routes that depart from the site. When you feel like mixing things up with a cycle instead, there are routes for both beginners and pros surrounding the site too. Wherever you end up during the day, you’ll likely want to make sure you’re back in time for sunset, as there are lots of ways to unwind – perhaps with a walk around the lake or knocking back a few burgers with a barbecue.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 4
Tent pitches 8
Caravans for hire 1
Open now
Opens 3 April
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.

Admission

  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri 3 Apr to

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

9.8

Overall rating from 297 Pitchup.com customers

  • 88%
    10
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    9
  • 4%
    8
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Peaceful

99% would recommend this site to a friend

98% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a friendly campsite with very helpful owners, David and Jill, offering a peaceful rural retreat. Guests praise the clean facilities, spacious pitches, and beautiful views, often enjoying the nearby Bolam Lake and the resident horses. While some mention basic facilities (no hot water or showers), most find it ideal for a relaxing break. Fire pit hire is available.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 01/09/2026

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Reviews page 1 of 30
Arrival date (latest first)

Idyllic rural camping, with country park a short walk away

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Beautiful, peaceful setting. Pitches in great condition. Country park and lake a short walk away (perfect for paddleboarding if you bring your own). Friendly owners gave advice on the area and couldn’t do more to help. Washing-up stations and portaloos are sparkling clean with all equipment provided. Fire pits and firewood available for a small charge. Very sociable retired horses for company!

Disliked Lack of hot water and showers was a bit of a limitation with 7 kids, but basic facilities keeps the site quiet and unspoiled.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely spot, peaceful, great glamping

Overall

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

Betty bell tent

Liked We stayed in the Bell tent, it was beautiful and very well equipped.
Lovely green space, the children enjoyed the nearby horses.
Owners were very helpful, frieny and accommodating

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and your great photos too.

We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay and it was lovely to see the children playing and meeting the horses too.

Thank you for staying with us, safe journey and we hope that you visit Northumberland again in the future:)

Comfortable, well-equipped and superb location.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Shelley M. 2 reviews

1 bedroom on-site touring caravan (no electricity)

Liked Location superb. Caravan immaculate and included everything from utensils and cutlery to kitchen roll and tea cans coffee. Bed extremely comfortable and hosts absolutely lovely.

Disliked Nothing at all

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and your brilliant photographs too.

It was great to meet you both and we are so pleased that you enjoyed your short stay with us.

We try to make sure that you have everything you need so that you can just relax and enjoy exploring the beautiful Northumbrian countryside.

Thank you for staying with us and that you return to explore more of Northumberland in the future.

Beautiful site

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Natalie R. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Everything, lovely pitches, friendly owners, clean and tidy. Beautiful views
Couldn't fault anything and will definitely be back to the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your review and we are so pleased that you enjoyed your short stay.

We offer simple camping in a great location so we hope that you could just pitch up, relax and enjoy the countryside.

Thank you for staying with us and we hope you visit again very soon :)

Great photos too!!

Great little get away without the fuss of having your own tent

Overall

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

Betty bell tent

Liked Loved the bell tent. Loads of room and everything we needed for our little break.
Hosts were lovely. Couldn't do enough for us. Great value for money.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and it was great to meet you all.

Your comments are so helpful to other guests who may like to try a family camping trip without the hassle of setting up a tent and bringing lots of equipment.

Betty, our bell tent was a bit of an experiment this year but she's proving to be very popular for short breaks.

Thank you for staying with us and we hope you stay with us again in the future.

Fantastic camping spot

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great place, peaceful and relaxing.
Next door to the Bolam Country Park.
Jill and David are wonderful hosts.
I am already planning another camping trip.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and thanks too for sharing your great photographs.

We are so pleased that you enjoyed your short stay and we look forward to you staying with us again on your next camping adventure!

Absolutely brilliant campsite

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Edd M. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Fantastic hospitality

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and thank you for staying with us

It's really important to us that our guests feel welcome, have clean facilities and everything they need for a comfortable stay.

Thank you for staying with us and we hope to see you all again in the future.

Lovely area…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely area

Disliked Staff were rude, left us without wood that we found all night and its cold. Kicking our wood because we didnt buy his wood. My friends are asian and he is talking about how you cant treat uk like the middle east. They come for a nice night and were very repectful and got met with racist remarks.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing camp site would definitely recommend

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked I liked hat we were made welcome from getting there and David and Jill checked in to make sure everything was ok

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and we are so pleased that your first camping trip with children has been a positive experience.

Thanks for sharing your photographs too.

We enjoy meeting the lovely people who stay with us and it's great to see families spending time together in the countryside.

Thank you for staying with us and we hope you enjoy many more camping adventures :)

Well maintained, extremely helpful, everything that…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Well maintained, extremely helpful, everything that was needed

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and we are so pleased that you enjoyed your short stay with us.

We are a small Wanderlust campsite so we offer simple camping but it's important to us that our guests have everything they need for a comfortable and relaxing break in the countryside.

Thank you for staying with us and we hope you visit again soon.

Features

Portable toilet

Dogs 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 Wild camping

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

Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby

Location

Bolam Lake Camping Paddock

Belsay

Northumberland

England

NE20 0HE

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

55.1332°N
1.8688°W

Nearest transport

Coach
2.4 mi The Arcade
2.4 mi The Arcade
3.1 mi Road end
Rail
7.6 mi Morpeth Rail Station
9.2 mi Newcastle Airport Metro
9.4 mi Pegswood Rail Station
Ferry
19.1 mi North Shields Ferry Terminal
19.3 mi Newcastle International Ferry Terminal
19.4 mi South Shields Ferry Terminal
Airport
9.2 mi Newcastle International Airport

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

Want to feel like lord or lady for an afternoon? Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens (10 minutes' drive) should soon ignite that fantasy. The medieval castle and gardens are one of a couple of historic properties around. The National Trust’s Wallington (10 minutes) has cycle hire so that visitors can take in views of the historical house the traditional way. Hikes-wise, Shaftoe Crags (10 minutes) has a circular walk with plenty of bouldering spots along the way. Hike along the historic Hadrian’s Wall to Housesteads Roman Fort (40 minutes) too. For beach time, Blyth and Cresswell are both excellent sandy options, and both about 40 minutes away – the former has beach huts while the latter has sand dunes. Those with kids are likely to be keeping their eyes peeled for easy entertainment options too. Very handily, Whitehouse Farm Centre (20 minutes) runs animal feeding sessions as well as things like tractor rides, and Go Ape Matfen (25 minutes) has a treetop assault course for the extra brave. Newcastle upon Tyne city centre (half an hour) has plenty of family-friendly attractions to add to that.

Food and drink

  • The Ox 2.4 mi
  • Beresford Arms 2.8 mi
  • Dyke Neuk Inn 3.1 mi
  • The Highlander 4.1 mi
  • The Waggon 4.8 mi
  • The Plough 6 mi
  • St Mary’s Inn 6.1 mi

Parks and play

  • Adventure Playground 3.8 mi
  • Wwallington Play Train 3.8 mi
  • Play Fort 3.8 mi

Family days out

  • Belsay Castle Visitor attraction 2.2 mi
  • Belsay Hall Visitor attraction 2.3 mi
  • Wallington Hall Visitor attraction 3.7 mi
  • Ogle Castle 4 mi

Public transport

  • The Arcade 2.4 mi
  • Kirkwhelpington Road End 5.9 mi

What’s nearby

  • Higham Lake Trout Fishery Fishing 5.4 mi
  • N1GOLF Centre Morpeth Golf course 5.5 mi

Local services

  • Robson and Cowan Country Store 3.9 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens 2.2 mi

George Stephenson's Birthplace 10.9 mi

Prudhoe Castle 11.6 mi

Cragside House, Gardens and Estate 12.5 mi

Chesters Roman Fort 12.9 mi

National Trust

Wallington 3.8 mi

Cherryburn 12.1 mi

Cragside 12.8 mi

Seaton Delaval Hall 15.1 mi

Holy Jesus Hospital 15.2 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Bolam Lake - Shaftoe Craggs circular 0.05 mi

BELSAY HALL 2.3 mi

Hartburn Circular 2.8 mi

CAPHEATON 3.2 mi

WALLINGTON 3.7 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.

Want to know more about camping in Northumberland?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Bolam Lake Camping Paddock have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Bolam Lake Camping Paddock dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Bolam Lake Camping Paddock? Want to feel like lord or lady for an afternoon? Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens (10 minutes' drive) should soon ignite that fantasy. The medieval castle and gardens are one of a … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Bolam Lake Camping Paddock?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  Anytime
    Depart by:  12 p.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Bolam Lake Camping Paddock? From £25 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.