Bolam Lake Camping Paddock
View prices & book











- 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
Site type
This site has no on-site shower facilities.
- Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
- Group bookings of 4 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
- No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
- At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
- Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
Languages spoken
English
Open from Fri, 18 Apr to
Pitch types & availability
Reviews
98% would recommend this site to a friend
98% would stay here again
What customers say
This well-maintained campsite offers spacious pitches in a beautiful, peaceful location directly opposite Bolam Lake, perfect for walks. Visitors consistently praise the exceptionally friendly and helpful owners, David and Jill, who go above and beyond. Facilities are basic but immaculately clean, with horses in adjacent fields a highlight for many. While fire pit hire is mentioned as pricey, the overall experience is highly recommended for its tranquil atmosphere and welcoming hosts.
Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews




















Friendly host, clean site, family’s welcomed.
1 bedroom on-site touring caravan (no electricity)
Liked The caravan was clean and tidy. The atmosphere was pleasant with a mix of couples and families. The host David & Jill absolutely amazing could not do enough for not just us but every other person. Always greeted every person who arrived and checked in with everyone before the day ends. Just made everyone feel welcomed to the site and ensured everyone had a great stay.
Disliked Only issue was the toilets. No light in so made this darker on an evening. Understandably out of the hosts control.
Recommend to friends Visit again
Fabulous time
1 bedroom on-site touring caravan (no electricity)
Liked Lovely relaxing place kids can run around burn off their energy and lovely walks around the lake
Recommend to friends Visit again
Excellent site, friendly staff, level pitches, facilities clean.
Non-electric grass tent pitch
Liked Position of site, the people who looked after the site (could not have been more friendly and helpful). Scenery was beautiful.
Disliked Nothing
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your feedback.
We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay - even if the weather was not so good on Saturday.
We enjoy meeting the great people who choose to stay with us and we are always happy to help in any way that we can to make sure that your stay is comfortable and relaxing.
Hope to see you again soon.
Le cadre nature, les anaix, la gentillesse de David, la simplicité.…
Non-electric grass tent pitch
Liked Le cadre nature, les anaix, la gentillesse de David, la simplicité.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and your kind words.
We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us at our little patch of beautiful Northumberland :)
Bon voyage et nos meilleurs vœux.
Lovely, laid back campsite with friendly, helpful owners. The close proximity to…
Non-electric grass campervan pitch
Liked Lovely, laid back campsite with friendly, helpful owners. The close proximity to the lake was great for our little girl who is an early riser as we just got up and went for an early walk. Clean toilets and washing facilities with toilet roll, soap, washing up liquid etc all provided. Beside a field of horses which my little girl loved. There were a few picnic tables dotted about but not one per pitch so it’s worth bringing your own chairs. Pitches felt well spaced out but it wasn’t full. The cafe at the lake doesn’t open until 10am but we drove to the little shop at Belsay for an early morning coffee which opens at 7.30.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your great feedback - it's so helpful to other campers who may be looking for a campsite that suits their needs.
Bolam Lake Cafe is a very short walk from the campsite and Belsay Shop which is located in the village, is only a five minute drive from us.
We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay and we hope that you visit again soon.
Thank you :)
Set in beautiful rolling countryside. Horses grazing in adjacent fields. Quiet midweek…
Non-electric grass campervan pitch
Liked Set in beautiful rolling countryside. Horses grazing in adjacent fields. Quiet midweek when I stayed. Simple but perfectly adequate facilities. Very well kept. I had a choice of pitches but be prepared that quite a few of them are gently sloping. The owners were very helpful, regularly check the site and to see whether I needed anything. Would definitely recommend to friends and stay again myself.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks so much for your review as we really appreciate your feedback.
Midweek tends to be quieter and the weekends are busy until school holidays so we are pleased that you enjoyed a relaxing and peaceful stay with us.
Thank you for staying with us and we hope that you visit Northumberland again very soon.
Lovely site for a night or two, but beware the firepit/bbq policy.
Non-electric grass campervan pitch
Liked Lovely grass field, surrounding paddocks with animals and nice view. Very peaceful. Very helpful owner and very well cared for site and facilities - everything very clean and tidy. Great walk around Bolam lake immediately opposite the site. If you don't have a firepit and want a nice campfire, then this is brilliant - David has an excellent setup for that.
Disliked Field is quite sloping overall (4-5 degrees in places), not a huge problem but something to be aware of. Firepit policy is a little odd, you can hire fire pits but can't use your own, though I understand the intention behind it and the owner is just trying to maintain the site. However it could be clearer when booking as you see firepit hire mentioned so assume fire pits are allowed. Only 2 portaloos for a site of 14 pitches feels a little tight though wasn't actually a problem - they were very clean too. No hot water for washing up is a pain but understandable.
Overall felt a little bit pricey for what is essentially just a field, tap and loos and adding firepit hire on top (even if just wanting to use a barbeque) makes it quite a costly stay. That said, we had a lovely stay.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing your review as we really appreciate your feedback.
We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us as we live in a lovely part of Northumberland and we hope that you visit the area again very soon.
Thank you too for your constructive feedback and in response to your comments:
We are a Wanderlust campsite therefore safety, protecting nature and environmental awareness are very important to us.
We offer fire pit hire as an optional extra as lots of guests enjoy sitting around a fire pit in the evening however we must ensure that they are set up and managed safely to protect our guests and the grassland.
Guests can bring their own BBQs however they must be purpose built and safely raised off the grass (a minimum of 50cm from the grass). Disposable BBQs can only be used within one of our fire pits to raise it from the ground so that it doesn’t scorch or damage the grass. David is always on hand to help guests set them up.
During the quieter periods when we tend to get more last minute bookings, there are always two portable toilets onsite which are cleaned and serviced at least twice per day. During school holidays we do increase the number of toilets onsite.
Thanks for staying with us and thank you once again for your feedback.
Quiet location, clean facilities and proximity to Bolam lake.…
Non-electric grass campervan pitch
Liked Quiet location, clean facilities and proximity to Bolam lake.
Disliked N/A
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thank you for sharing your review and we are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.
We are based in a lovely location and it's great when our guests can just relax and enjoy the countryside.
Bolam Lake is directly opposite our campsite so guests often enjoy an early morning/evening walk around the lake.
Thank you and we hope to see you again soon.
Excellent option for camping.
Non-electric grass tent pitch
Liked Excellent site.
Beautiful view.
Well maintained.
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks so much for sharing you feedback.
We offer simple camping in a lovely location but it's so important to us that our guests have clean facilities and that we can be on hand to make sure that they have everything they need to enjoy a relaxing break in the countryside.
Thanks for staying with us and we hope that you visit again in the future.
Fantastic location, lovely owners
Non-electric grass campervan pitch
Liked Great location and views.
Amenities well looked after and owners welcoming.
Disliked Pitches close together and busy so did mean that noise carried with music etc
Recommend to friends Visit again
From the manager: Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback as it is so helpful.
We are pleased that you liked the location and felt that the amenities were well maintained.
We are sorry that you felt that the pitches were close together - we like to offer our guests very spacious pitches but it was a very busy weekend. If guests would like more space we will always try our very best to offer an alternative, quieter pitch.
Thanks so much for staying with us and we hope that visit again in the future.
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 WatersportsAmenities 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 WifiGroups welcome
Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcomeRules
Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all yearThemes
Peaceful Wild campingUtilities
Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energyNearby amenities
Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearbyType
Small (11-25 pitches)Nearby leisure
Climbing nearby Cycling nearbyLocation
Bolam Lake Camping Paddock
Belsay
Northumberland
England
NE20 0HE
Timezone
Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)
GPS
55.1332°N
1.8688°W
Nearest transport
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
Water quality at nearby bathing waters
Name | Distance | Type | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Newbiggin South | 14.3 mi | Sea | N/A | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
Newbiggin North | 14.6 mi | Sea | N/A | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
Blyth South Beach | 14.8 mi | Sea | N/A | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Druridge Bay South | 14.8 mi | Sea | N/A | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Seaton Sluice | 15.8 mi | Sea | N/A | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Data source: European Environment Agency
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 0.1 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.
Nearest sites
Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.
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? No 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. - 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.