Sykeside Camping Park

From £21.85 For 1 night, 1 adult 9.5 292 reviews
Dove crag views (added by manager 08 Aug 2022)
Mountain views (added by manager 08 aug 2022)
Grass pitches (added by manager 08 aug 2022)
Pitches with views (added by manager 08 aug 2022)

  • Remote location but with easy access to the Lake District and Cumbria
  • In a walker's paradise in the Dovedale Valley
  • Modern facilities and well-stocked shop
The placing of this Penrith park is pretty perfect. Get ready for Lake District and Cumbrian valley walks in sublime surroundings, at this friendly site in a walker's paradise at the northern foot of the Kirkstone Pass. Although it's listed as in a remote location and is set deep and quietly in the Dovedale Valley, Sykeside Camping Park is easily accessible to the best of the Lake District and Cumbria, as it's just off the A592 and is no more than half an hour's drive from Ullswater, Patterdale, Glenridding, Ambleside, Coniston and Keswick. Cruising around Windermere is about 20 minutes away. Sykeside's Dovedale Valley locale has it surrounded by Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield, and with the town of Brotherswater nearby. Short strolls around Brotherswater are among the walky local options, or you could have a longer hike from the town's high street, where many walks start. (Or take the also most pleasant option of just staying in town and seeking out your holiday local the Brotherswater Inn for a pint or two of regional ale among the splendid regional scenery.) The Sykeside team has set the site out carefully to blend in with its surroundings and make the most of its natural settings, but have added modern amenities to keep guests comfy, like the shower and toilet facilities with shaving points and power points, and the laundry room with washing machine, tumble dryer and washing-up area. Feel free to set yourself up here to ignore the rest of the outside world: the well-stocked shop sells most of what you might need including fresh food, camping equipment, maps and guides; and because of the site's position right at the bottom of the valley, telly reception is pretty unreliable and you'll not get a single bar on your mobile – did someone mention digital detox…?

Site type

Tent pitches 100
Touring caravan pitches 5
Motorhome pitches 19
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 3
Open all year
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The grocery shop is open between 01/01 and 31/12.
  • Bookings must not be for more than 28 consecutive nights.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Minimum spacing of 2 metres between pitches.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Due to the position of the campsite at the bottom of the valley, television reception is extremely unreliable, and there is no mobile phone reception at all. Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted.

Languages spoken

English

AA 3 pennants

Reviews

97%

would recommend this site to a friend

96%

would stay here again

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Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

We really enjoyed the views at Sykeside! Our hosts were so lovely…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
Megan C. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: We really enjoyed the views at Sykeside! Our hosts were so lovely upon arrival and really informative as to best places to pitch up, all other guests were super respectful and the restrooms were some of the cleanest I have ever seen, especially for a campsite. Overall our trip was faultless. Thank you again!

Disliked: We felt the trip back and to our cars when getting luggage to the pitch was a little repetitive and not as expected. But it’s well warranted given the terrain and definitely worth it to stay at such a nice pitch.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very pleasant

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Friendly staff, easy to check in. Pub next door

Recommend to friends Visit again

A great stay just bring pegs for Rocky ground.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Stephen R. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: On site food was good. Toilets/shower seemed clean enough. Beautiful views.

Disliked: Only thing realy was the ground was verry rocky so I broke some pegs when pitching the tent.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The Lakes have many sites with pretty views, pick one other than this.

Overall 4/10
Location 8
Value for money 6
Accommodation 4
Facilities / Activities 4
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 2
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Genuinely stunning location. Toilets and showers well kept.

Disliked: There are many information signs with very off-hand, blunt language used on them. They are very unwelcoming and unfriendly and it creates an atmosphere. Camp owners seem to have an attitude like they’re ‘allowing’ you to stay there rather than you are a paying customer. Ground is absolutely rock solid. About three inches of soil and then stone. We destroyed all of our tent pegs, bending them over to get any kind of grip. The ground is not suitable for pitching tents. Only one drinking water tap, which while the site isn’t huge, most campsites have them dotted around the plots. You can’t park directly next to your tent like you can at every other campsite. So if you use your vehicle as storage you need to keep walking back and forth. You won’t guarantee a parking space either. No designated plots. People just camp wherever, so if it gets busy there’s no control over who is supposed to be where.

Recommend to friends Visit again

One of the best campsites I’ve stayed on in the Lake District

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Kaitlin L. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Staff were very friendly and informative about how the campsite worked as long as you got there. The pub up the top was lovely. Food was 10/10 and pretty affordable especially for a nice evening meal. The facilities were all nice and clean and it was easy to pitch up the tent. Very easy to find and the shop well stocked for anything you need if you’ve forgotten something. We went during the off season so it was quiet and had loads of places to camp. Very nice and cosy setting in the valley. Easy to get to Lake Windermere and Lake Ullswater. On a clear night the stars looked amazing and so bright. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

All aspects from friendly staff to clean facilities and great views and…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Darren I. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: All aspects from friendly staff to clean facilities and great views and EE mobile works great

Disliked: Go prepared with hard ground pegs as the ground can be difficult to peg

Recommend to friends Visit again

Night ruined by noise, needs warden input. Miserable staff.

Overall 4/10
Location 10
Value for money 4
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 2
Child friendliness 4
Cleanliness 8
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Nice breakfast rolls and quality of food at pub

Disliked: Noise from groups of lads shouting until half past midnight with no input from warden. People smoking weed on site. Motorcyclist left at 4am. Staff have miserable attitude except one nice woman at reception and one staff member in pub.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Surroundings, facilities and staff.…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities No rating
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi No rating
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Surroundings, facilities and staff.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Familiar site for me as been here a few times . Love the…

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
Rob B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Familiar site for me as been here a few times . Love the setting and facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great camp site nice and quiet, clean bathrooms and good walk nearby.

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Ryan B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Loving place nice and easy to get too, nice clean toilets and showers, a lot of sinks for washing up and some washing machines there too. Good access to walks around the site only took 1 hour 32 mins to walk from camp site to ullswater nice dirt paths along side road. Lots of places to pitch the tent you can pick from flat grass or pitches raise up a bit on the hill

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

Amenities on site

Bath available

Car parking by pitch/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

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

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

Lake and/or mountain

Remote location

Spectacular scenery

Walkers' paradise

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

Large (51-200 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby

Cycle hire nearby

Fishing nearby

Golf nearby

Horse riding nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Restaurant nearby

Sailing nearby

Watersports nearby

Location

Sykeside Camping Park

Hartsop

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0NZ

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

54.49861°N
-2.92474°W

Nearest transport

Coach
4.8 mi Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
4.8 mi Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
5 mi Kelsick Road opposite Library
Rail
8.3 mi Windermere Rail Station
9.5 mi Staveley Rail Station
11.8 mi Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
3.2 mi Glenridding Ullswater Ferry Landing
5.6 mi Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
5.7 mi Ambleside Waterhead 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

Sykeside Camping Park's central location in the Lakes means it has loads of activities within easy reach by foot or car and on land or water. For watery days within 20 minutes of the site, join one of the most popular pastimes in the Lake District with a cruise on Windermere, or get serious about the water and hire a boat or learn to sail with Glenridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater. Boat trips are also available from Coniston Water and Keswick. By land and also within 20 minutes are the crashing hike around Aira Force waterfall, and the medieval manor and greenery of Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens as well as the heritage and cinema of the The Rheged Centre at Penrith. Within half an hour, spy ospreys at Bassenthwaite near Keswick, have a ride on the 3.2 miles of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, and wander around the The Rheged Centreancientness of the Castlerigg stone circle, the most visited in Cumbria.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020 2019 2018 2017
Seascale 23.8 mi Sea N/A Good Good Good
Silecroft 25.8 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Haverigg 25.9 mi Sea Poor N/A N/A N/A
St Bees 27.4 mi Sea N/A Excellent Excellent Excellent
Allonby 27.6 mi Sea N/A Good Good Good

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ullswater Steamers 3.2 mi

Rydal Mount and Gardens 4.2 mi

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 4.8 mi

Brockhole - Lake District Visitor Centre 6.7 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 9.1 mi

National Trust

Grasmere and Great Langdale 5.7 mi

Townend 6.1 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 7.6 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 9.1 mi

Coniston and Tarn Hows 10 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Kirkstone Pass - Caudale Moor - Stony Cove Pike 2.4 mi

Helvellyn - Nethermost Pike - High Crag - Dollywaggon Pike 2.7 mi

Glenridding - Helvellyn - Grisedale Brow - Glenridding 3.3 mi

Caudale Moor and Troutbeck Tongue 3.3 mi

Glenridding and Greenside Mine 3.3 mi

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday, 1 August 2024 – Thursday, 1 August 2024)

    Penrith, Cumbria 11.1 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 The Lake District and Cumbria?

  • Does Sykeside Camping Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Sykeside Camping Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Sykeside Camping Park? Sykeside Camping Park's central location in the Lakes means it has loads of activities within easy reach by foot or car and on land or water. For watery days within 20 minutes … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Sykeside Camping Park?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Sykeside Camping Park? From £21.85 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.