Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

View prices & book 8.9 76 reviews
Pitches near the lake
Pitches near the lake
Pitches
Grass pitches by the lake
Grassy pitches
Grass pitches
The field
Grass pitches by the lake
Grass pitches with lake views
1/83
Pitches
Grass pitches by the lake
Grassy pitches

  • Small campsite with direct access to the Ullswater Way walking path
  • A 10-minute walk from Pooley Bridge, past the Ullswater Steamer Pier
  • Just 500 metres from the lake; short walk from bars, cafés and shops
How’s this for the first morning of your Lake District trip? Rolling out of the tent to lake views, before strolling 10 minutes into the village for coffee and breakfast and then backtracking five minutes to take up a spot on a historic Ullswater steamer. Such routines are commonplace at Waterfoot Carpark Campsite… This small, simple campsite is in a field around 500 metres from the shore of Ullswater, with views over the lake, so there’s always something to satisfy the eyes. As for satisfying the stomach, it’s just outside of Pooley Bridge, meaning that restaurants, bars, cafés and shops are only 10 minutes’ walk away too. The Ullswater Steamer Pier is just five minutes’ walk away from the pitches, so you’re in pole position for getting to other spots around the lake without so much as touching your car’s steering wheel. If you have Cumbria hikes high on your priority list, you’re also in for a treat. The site has direct access to the 20-mile Ullswater Way, a round trip around the lake. From Pooley Bridge, you can also follow the Lowther Castle Loop and Dalemain Loop.

Site type

Tent pitches 50
Open now
Opens 11 July
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 11 Jul to

Reviews

8.9

Overall rating from 76 Pitchup.com customers

  • 64%
    10
  • 5%
    9
  • 17%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 6%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 2%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Lake and/or mountainSpectacular scenery

89% would recommend this site to a friend

89% would stay here again

What customers say

This basic campsite boasts an excellent location, a short walk from Pooley Bridge and directly accessible to Ullswater. Visitors frequently praise the stunning lake views, friendly and helpful owners, and overall value. While many appreciate the clean portaloos and convenient fresh water access, some note a lack of showers and occasional issues with toilet paper availability. The site can experience noise from other campers, and some pitches are on a slope.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Great location. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend…

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
 10
Megan G.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great location. Staff very friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing location for views. Simple facilities for the back to nature vibe.…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Siobhan B.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Amazing location for views. Simple facilities for the back to nature vibe.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would definitely recommend and hope to be back!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Agnieszka M.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked We had really nice four days there. Really nice owners! Lady who booked us in was very nice and friendly. She gave us plenty information about the area etc. The view was absolutely beautiful. Just five minute walk into the Pooley Bridge village through the woods with nice pubs, restaurants and shops where you can buy everything you might need with really good prices. Literally 1 min (across the road) to Ullswarer for paddle boarding and swimming which was great. Campsite basic but clean, with fresh water taps, bins, very clean portable toilets with plenty toilet paper and hand sanitizer. I will definitely recommend and hopefully will be able to come back soon!

Disliked We had noisy group of young people next to us, but this can happen on any campsite, once informed the owner he took immediate action

Recommend to friends Visit again

Was spacious and had portaloos…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Was spacious and had portaloos

Disliked Very open and windy left early

Recommend to friends Visit again

A Hot spot for steamers are 2 mins walk away, Pooley Bridge…

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
Lesley S.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked A Hot spot for steamers are 2 mins walk away, Pooley Bridge 10 minutes through wooded walk, easy to find, allowed us to stay a little longer following day as was quiet, and we didn't arrive until 5 pm, 4 portaloos, a tap running water, easy to find, lots of space, looking onto Ullswater between the trees, 2 min walk across the road and are on a small pebbles beach on Ullswater, and owners are there to greet you.

Disliked Nothing to dislike, near the road odd cars passing in the night reasonably quiet, portaloos checked have loo roll, hand sanitizer.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Must Go Campsite

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Amazing views. Brilliant location (along a lovely off road path to Pooley Bridge. Excellent access to Ullswater. We’ll be back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good short stay to lake.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Tammy P.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The views of the lake were amazing and straight over the road to the lake and short walk to Pooley Bridge. Everything you expect for £30 a night. Able to have fire and bbq with no issues. Dose have running water spots to fill up and wash dishes.

Disliked Only portaloos which did start to smell in the heat, did spots checks late at night and the van lights were waking the whole site up while driving around.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From checking in the lady who booked us in was so friendly…

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
 1
Chelsea W.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked From checking in the lady who booked us in was so friendly and informative to leaving we have had the most amazing weekend! This place is just absolutely beautiful. And a five minute walk into the village perfect location. Campsite basic and clean and excellent value for money I would say. The man came and spoke to us the night before we left and asked if we had heard any noise as he has had a couple of complaints about noise we were a bit further up the field but hadn’t heard anything anyway. But what I will say is if your wanting to go away and have silence don’t go camping. It’s not a house it’s not a caravan it’s tents and you can hear people snoring from one tent to another. All in all we had an amazing weekend and looking to book back up at the end of the month! Thanks guys

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location was ideal. 50 metres to Ullswater for swimming and paddle boarding.…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 3
Accommodation
 1
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 8
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Location was ideal. 50 metres to Ullswater for swimming and paddle boarding. 10 minute walk to Pooley Bridge which has great pubs. 15 minute drive to Glenridding.

Disliked The field has barely any flat areas for pitching a tent. The field has two quite busy roads next to it. We heard traffic all through the night. The toilets are portaloos, not proper toilets. It is expensive compared to other locations considering you get no amenities for your money.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A very basic site, that is very noisy at night, feral kids run free!

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 5
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 2
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The site is a short walk to pooley bridge and a stones throw from the shoreline of Ullswater.

Disliked Very noisy music and drinking until at least 2am.
People letting their kids run around screaming until well after midnight.
Clearly nobody around to challenge the anti social behaviour.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs allowed

Portable toilet

Pop-up campsite

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 Wild swimming

Amenities on site

Bath available 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 No dogs allowed

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Nearby leisure

Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

Pooley Bridge

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0LL

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.61132°N
2.83113°W

Nearest transport

Coach
4.6 mi Rail Station
12.5 mi Bus Station
13.2 mi Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
Rail
4.5 mi Penrith North Lakes Rail Station
8.8 mi Langwathby Rail Station
10.9 mi Lazonby & Kirkoswald Rail Station
Ferry
0.2 mi Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
3 mi Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
6.5 mi Glenridding Ullswater 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

Get your hiking boots at the ready, as there are plenty of walks to get stuck into from your pitch. The Ullswater steamers can drop you off in Glenridding (otherwise 15 minutes’ drive) for a quick loop up Lanty’s Tarn, which has views of Helvellyn, England’s third-highest mountain. You could also get off the boat in Howtown (15 minutes), where there's a walk to Hallin Fell overlooking Ullswater. If you’d rather tackle Helvellyn (20 minutes), it's not far away either. Aira Force Waterfall (10 minutes) is another splendid place for a good stroll – this waterfall with a 65-foot drop was a favourite spot for William Wordsworth. If you fancy breaking up all that walking with a cycle, you can hire bikes at Lowther Castle & Gardens (20 minutes). The estate trails make for an easy ride, and if you’re visiting with kids, there’s also a handy adventure playground. Stop by in Penrith (20 minutes) if you have time too. It has a 14th-century castle and a museum, and it's close to a lovely walk up Beacon Hill.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 26.4 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 1.5 mi

The Rheged Centre 3.2 mi

Ullswater Steamers 6.5 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 10.7 mi

Rydal Mount and Gardens 12.8 mi

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 9.6 mi

Grasmere and Great Langdale 14.2 mi

Townend 14.3 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 15.7 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 17.7 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Pooley Bridge and Heughscar Hill 0.4 mi

Pooley Bridge - Loadpot Hill - Howtown - Pooley Bridge 0.4 mi

DALEMAIN 1.7 mi

Howtown - Patterdale - Glenridding 3.1 mi

Howtown - Hallin Fell - Sandwick via Steamer 3.1 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.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Waterfoot Carpark Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Waterfoot Carpark Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Waterfoot Carpark Campsite? Get your hiking boots at the ready, as there are plenty of walks to get stuck into from your pitch. The Ullswater steamers can drop you off in Glenridding (otherwise 15 minutes’ … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Waterfoot Carpark Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  10:30 a.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Waterfoot Carpark Campsite? From £25 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.