Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

View prices & book 8.6 129 reviews
Pitches near the lake
Pitches near the lake
Pitches
Pitches
Views of the lake
A view of the lake
Pitches
Grass pitches by the lake
Grassy pitches
1/109
Pitches
Pitches
Views of the lake

  • 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 10 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).
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri 10 Jul to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.6

Overall rating from 129 Pitchup.com customers

  • 55%
    10
  • 10%
    9
  • 16%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 4%
    6
  • 1%
    5
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    4
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    3
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    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

88% would recommend this site to a friend

87% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a basic campsite with a fantastic location, just a short walk from Ullswater Lake and Pooley Bridge. Visitors praise the stunning views, friendly and helpful owners, and good value for money. While the portaloos are generally clean, some guests noted they could be better maintained and occasionally lacked toilet roll. Pitches can be on a slope, and some found the site noisy, but many would return for the location and atmosphere.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 14/07/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 13
Arrival date (latest first)

A good 1 night stay for being close to the lake, bad facilities

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 3
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 6
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked a great location a 1 minute walk to the lake! and drinking water on site

Disliked Toilets (portaloos) were not clean and for the price overnight the toilets could have been cleaned or emptied more

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: toilets do get cleaned and emptied

Beautiful place!…

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
 Lukasz Z. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Beautiful place!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely views and owner…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 No rating
Value for money
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
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Child friendliness
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Wifi
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Alesha R. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely views and owner

Recommend to friends Visit again

Basic campsite in a fantastic location.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Dominic E. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Basic campsite in a fantastic location.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, very simple and very…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Emma T. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely site, very simple and very welcoming owner. Portaloos very clean and clean water.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice place perfect for the price…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Nice place perfect for the price and good access to the lake and pooley stock is defo book again

Recommend to friends Visit again

great view, right near the pubs…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked great view, right near the pubs and shops, amazing camping trip! will 100% be back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Didn't stay in the end…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Didn't stay in the end

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect location, stunning views, the owner…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Perfect location, stunning views, the owner was lovely, clean looked after camp, overall no complaints, for the bad reviews read what you are booking. Definitely would return and recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very basic,but beautiful place right next…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Steven s. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Very basic,but beautiful place right next to pooley bridge and the lake ferry

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Pop-up campsite

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 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

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

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday, 30 July 2026 – Thursday, 30 July 2026)

    Penrith, Cumbria 4.7 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 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.