Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 8.7 183 reviews
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Pitches near the lake
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Views of the lake
A view of the lake
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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
Opens
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Dogs

  • 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).

General

  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.

Occupancy

  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

Reception

  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Safety

  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.7

Overall rating from 183 Pitchup.com customers

  • 56%
    10
  • 8%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 6%
    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 mountainBudget/backpacker

89% would recommend this site to a friend

87% would stay here again

What customers say

This basic campsite offers stunning views of Ullswater and a prime location, just a short walk from Pooley Bridge and the lake. Campers praise the friendly and helpful owners. The field is on a slope with limited flat pitches. Facilities are basic, primarily consisting of portaloos, with occasional comments on cleanliness and toilet paper availability. Some guests experienced noise, while others found it peaceful. Ideal for those seeking a back-to-basics camping experience with excellent access to outdoor activities.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 08/09/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 19
Arrival date (latest first)

Cheap, close to the lake and…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 1
 Quentin W. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Cheap, close to the lake and town which offers lots of options for food and shopping.

Recommend to friends Visit again

This site is by far my…

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
Michael W. 4 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked This site is by far my favourite camp site,love the site and surroundings,the owners are lovely,been there for 4 trips now and can’t wait till next year.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Simple, easy, relaxed, minimal, super close…

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
ben g. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Simple, easy, relaxed, minimal, super close to lake

Recommend to friends Visit again

Proper Camping in the Perfect Ullswater Location

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Graeme S. 4 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you want to experience proper camping in one of the best locations in the Lake District, Waterfoot Car Park Campsite at Ullswater is absolutely worth a visit.

The location is fantastic. Our pitch was only around 20 metres from the beautiful Ullswater, with incredible views in every direction. You really can’t ask for much more when it comes to camping. 🌄🏕️

It’s also just a 5-minute walk into Pooley Bridge, which is perfect for grabbing food, having a drink or simply exploring the area without needing to move the car.

This is proper, back-to-basics camping — and that’s exactly what makes it so good. There’s no electricity, no fancy facilities and no unnecessary extras. Just the essentials: water and toilets. The toilets are portaloos, but they were clean, usable and well maintained during our stay.

You wake up with Ullswater right on your doorstep, surrounded by stunning 360° views. Whether you’re sitting outside your tent with a coffee in the morning, watching the sun go down or heading out to explore the Lake District, the location is hard to beat.

If you’re looking for luxury glamping, this probably isn’t the place for you. But if you want to get back to basics, pitch your tent near the lake and experience the best of what Ullswater camping has to offer, I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough.

For me, this is what camping should be. 🏕️⛰️

If you want to experience the best of Ullswater camping, put Waterfoot Car Park Campsite on your list. You won’t regret it.

Disliked Nothing just perfect 🤩

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: we really hope we get the chance to open next year look forward to seeing you if we can

Nice

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Right next to lake super cute vibes xx
Portaloos weren’t that bad
Weather was nice
Saw shooting star and ufo’s
Discovered a new song while staying here

Disliked Hard ground
there was a lot of little flies

Recommend to friends Visit again

great location

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 No rating
oliver w. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked absolutely amazing location and nice owners, cheap for location too

Disliked toilets are pretty bad, just portaloos so maybe we caught them on a bad day, and we got really lucky finding some flat ground

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: sorry the toilets were not what you thought it dose say porta loos do keep them as clean and fresh as possable

Location was great and close to…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Location was great and close to pooley bridge

Recommend to friends Visit again

Definitely recommend. We are looking forward to returning next year

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 No rating
Ryan L. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The views were amazing. Great location and only a short walk through the wooded area on a well stoned footpath to Pooley Bridge and across the road access to the lake aswell. Owners very helpful and polite.

Disliked Possibly could have more portaloos dotted around the site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly owners. Great location. Portaloos and…

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
Julia T. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Friendly owners. Great location. Portaloos and cold water available, so if you’re happy with that this sites perfect for you. We were in a camper van so literally that’s all we needed. We’ve stayed here several times now as the locations excellent for walks and access to the lake.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: good to know you had a good time

Had some noisy campers not been…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Lynsey W. 1 review

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Had some noisy campers not been respectful and the land owner moved them on. He apologised for the inconvenience. Couldn’t ask any more really

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.
(within 6.2 mi)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park and Zoo (within 10 mi)

Food and drink

  • Secret Garden Restaurant 0.4 mi
  • Crown Inn Pub 0.4 mi
  • Pooley Bridge Inn Pub 0.4 mi
  • The Sun Inn Pub 0.5 mi
  • 1863 Ullswater Restaurant 0.6 mi
  • TJ's Bar, Restaurant & Takeaway 0.7 mi
  • Brackenrigg Inn Pub 1.2 mi
  • Horse and Farrier Pub 1.5 mi
  • The Quiet Bar Pub 2.1 mi
  • The Kings Arms Inn Pub 2.7 mi

Groceries

  • Cranstons Cumbrian Food Hall Supermarket 4.3 mi
  • Aldi Supermarket 4.4 mi
  • Morrisons Supermarket 4.7 mi
  • Sainsbury's Supermarket 4.7 mi
  • Booths Supermarket 4.7 mi
  • Bargain Booze Off-licence 4.8 mi
  • M&S Foodhall Supermarket 4.8 mi

Parks and play

  • The Lost Castle Playground 3.8 mi
  • Wetheriggs Lane Childrens' Play Area Playground 4.5 mi
  • Castle Park 4.6 mi
  • Tynefield Park 4.6 mi
  • Aira Force park 4.6 mi
  • Forget-me-not Garden park 4.7 mi
  • Brunswick Square Gardens park 4.8 mi
  • Town Hall Gardens park 4.9 mi
  • Coronation Garden park 4.9 mi
  • Pategill Playing Field park 5 mi

Family days out

  • Dacre Castle 1.4 mi
  • Dalemain Castle 1.8 mi
  • Rheged Visitor attraction 3.2 mi
  • Lowther Castle 3.6 mi
  • Lowther Castle Visitor attraction 3.7 mi
  • Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre Visitor attraction 4.1 mi
  • Greystoke Castle 4.5 mi
  • Clifton Hall Visitor attraction 4.5 mi
  • Penrith Castle Visitor attraction 4.6 mi
  • Aira Force Visitor attraction 4.6 mi
  • Brougham Hall Castle 4.7 mi
  • The Plague Stone Visitor attraction 4.7 mi
  • Brougham Castle 5.4 mi
  • Hutton-in-the-Forest Castle 7.1 mi

Public transport

  • Steamer Pier 0.2 mi
  • The Crown Hotel 0.4 mi
  • Ullswater Guest House 0.4 mi
  • Park Foot 0.6 mi
  • Mains Farm (S bound) 0.7 mi
  • Mains Farm (N bound) 0.8 mi
  • Brackenrigg Inn 1.2 mi
  • Longthwaite road end 1.6 mi
  • School Bus 1.6 mi
  • Kirkbarrow Barton Church 1.9 mi

Other nearby

  • Ullswater Marine Marina 1.2 mi
  • Fairfield Marine Marina 1.2 mi
  • Penrith Golf Hub Golf course 3.5 mi
  • Devonshire Shopping Aracde Shopping centre 4.9 mi
  • Warehouse Night Club Nightclub 4.9 mi
  • Penrith Golf Course 5.7 mi

Local services

  • Rheged Supercharger Charging station 3.2 mi
  • Gridserve Charging station 3.2 mi
  • Rheged Petrol Station Fuel station 3.2 mi
  • Ullswater Road Garage Fuel station 4.2 mi
  • Penrith Truckstop Fuel station 4.2 mi
  • Penrith Truckstop Fuel station 4.2 mi
  • Morrisons Fuel station 4.7 mi
  • The Lakes Medical Practice Doctors 4.7 mi
  • Birbeck Medical Group Doctors 4.7 mi
  • Bridge Lane Service Station Fuel station 4.7 mi

© OpenStreetMap contributors

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.

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