Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite

View prices & book 9.4 47 reviews
View of the campsite with Skiddaw in the background.
View of the campsite with skiddaw in the background.
View across over water
View of the campsite on a sunny day with skiddaw in the background
Views towards over water
View of the campsite with skiddaw in the background
Grass pitches
Grass pitches
Happy campers!
1/70
View across over water
View of the campsite on a sunny day with skiddaw in the background
Views towards over water

  • Pop-up site on a working fell farm in the northern Lake District
  • Bassenthwaite Lake 10 minutes’ drive; Keswick 20 minutes
  • Views of Over Water; close to cycle routes and Wainwright hikes
A peaceful, off-grid spot for wild camping, Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite sits within sight of Over Water, a feeding place for ospreys, in the northern Lake District. Here, you get a front-row seat to views of the northern fells, including Longlands, Lowthwaite, Great Sca Fell, Knott, Great Cockup, Little Cockup, Meal Fell and Binsey. Indeed, the site’s location is so convenient that you will soon be bagging Wainwrights (as the local peaks are affectionately known) or pedalling down stunning cycle routes. More Wainwrights await at the ‘back o’ Skiddaw’ (20 minutes), as the locals call it. This area has cycling routes such as the Skiddaw Loop, the Lakeland Monster Miles Adventure Cross and the Lakes 100. Added bonus: somehow, big crowds have yet to discover it… Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but they must be kept on a lead at all times, since the site is on a working sheep farm with Herdwick and Swaledale flocks. The barn (which once featured on a ‘Top Gear’ episode) has covered picnic tables for rainy spells. Raised firepits and small, raised barbecues are welcome; logs are for sale on site. There are no showers or electricity here, but simple facilities extend to unisex portable toilets, a water source (not for drinking water) and rubbish bins. Please note that there is no public access to the lake, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest owned by the National Trust.

Site type

Motorhome pitches 3
Tent pitches 50
Open now
Opens 25 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).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 25 Jul to

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating from 47 Pitchup.com customers

  • 76%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 19%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 2%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Lake and/or mountainPeaceful

94% would recommend this site to a friend

87% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a back-to-basics campsite with beautiful views of a lake and surrounding scenery. Reviewers consistently praise the friendly and helpful owners, the ample space available, and the cleanliness of the portaloos. While some mention the lack of showers and drinking water, many find this acceptable for a short stay. The site is described as peaceful and quiet, with opportunities for walks and campfires. A few guests felt it was expensive for the basic facilities offered, and some noted the inability to access the lake.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 5
Arrival date (latest first)

Definitely somewhere to visit again, shame its just a popup.

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
alex p.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Beautiful location, peaceful. Unlimited pitch size for a large tent and awning. Plenty of toilets scattered around the field that were cleaned and stocked often. Owner of the farm stopped and talked to us for a few minutes. Really nice guy.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely place…

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
Mark H.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovely place

Disliked None

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very nice campsite, lovely views. Would stay again.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Clean porta loos, and plenty of space to choose a pitch, lovely views.
There was quite a lot of people there when we arrived but it wasn’t too noisy.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The beautiful scenery, easy to locate, nice and quiet…

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
Romanas P.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked The beautiful scenery, easy to locate, nice and quiet

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful setting with a view of the lake , very friendly owners,…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Beautiful setting with a view of the lake , very friendly owners, clean portaloos .

Disliked All good 👍

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not qoth the money

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Miss S.

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Near a lake
Gorgeous views

Disliked Couldn't use the lake
Massive sloping ground
Too expensive for what it is

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lots of space and easy to find…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lots of space and easy to find

Recommend to friends Visit again

Pretty views and friendly staff

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
Mike W.

Non-electric grass campervan pitch

Liked Such a pretty site, loads of room to park up anywhere, loads of toilets scattered around. Very peaceful. Will defo come back again. Owners also very friendly and checking up to make sure everyone was okay

Disliked Cannot fault the campsite

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean facilities, friendly staff, level pitches, easy to find!

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Owner was very friendly! Cleanliness of portaloos was good!

Board on the farm explained when staff come with logs. Logs are cash only!

Disliked Nothing, very basic campsite couldn’t fault!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lot of space, clean everywhere, clean toilets.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 2
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked A lot of space, clean everywhere, clean toilets.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Pop-up campsite

Dogs allowed

Campfires 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

Amenities 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 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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent pitches

Themes

Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wild camping

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 pitches) Pop-up campsite

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Golf nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite

Orthwaite Hall

Uldale

Wigton

Cumbria

England

CA7 1HL

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.704°N
3.15687°W

Route directions

What3words: ///spires.craziest.sedative

Nearest transport

Coach
7.1 mi Bus Station
8.9 mi Gallowbarrow
8.9 mi Fairfield Junior School
Rail
8 mi Aspatria Rail Station
8.7 mi Wigton Rail Station
11.9 mi Dalston (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
7.5 mi Nichol End (Derwentwater) Ferry Landing
7.6 mi Keswick Ferry Landing
8.5 mi Hawes End Derwentwater 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

The area around Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve (10 minutes’ drive) includes Dodd Wood, whose forests are home to red squirrels, and Lake District Wildlife Park, with birds of prey, primates and farmyard animals. At the Lakes Distillery, you can take a tour of the facilities – complete with a whisky tasting, of course. In the lively market town of Keswick (20 minutes), the riverside Derwent Pencil Museum displays a huge pencil (almost eight metres long) and has a colourful shop stocked with quality art supplies. The town is also the gateway to island-dotted Derwentwater, with its splendid lakeside trails and assorted watery attractions. After visiting the ruins of the 14th-century castle in Penrith (40 minutes), linger a while in the surrounding park, where there’s a playground with a miniature adventure course for the kids. On the outskirts of town are a public pool and several golf courses, plus the Thacka Beck Nature Reserve, where you might spot birds and dragonflies.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 11.9 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Southerness 21.2 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent
St Bees 23.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seascale 25.1 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Sandyhills 25.6 mi Sea N/AN/APoorPoor

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens 4.4 mi

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 7 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 7.4 mi

Ullswater Steamers 14 mi

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 14.5 mi

National Trust

Wordsworth House and Garden 8.9 mi

Buttermere and Ennerdale 19.1 mi

Grasmere and Great Langdale 19.2 mi

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 20.8 mi

Townend 22.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

High Pike, Fellside 3.4 mi

Ullock Pike - Longside Edge - Skiddaw 3.6 mi

Dodd Wood under Ullock Pike 4.4 mi

Bassenthwaite Osprey Walk 4.4 mi

Latrigg, Blease and Lonscale 6.2 mi

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday 31 July 2025 – Thursday 31 July 2025)

    Penrith, Cumbria 18.9 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 Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite? The area around Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve (10 minutes’ drive) includes Dodd Wood, whose forests are home to red squirrels, and Lake District Wildlife Park, with birds of prey, primates and … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite? From £25 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.