Holmescales Campsite

View prices & book 8.9 262 reviews
Around the site
Around the site
Aerial view of the site
View of the site
Pitches and toilet block
Around the site
Around the site
Around the site
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Aerial view of the site
View of the site
Pitches and toilet block

  • Small site in the Cumbria countryside, 15 minutes’ drive from Kendal
  • Sizergh Castle 15 minutes’ drive; Windermere half an hour
  • Archery, quad biking and axe throwing; toilet and shower block
The gently undulating hills of the Cumbria countryside surround Holmescales Campsite, a small, friendly site a five-minute drive from the hamlet of Old Hutton, with its pretty stone cottages, and 15 minutes from the market town of Kendal. This is a handy spot for getting out into the fresh air and exploring the spectacular landscape, since the site sits between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales national parks. Not only that: being a mere three miles from the M6 and four miles from Oxenholme railway station makes Holmescales a nifty stopover point for those heading to and from Scotland. Life on site is pretty peaceful: each pitch has a view of the Lakeland fells, and you’ll often spot farm animals and wildlife in the surroundings, too. Amenities include shower and toilet blocks and a washing-up station, plus chemical disposal. Couples, families and well-behaved dogs on leads are all welcome to stay here, and barbecues and campfires are permitted to enhance those rural evenings on site – although there are several excellent pubs and restaurants within a few minutes’ drive, too. If it all sounds a tad too laidback, fear not: the folks here run a good set of on-site activities, so you can challenge yourself and have a go at archery, air rifles, crossbows and axe throwing, or spend days quad biking or clay-pigeon shooting. Please note: these activities incur an extra cost, and they’re pretty popular, so you’ll need to book ahead.

Site type

Tent pitches 18
Touring caravan pitches 18
Motorhome pitches 18
Open all year
Opens
Please note

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. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

General

  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 2 or more units travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

8.9

Overall rating from 262 Pitchup.com customers

  • 57%
    10
  • 7%
    9
  • 23%
    8
  • 3%
    7
  • 3%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 1%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 6
Peaceful

92% would recommend this site to a friend

90% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a quiet, well-maintained campsite with beautiful views and spacious pitches. Facilities are basic but kept clean, with ample hot water for showers and washing up. The location is convenient for the M6 and exploring the Lakes. Some guests found the access track bumpy and noted occasional M6 noise. Pitch levelling can be an issue, and some showers lack lighting or adjustable temperature. Despite minor drawbacks, many visitors found it good value and would return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 18/08/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 27
Arrival date (latest first)

Nothing to complain about.…

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
 Vince W. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Nothing to complain about.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning views in a lovely, peaceful…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Stunning views in a lovely, peaceful location. Booking and check-in were both easy and went smoothly. The showers and toilets were clean and perfectly adequate for our stopover.

Disliked This was not the campsite's fault, but unfortunately our stay was affected by a serious incident on the pitch next to us.

The dog on the neighbouring pitch barked continuously from around 10.30pm for well over an hour.

Eventually, some other campers approached the owner about the noise, but the situation quickly escalated. The dog owner became aggressive, threatened them with a large wooden pole and threatened to set his dog on them. The police were called and he was eventually arrested and taken away for the night.

While this was happening, I contacted the campsite owners using the emergency number as I was genuinely concerned for our safety. Although they live approximately a minute away from the site, I did feel it took longer than expected for them to arrive given how serious the situation had become.

I completely appreciate that the behaviour of another camper was outside the campsite owners' control. However, as we were unfortunately pitched next to the disturbance and contacted the owner late at night, I was disappointed that when I saw the owners on site the following morning, they didn't check in with us to make sure we were okay after what had happened.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely campsite, beautiful views, clean facilities…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Lovely campsite, beautiful views, clean facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

This was a beautiful little campsite.…

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
 8
 Fiona F. 2 reviews

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked This was a beautiful little campsite. Well maintained. Shower block and toilets where cleaned daily and toilet roll and soap was replenished daily. The views around the site is beautiful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Noisy neighbours

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 1
 Mark L. 1 review

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked View and aspect. No fuss and reasonable

Disliked Noisy people with no consideration on neighbouring pitches. Noise until 0130hrs.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely little campsite really enjoyed our…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 John H. 1 review

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Lovely little campsite really enjoyed our stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely place

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Emma C. 6 reviews

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Wish we could have stayed longer. A lovely peaceful site with fantastic views. Clean and sufficient facilities. Owners were really nice. Great walks and activities centre. There are also 2 lodges on site. Would definitely recommend 😀

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Second time here and loved it…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Second time here and loved it as much as the first. Thank you for a great stay.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great overnight stay in a peaceful location

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Lynne H. 2 reviews

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Loved the views and tranquility.
Easy booking in and great directions
Nice facilities. Loved that we could have a campfire

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location, view…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 No rating
Phil V. 3 reviews

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Location, view

Disliked Showers were not so nice. Despite the rules for quiet nights and efforts to control large parties, we were kept awake until 2am by a large group being loud, playing music, etc.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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

Themes

Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping Wildlife haven

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

Farm Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Holmescales Campsite

Holmescales Farm

Old Hutton

Cumbria

England

LA8 0NB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London BST (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.27493°N
2.68536°W

Nearest transport

Coach
4.5 mi Bus Station
4.5 mi Bus Station
4.5 mi Bus Station
Rail
2.5 mi Oxenholme Lake District Rail Station
4.5 mi Kendal Rail Station
6.4 mi Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
10.8 mi Fell Foot Country Park Ferry Landing
10.9 mi Lakeside Windermere Ferry Landing
11.3 mi Bowness Ferry Nab 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 vast grounds at Sizergh Castle (15 minutes’ drive) include woodlands, wetlands, orchards and a rock garden with a collection of lush ferns. The 14th-century mansion at the heart of it all has displays of Elizabethan furniture, paintings and armour; it is also home to the Inlaid Chamber, with its exquisite oak panelling. Petrolheads will appreciate a day at the Lakeland Motor Museum (25 minutes), where vintage cars and motorcycles are presented within the social context of their respective eras – for example, a 1940s tractor is part of a display on the Women’s Land Army (or Land Girls). There are also exhibits on pedal cars and caravans. There are rowing, sailing and racing boats on display at the Jetty Museum in Windermere (half an hour), where you can also take long strolls on the banks of the lake of the same name. Just a little further south, in Bowness-on-Windermere, children can meet Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin and other beloved fictional characters at The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Morecambe North 15.4 mi Estuary GoodN/AGoodGood
Morecambe South 16 mi Sea N/AN/AGoodGood
Haverigg 25.1 mi Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
Walney West Shore 26 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A
Walney Sandy Gap 26.2 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sizergh Castle and Garden 3.6 mi

Levens Hall & Gardens 3.9 mi

Blackwell, The Arts & Craft House 10.7 mi

Windermere Lake Cruises, Lakeside 11 mi

The World of Beatrix Potter 11.3 mi

National Trust

Sizergh Castle and Garden 3.6 mi

Fell Foot Park 10.8 mi

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse 12 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 12.2 mi

Hill Top 12.7 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

LEVENS HALL 3.4 mi

SIZERGH CASTLE 3.4 mi

The River Kent and Kendal 3.7 mi

Levens Hall and the River Kent 3.8 mi

Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle 3.8 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 Holmescales Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Holmescales Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Holmescales Campsite? The vast grounds at Sizergh Castle (15 minutes’ drive) include woodlands, wetlands, orchards and a rock garden with a collection of lush ferns. The 14th-century mansion at the heart of it all … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Holmescales Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1:30 p.m. –  5 p.m.
    Depart by:  12:30 p.m.

    Please call or text when you are close to arriving.

    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Holmescales Campsite? From £26 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.