The Old Post Office Campsite

View prices & book 8.9 312 reviews
River views
River views
Aerial view, you can see the proximity of the pub!
Taken at the bottom end of the site - hook-ups spread across the site
A quiet day in may
Tents and caravans situated at the bottom end of the site
The river irt runs alongside the site and is popular for fishing and bathing
One of the two dishwashing areas, both supplied with free hot water all day
Views
1/58
Aerial view, you can see the proximity of the pub!
Taken at the bottom end of the site - hook-ups spread across the site
A quiet day in may

  • On the western edge of the Lake District National Park
  • Bordered by the River Irt for swimming and salmon or trout fishing
  • Showers, toilets, wifi and picnic benches
Established in 1951, The Old Post Office Campsite is in a royally fab location for anyone after a peaceful spot to explore the Lake District. Those looking for quiet stays can deliver themselves to this compact site, just on the western border of the Lake District National Park, to enjoy the very best of the area's spectacular setting. You can be at the little village of Santon Bridge in a jiffy (it's just a one-minute walk away) and with the River Irt bordering the site, you’ll likely agree The Old Post Office has got the whole package… Swim, paddle or just bask on the banks of the calm freshwater river that flows right along one side of the site, while avid anglers can scale the choice of catches to be had with salmon, sea and brown trout floundering from the waters. You can borrow a daily or weekly-hire rod from the owners; just arrange this with them when you arrive. The site’s first-class facilities include modern toilets and showers, a laundry room with coin-operated machines, dishwashing sinks and wifi, with well-tended pathways all around the site and timber picnic benches to take in the mountains, river and countryside views. A gift and farm shop is in Santon Bridge a minute's walk away. Dogs are welcome too and with all the walking opportunities in and around the Lakes, a holiday here will really deliver the goods for all…

Campground type

RV & Motorhome sites 10
Tent sites 10
Caravan sites 14
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 3 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 3 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Commercial vehicles (vehicles used for work-related purposes, carrying goods or fare-paying passengers) and sign-written vehicles are not permitted on site.
  • The campground/park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • A cable measuring at least 10 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.
  • Bookings must not consist of more than 2 different households.
  • Showers cost 50p for approximately 10 minutes.

Languages spoken

English

Site types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesRV & Motorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
Other site types

Reviews

8.9

Overall rating based on 312 reviews View breakdown

Peaceful

Voted 76% of visitors View breakdown

88%

would recommend this campground to a friend

87%

would stay here again

  • 63%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 26%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 5%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 2%
    4
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    3
  • 2%
    2
  • 0%
    1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

Location, set up, facilities, friendliness of staff, peaceful and quiet. Lovely pub…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Chris W. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced concrete and grass caravan site (super)

Liked: Location, set up, facilities, friendliness of staff, peaceful and quiet. Lovely pub next door, beautiful scenery.

Disliked: 1

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, clean facilities, friendly staff

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 8
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Janice B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered concrete and grass caravan site

Liked: Small well run site on the river. Peaceful and relaxing vibe. Cleanliness of toilets and showers immaculate. Friendly site manager great with advice of where to walk dog. Would definitely recommend. Great for access to most beautiful part of Lake District

Recommend to friends Visit again

Staff amazing and attentive. very friendly Tent pitch very level

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 10
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered concrete and grass tent or motorhome site

Liked: Gorgeous Camping site, small quiet and peaceful. Everything you need is there. A stream, great pub, clean facilities, very well maintained with outstanding natural beauty. One of the nicest campsite we have been on. We will definitely return as we had such a great time. 5 *

Disliked: Nothing
Would recommend selling afew shop items,
Like ice, milk, etc

Recommend to friends Visit again

New owners trying their best to turn the place around, they were…

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
john G. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced concrete and grass caravan site (super)

Liked: New owners trying their best to turn the place around, they were very helpful from the minute we arrive and nothing was to much of an ask.
Toilets spotless and the site is beautiful, if you want a quiet picturesque break stay here.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Local pub…

Overall 4/10
Location 4
Value for money 6
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 2
Customer service 4
Child friendliness 2
Cleanliness 4
Wifi 2
Shaun T. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered concrete and grass caravan site

Liked: Local pub

Disliked: Unless you like walking along narrow roads with no pavements this is not the place for you. Having paid quite an expensive fee the showers cost 50p and a hairdryer 20p but the exact coin only. No dog walking area even though dogs cost extra so not sure what we paid for. No Wi-Fi

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely clean site. Good showers and washing up areas. Pub right next…

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 6
Customer service 8
Child friendliness No rating
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 2
Nicola B. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: Lovely clean site. Good showers and washing up areas. Pub right next door.
Good instructions on arrival. Wasdale and the west coast in close proximity.

Disliked: When I booked I thought I’d booked with electric hookup but my confirmation email said none electric. When I checked they are both the same price.
In my opinion and in every campsite I’ve been to none electric is always cheaper.
The electric hookup pitches were flatter with more room also.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly host to greet us on arrival whose instruction and information were…

Overall 10/10
Location 8
Value for money 8
Accommodation 8
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 4
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered concrete and grass campervan site

Liked: Friendly host to greet us on arrival whose instruction and information were easy to follow (we arrived Friday afternoon 2nd May ) .
Layout of site was easy to use , toilets and showers were impeccably maintained and clean , facilities on site for washing etc good .
Difficult to find anything at fault , a first class experience and we’d stay again in our camper.

Disliked: Signs to say which piece of grass is yours for putting your garden furniture etc next to your pitch as this caused some confusion . You should have the grass to the right or left of where you park not either . Other than that a fantastic site

Recommend to friends Visit again

Area good, facilities were clean. Perfect for camper vans.

Overall 8/10
Location 10
Value for money 6
Accommodation 6
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 8
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 10
Anonymous The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked: The location of the campsite and its proximity to sites/attractions/villages & towns was good. Toilets and showers were clean, staff friendly.

Disliked: No set pitches for non electric, it was a relatively small field with a first come first serve attitude to space and the site itself was relatively small. No camp shop for small amenities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site in great position for the western lakes

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation No rating
Facilities / Activities 8
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 6
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 6
Ann S. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Fully-serviced concrete and grass caravan site (super)

Liked: This is a fantastic site and one of our favourites.
Beautiful position next to a river. Generous pitches. Clean and tidy. Warm welcome on arrival. Handy pub just a short walk over the bridge. They also do takeaway. Lovely dog walking.
This visit was on a busy bank holiday but we still found the site quiet at night and it never felt too crowded.
The site is well positioned for visiting Wasdale. Wastwater, Eskdale and beyond with many beautiful walks or drives for the less mobile. It is only a short drive to St Bees a beautiful sandy beach where our four legged friends were able to run free.
We look forward to coming back again soon

Disliked: WiFi patchy but we were told this so not a surprise

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely spot

Overall 10/10
Location 10
Value for money 10
Accommodation 10
Facilities / Activities 10
Customer service 10
Child friendliness 8
Cleanliness 10
Wifi 8
Brian H. The reviewer booked through Pitchup.com

Powered concrete and grass tent or motorhome site

Liked: Brilliant place to stay on a river bank, good facilities and pub next door, great for walks you might even see a red squirrel if that my thing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome 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 sites

Themes

Budget/backpacker Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Tennis nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Caravan storage facilities Drainage hook-up points for caravans Motorhome service point Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

The Old Post Office Campsite

Santon Bridge

Wasdale

Holmrook

Cumbria

England

CA19 1UY

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.4021°N
-3.371°W

Route directions

Turn off the M6 at Junction 36. Follow A590 west to Broughton-in-Furness, passing through Newby Bridge. Follow the A595 through Bootle, Muncaster to Holmrook. Approaching Holmrook turn right for Santon Bridge; follow this road to the end, passing Irton Hall (on your left) and Wasdale Craft Shop (on your left). At the junction turn left - we are at the bottom of the hill near to the river. Please note - some satellite navigation systems suggest a route via Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass. These high level routes are not recommended in the dark, or in adverse weather conditions.

Nearest transport

Coach
21.7 km Tangier Street
23.7 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
23.7 km Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
Rail
5.5 km Drigg Rail Station
5.7 km Ravenglass Rail Station
7.4 km Seascale Rail Station
Ferry
20.1 km Torver (Coniston) Ferry Landing
20.2 km Coniston Ferry Landing
20.4 km Sunny Bank (Coniston) 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

Pull on your comfiest boots and walk yourself to merriment around these Cumbrian parts: just over five miles away in Wasdale is one of Britain’s tiniest churches, St Olafs, with its timber beams thought to have been made from Viking ships. For hungry (and thirsty) fell explorers, the Wasdale Head Inn makes for a welcome pitstop, and the Bridge Inn, just a stroll from the site, is home to the annual ‘Biggest Liar’ competition – no kidding, it’s a real thing… Hikers hotstep to the mighty heights of Scafell Pike and Great Gable (both about seven miles away) and Red Pike (approximately 20 miles north from the site). At the Wasdale valley, as well as nurturing peaks aplenty, canoeists, kayakers and windsurfers alike will rapidly make their way to Wast Water, just five minutes from the site, the deepest lake in the UK. Cycling and walking routes around the lakes and mountains are plentiful, as are the chances for boating and fishing, but if you really want to go off-piste, you could try abseiling, climbing, a high ropes course, or even flying: hot air balloon and paragliding experiences are available for those who want to soar even higher than Scafell.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Seascale 7.7 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Bees 18.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Silecroft 20.4 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Haverigg 24.3 km Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
Walney West Shore 31.9 km Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 5.6 km

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 23.6 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 24.2 km

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 25.2 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 25.6 km

National Trust

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 2.8 km

Buttermere and Ennerdale 16.9 km

Gondola' 20.1 km

Coniston and Tarn Hows 20.7 km

Grasmere and Great Langdale 22.9 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Eskdale Green - Muncaster Fell - Muncaster Head - Eskdale Green 3.3 km

MUNCASTER CASTLE 5.4 km

High Gillerthwaite - Red Pike Ridge Traverse - High Gillerthwaite 12.9 km

Seathwaite - Scafell Pike - Seathwaite 16.3 km

The Gables from Honister Pass 16.3 km

Local events

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

    Penrith, England 47.9 km

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.

Offers

Conditions apply - see site type section for details

Nearest campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Old Post Office Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Old Post Office Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Old Post Office Campsite? Pull on your comfiest boots and walk yourself to merriment around these Cumbrian parts: just over five miles away in Wasdale is one of Britain’s tiniest churches, St Olafs, with its timber … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Old Post Office Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  6:30 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Old Post Office Campsite? From $123.97 (for 2 nights, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.