Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite

View prices & book 9.5 43 reviews
Green Bell in the distance
Pitch with spectacular views
Grass pitches with fell views
Peaceful tent pitch

  • No-frills family campsite with spectacular Howgills views in Cumbria
  • Bowness-on-Windermere 45 minutes’ drive; Ribblehead Viaduct 50 minutes
  • Within half an hour's drive of Wain Wath Force, a wild swimming spot
Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite sits at the foot of the majestic Howgills in Cumbria. Located on a working sheep farm halfway between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales national parks, the peaceful (and off-grid) camping field (with no electricity or showers) has spectacular views of the summit of Green Bell. This is a stunning and out-of-the-way spot for a relaxing family break surrounded by untamed fells. It's within half an hour's drive of Wain Wath Force, a popular wild swimming spot. Just a 15-minute stroll down the lane from the site is the pretty village of Ravenstonedale, where you’ll come upon two welcoming pubs serving excellent food and real ales. If you venture a little further out of the village, there’s yet another establishment renowned for its delicious fare. The market town of Kirkby Stephen (10 minutes’ drive) has a plethora of independent shops where you can stock up on goodies for the barbecue or fill up in the cafés and pubs. It’s also the gateway to Cumbrian walks and cycle rides taking you to dramatic waterfalls and prehistoric stone circles, and you can study all your activity options at the visitor centre.

Campground type

Tent sites 15
RV & Motorhome sites 6
Rent a tent 4
Open now
Opens 4 April
Please note
  • This campground/park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • 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).
  • Bookings must not be for more than 14 consecutive nights.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the campground/park are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.
  • Please note, there are no showers for the campsite. Only guests staying in bell tent accommodation will have access to showers.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 4 Apr to

Site types & availability

Reviews

  • 79%
    10
  • 4%
    9
  • 11%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 2%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
7

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

95% would stay here again

What customers say

Peaceful, natural bush setting with great views & relaxed vibe. Friendly owners, fire pits, and a true "wild camping" feel. Basic but clean composting loos. Great value for a quiet, back-to-nature escape, with a pub nearby. Some noted longer grass & intermittent toilet lights.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 5
Arrival date (latest first)

Closeness to Ravenstonedale pubs and walks Quiet and peaceful Fire pits Toilets very clean Welcoming owners…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Closeness to Ravenstonedale pubs and walks

Quiet and peaceful

Fire pits

Toilets very clean

Welcoming owners

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location Free fire pits Owners are very welcoming and helpful…

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
Anonymous

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Great location
Free fire pits
Owners are very welcoming and helpful

Recommend to friends Visit again

Brilliant site lots of space to pitch, friendly staff

Overall

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

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked A great space to relax with amazing scenery. My second stay was better than the first!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Exactly what I was looking for

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
Barbara Z.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Location! Perfect for someone who is looking to unwind and rest in the nature. Very rural, peaceful, and unspoiled spot.
Lovely host Suzi ❤️
Right next to my favourite services at Tebay too

Recommend to friends Visit again

Scenery beautiful, peaceful. Nice pub short walk away. Friendly owners.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
No rating
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
No rating
michelle.barthel@hotmail.co.uk B.

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Scenery beautiful, peaceful.
Nice pub short walk away.
Friendly owners.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

So peaceful and relaxing, lovely owners would make sure you had a…

Overall

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

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked So peaceful and relaxing, lovely owners would make sure you had a great day
Perfect for all, dog loved it too
Down at a bottom of a hill, next to a river

I had a broken foot when I was there and still managed to do everything, would of loved if I didn’t because I bet the is some beautiful walks around
The weather to hot to go on long walks with the dog anyway
Short walk to the local pub

The closest village “ravenstonedale” had two pub but no shop
But that’s not a problem if you needed anything
The is a big village “kirky stephen”that had plenty there too, that had a shop that we had to pop to
But the was some lovely cafes

Most of the time we just stayed a there lovely campsite
Will definitely recommend to go, would 100% go back too

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Idyllic scenery, clean and eco friendly. Perfect for a peaceful trip.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
5
Liz F.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Quiet site, pick your own pitch, Suzie was very welcoming and accommodating, fire pits available, lovely stream running through the site for a paddle, 10 minute drive to local shops, lovely 'wild camping' style, clean toilets

Disliked The grass on our pitch was a little long, knee-high on the kids. Not a major problem but a little inconvenient. We noticed several dogs off leads, again not a big issue, but if your dog or children are anxious of off-lead dogs it's worth knowing this rule isn't enforced.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent wildcamp

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
Angela W.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Remote feel of wild camping with clean toilet and washing up facility.

Walking distance from 2 pubs.
Walks on the doorstep.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your review, Angela.
We hope to see you again sometime.

Cracking site, cracking people

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
Robert G.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely beautiful spot, I loved my stay here! The owners were so…

Overall

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

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Absolutely beautiful spot, I loved my stay here! The owners were so helpful, welcoming and friendly and I felt at ease straight away!
The beautiful peaceful trip I needed!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Excellent! Thank you for your review. We are grateful that you, as a Solo traveller, enjoyed the campsite and had a relaxing time. We hope to see you again soon.


Features

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 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

Themes

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

Utilities

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

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm Pop-up campground Small (11-25 sites)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite

High Greenside

Greenside Lane

Ravenstonedale

Kirkby Stephen

Cumbria

England

CA17 4LU

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.42973°N
2.45045°W

Nearest transport

Coach
22.2 km Bus Station
22.2 km Bus Station
22.2 km Bus Station
Rail
6 km Kirkby Stephen Rail Station
14.5 km Garsdale Rail Station
16.9 km Appleby Rail Station
Ferry
31 km Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
31.6 km Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
31.6 km Bowness on Windermere Ferry Terminal

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

Local attractions and activities include: - Ravenstonedale (pubs): five minutes’ drive - Kirkby Stephen (market town): 10 minutes - Gamelands Stone Circle: 15 minutes - Smardale Gill Viaduct (walks): 20 minutes - Cautley Spout (waterfall): 20 minutes - Sedbergh (Dales town): 25 minutes - Bowness-on-Windermere: 45 minutes - Ribblehead Viaduct: 50 minutes.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Morecambe North 47.4 km Estuary GoodN/AGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sizergh Castle and Garden 26.5 km

Levens Hall & Gardens 28.6 km

High Force Waterfall 30 km

The World of Beatrix Potter 31.3 km

Windermere Lake Cruises, Bowness 31.5 km

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 26.1 km

Sizergh Castle and Garden 26.5 km

Townend 30.1 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 30.4 km

Hill Top 34.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

The Howgills Traverse - Sedbergh 4.4 km

Smardale Wildlife Reserve 5.3 km

Kirkby Stephen - Nateby - Wharton Hall - Lammerside Castle 7.9 km

Great Asby Scar Circular 8 km

Kirkby Stephen - Nine Standards Rigg 8.1 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.

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 Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite? Local attractions and activities include: - Ravenstonedale (pubs): five minutes’ drive - Kirkby Stephen (market town): 10 minutes - Gamelands Stone Circle: 15 minutes - Smardale Gill Viaduct (walks): 20 minutes - … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  noon –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite? From $41.28 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.