Sykeside Camping Park

View prices & book 9.4 324 reviews
Dove crag views
Mountain views
Grass pitches
Outdoor feel

  • Remote location but with easy access to the Lake District and Cumbria
  • In a walker's paradise in the Dovedale Valley
  • Modern facilities and well-stocked shop
The placing of this Penrith park is pretty perfect. Get ready for Lake District and Cumbrian valley walks in sublime surroundings, at this friendly site in a walker's paradise at the northern foot of the Kirkstone Pass. Although it's listed as in a remote location and is set deep and quietly in the Dovedale Valley, Sykeside Camping Park is easily accessible to the best of the Lake District and Cumbria, as it's just off the A592 and is no more than half an hour's drive from Ullswater, Patterdale, Glenridding, Ambleside, Coniston and Keswick. Cruising around Windermere is about 20 minutes away. Sykeside's Dovedale Valley locale has it surrounded by Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield, and with the town of Brotherswater nearby. Short strolls around Brotherswater are among the walky local options, or you could have a longer hike from the town's high street, where many walks start. (Or take the also most pleasant option of just staying in town and seeking out your holiday local the Brotherswater Inn for a pint or two of regional ale among the splendid regional scenery.) The Sykeside team has set the site out carefully to blend in with its surroundings and make the most of its natural settings, but have added modern amenities to keep guests comfy, like the shower and toilet facilities with shaving points and power points, and the laundry room with washing machine, tumble dryer and washing-up area. Feel free to set yourself up here to ignore the rest of the outside world: the well-stocked shop sells most of what you might need including fresh food, camping equipment, maps and guides; and because of the site's position right at the bottom of the valley, telly reception is pretty unreliable and you'll not get a single bar on your mobile – did someone mention digital detox…?

Campground type

Tent sites 100
Caravan sites 5
RV & Motorhome sites 19
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 3
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The grocery shop is open between 01/01 and 31/12.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Due to the position of the campsite at the bottom of the valley, television reception is extremely unreliable, and there is no mobile phone reception at all. Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted.

Languages spoken

English

AA 3 pennants

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

  • 76%
    10
  • 3%
    9
  • 14%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 1%
    6
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    5
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    4
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    3
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
8

97% would recommend this campground to a friend

94% would stay here again

What customers say

Great spot for exploring the Lakes, with friendly staff, a good shop and top pub grub. Clean facilities and heaps of walks. Some found it rocky and a bit boggy when wet, plus a bit noisy, but most loved it and will be back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 33
Arrival date (latest first)

I really like the site and the facilities despite the bad weather.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Very scenic location. Well stocked shop where meals can be booked at the pub.
Brilliant pub. Excellent meals.
Good showers and toilets.
A couple of good walks from the site and of course many more in the area.

Disliked The ground had lots of stones so difficult to get tent pegs in.
Lots of hammering sounds from nearby tents.
Was very windy when I was there and tent blew down a couple of times until I reinforced it during very heavy rain in the middle of the night.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great experience with lovely walks near by

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
No rating
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No rating
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No rating
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No rating
Ian F.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked The beautiful location and staff were really helpful and flexible when we changed last minute from a tent to a pod because of the heavy rain

Disliked The heavy rain

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a fantastic stay at…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
3
Wifi
No rating
Larochelle d.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked We had a fantastic stay at this campsite! The on-site shop is well stocked with everything you could possibly need, and the staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Facilities are spotless and very convenient, making the stay even more comfortable. Best of all, the site offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and is ideally located for exploring some of the Lake District’s most beautiful spots. Couldn’t recommend it more!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Definitely recommend and would like to return to that site.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
5
Helena W.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Beautiful area. Pleasant helpful staff. It’s a pitch up where ever sort of deal which is good especially if your with friends. It Was my first solo camp as was travelling up to Keswick for the sands charity walk in honour of my son. This site was a peaceful escape that I very much needed. Felt very safe there too as a lone women.

Disliked Only thing tricky is parking and road being blocked as a result of parking. In Rainy weather you certainly can’t drive over the grass obviously. So makes it so you’re a bit stuck if you are blocked. Sections I couldn’t reach to pitch due to that as I didn’t want to be far from my car since I was travelling alone.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely fantastic campsite, lovely staff and…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Absolutely fantastic campsite, lovely staff and amazing views.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very helpful staff, well stocked shop and great facilities.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Amazing location with great views. Very helpful hosts

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff & well equipped campsite

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
6
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Great location & beautiful surroundings. Easy access to fantastic walks direct from campsite or by car.
Delicious food & friendly staff at The Brotherswater Inn.

Disliked We camped on a rainy week. We didn’t mind this but were a little worried about our tent as the middle field became very waterlogged with huge puddles. Some poor families had to bail out their tent & move it.
Toilet block a little outdated.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Friendly staff, clean and tidy as…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Friendly staff, clean and tidy as usual. Dog friendly🐶

Recommend to friends Visit again

This might sound a bit cliche,…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked This might sound a bit cliche, but I liked everything about the campsite. As this was my first time camping there and first time camping in general, I found it all very easy to find a plot park.My car pitch my tent, the camp site had very good clean facilities and is in a fantastic location.With lots to explore.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely setting, flat pitch and even…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
2
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
Paul E.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Lovely setting, flat pitch and even though it was fully booked, not. Lot of noise at night.

Staff very welcoming, and shop had exactly what we needed.

Pub on site was a godsend 😊

Fishing lake close by was also a reason for staying here.

Disliked Showers not very warm, toilet block ok, but probably needs a refit soon.

Recommend to friends Visit again


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 Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

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

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

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Step-free access Uneven terrain; gravel or loose mud

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Sykeside Camping Park

Hartsop

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0NZ

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.49861°N
2.92474°W

Nearest transport

Coach
7.8 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
7.8 km Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
8 km Kelsick Road opposite Library
Rail
13.3 km Windermere Rail Station
15.3 km Staveley Rail Station
19 km Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
5.2 km Glenridding Ullswater Ferry Landing
9 km Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
9.1 km Ambleside Waterhead 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

Sykeside Camping Park's central location in the Lakes means it has loads of activities within easy reach by foot or car and on land or water. For watery days within 20 minutes of the site, join one of the most popular pastimes in the Lake District with a cruise on Windermere, or get serious about the water and hire a boat or learn to sail with Glenridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater. Boat trips are also available from Coniston Water and Keswick. By land and also within 20 minutes are the crashing hike around Aira Force waterfall, and the medieval manor and greenery of Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens as well as the heritage and cinema of the The Rheged Centre at Penrith. Within half an hour, spy ospreys at Bassenthwaite near Keswick, have a ride on the 3.2 miles of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, and wander around the The Rheged Centreancientness of the Castlerigg stone circle, the most visited in Cumbria.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Seascale 38.3 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Silecroft 41.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Haverigg 41.7 km Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
St Bees 44.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Allonby 44.4 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ullswater Steamers 5.2 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 6.8 km

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 7.8 km

Brockhole - Lake District Visitor Centre 10.8 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 14.6 km

National Trust

Grasmere and Great Langdale 9.2 km

Townend 9.9 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 12.2 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 14.6 km

Coniston and Tarn Hows 16 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Kirkstone Pass - Caudale Moor - Stony Cove Pike 3.8 km

Helvellyn - Nethermost Pike - High Crag - Dollywaggon Pike 4.3 km

Glenridding - Helvellyn - Grisedale Brow - Glenridding 5.3 km

Caudale Moor and Troutbeck Tongue 5.3 km

Glenridding and Greenside Mine 5.3 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Sykeside Camping Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Sykeside Camping Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Sykeside Camping Park? Sykeside Camping Park's central location in the Lakes means it has loads of activities within easy reach by foot or car and on land or water. For watery days within 20 minutes … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Sykeside Camping Park?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Sykeside Camping Park? From $46.68 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.