Helton Campsite

View prices & book 7.7 133 reviews
Visitor image of the lovely site
Visitor image of the lovely site
Visitor image of the view across the field as the sun was setting behind them around 6:30pm
Pitches with a view
Views across the site
Views
Sunny views
Views from the pitches
Grass pitches
1/60
Visitor image of the view across the field as the sun was setting behind them around 6:30pm
Pitches with a view
Views across the site

  • Scenic Lake District site with easy access from the M6
  • A 10-minute drive to Pooley Bridge, Ullswater and Lowther Castle
  • Laidback pitches with space for kids to play; dogs welcome
You don’t have to go very far into the Lake District National Park to start appreciating the gorgeous views – and the area around Helton Campsite is a case in point. This spacious Cumbria site is only a couple of miles from the M6 at the northern end of the park so it’s a handy spot for a stopover or a quick fix of country air. That said, the scenery around here is lovely enough that you could certainly settle here for several days – pitches have gorgeous open views over the surrounding countryside, and there are lots of places to get out for a walk nearby too. Pooley Bridge is about 10 minutes’ drive away for outings on and around Ullswater, and you’ll also easily be able to get to other top spots like Aira Force waterfall and Haweswater (or Skiddaw and Helvellyn if you’d rather do some climbing). Life on site is fairly simple, with just the essentials provided to keep you going: pitches have access to a toilet and fresh mountain water for drinking, and there’s a field where families can play games. Dogs are welcome to join you here for Lake District jaunts, and there’s space to give them a run around on site plus plenty of choice for walking routes nearby. This corner of the Lake District has several choices for eating out at pubs and the like, but you’re also welcome to light barbecues or campfires on site if you’d rather settle in for an evening of outdoor cooking. There’s a convenience store just over a mile away in the village of Askham (which also has a pub and an open-air swimming pool).

Site type

Tent sites 80
Open now
Opens April 3
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Apr 3 to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

7.7

Overall rating from 133 Pitchup.com customers

  • 34%
    10
  • 6%
    9
  • 26%
    8
  • 9%
    7
  • 9%
    6
  • 3%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 5%
    2
  • 3%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 4
Budget/backpacker

82% would recommend this site to a friend

80% would stay here again

What customers say

A basic, spacious site with great views & a peaceful vibe. Campers loved picking their own spot, dog areas, and helpful owners. Toilets/showers are clean but can be crowded. Some found noise an issue as quiet times weren't enforced. Good base for the Lake District.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 2026-07-21

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 14
Arrival date (latest first)

Amazing views, quiet campsite with great…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Amazing views, quiet campsite with great pitches that you can pick yourself. Gated field with access for dogs to run free, will definitely be back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Available last minute, easy to book.…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 2
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 No rating
Nicole R. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Available last minute, easy to book. Location good for lakes availability and close ish to pooley bridge but still about 15 min drive or so.

Disliked No check in service so didn’t meet campsite staff which felt odd. Felt a little like why have we paid £25? Grass was long, got stung by a bee. Toilet block was like a portaloo block.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location was great.…

Overall

2 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 1
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 3
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 No rating
Olivia B. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Location was great.

Disliked Very poor facilities. 4 portaloos for toilets for the whole campsite. Wouldn’t mind if they were maintained/cleaned but they were filthy.
No hot water washing up facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Location was perfect, facilities were clean,…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Location was perfect, facilities were clean, nice to have a separate area for washing and showering as well as portaloos which were really clean.

Disliked Nothing specifically about the site however as it’s quite large, it was noisy into the early hours of the morning

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great little spot, but showers were freezing cold

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 No rating
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
Ryan M. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Very peaceful campsite

Disliked Cold showers

Recommend to friends Visit again

lovely settings all fenced off so…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked lovely settings all fenced off so children had a wide area to play. host was very helpful and friendly. facilities was clean

Disliked was abit disappointed with some of the other guests blasting loud music till early hours on both nights we was there, other sites we’ve been there has been a sound cut off time. maybe look into this i would stay here again though.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Campsite was perfect plenty room for…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
 Chris W. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Campsite was perfect plenty room for the kids to play games and run round. We sat up late one night round the fire with music on with no complaints. In the village there’s an outdoor pool (heated) for a £5 per person what was really good. It’s just on the outside of all the hustle and bustle but with a short drive in to Pooley bridge.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would deffo be back 😀

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 1
 Kelly G. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Fantastic we went as a family group of 20 the kids had so much fun so did the adults
The owner was around with fire wood to purchase and to make sure all was ok

Disliked The only slight problem was how far toilets were from top of field lovley walk but a bit scary in dark im a wimp tho 😂

Recommend to friends Visit again

great wee site

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
 ross stevenson m. 5 reviews

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked rural location but on short drive to Ullswater and slightly lo ger to penrith, lush green field plenty of room fir larger tents, firepits and logs available.. potaloos and shower block, stand pipes around the sites.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good location for exploring the lakes, but is a bit of a free for all.

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 4
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 2
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 1
 Rosie C. 1 review

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked The location was good, close to the road but it is a quiet lane. East to find with Apple Maps.

Disliked It is a turn up and pitch up where you like, felt a bit disorganised.
There was a big group, a mix of a few families and the kids were screaming and running around until late. They played music all day and night, loud enough it could be heard across the whole campsite. There were people smoking weed close to us on our last night. The dogs on a lead rule didn’t apply to all apparently. The toilet block wasn’t cleaned during our stay (or it didn’t look to have been)
I believe £50 for 2 nights is more than think it is worth.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No hot water Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horseback riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Helton Campsite

Helton

Askham

Pooley Bridge

Cumbria

England

CA10 2QB

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.58753°N
2.76028°W

Route directions

Go all the way through the village of Helton, past the triangle field on the way to Bampton. Just as you pass the triangle field, you will see the site to your right.

Nearest transport

Coach
8.3 km Rail Station
21.9 km Kelsick Road opposite Library
22.3 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
Rail
8.3 km Penrith North Lakes Rail Station
13.4 km Langwathby Rail Station
17.7 km Appleby Rail Station
Ferry
5 km Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
6.9 km Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
12.8 km Glenridding Ullswater 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

Walking trails for all abilities are plentiful in the Lake District – from Helton your options include lakeside ambling by Ullswater (10 minutes’ drive) or the short stroll to Aira Force waterfall (25 minutes) or more challenging outings like the ascent of Helvellyn (half an hour). Those aren’t the only options for exploring though – the area around Pooley Bridge (10 minutes) has boat hire, various watersports and horse riding centres. The natural views are spectacular, of course, but there are some lovely buildings to see too – nearby Lowther Castle & Gardens (10 minutes) is worth a visit for the grand building, the 130-acre gardens and the adventure playground, and the Grade I-listed Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens (15 minutes) is equally lovely. If the weather takes a turn, there are several things to keep you busy in Keswick (35 minutes), including the Derwent Pencil Museum, Puzzling Place and tours of the Keswick Brewing Company.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 47.8 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 6.1 km

The Rheged Centre 6.8 km

Ullswater Steamers 12.8 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 21.2 km

Castlerigg Stone Circle 21.9 km

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 12.4 km

Townend 22.1 km

Grasmere and Great Langdale 23.7 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 24.2 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 28.3 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

ASKHAM HALL 2.4 km

LOWTHER CASTLE 2.5 km

Pooley Bridge - Loadpot Hill - Howtown - Pooley Bridge 4.8 km

Pooley Bridge and Heughscar Hill 4.8 km

DALEMAIN 6 km

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday, July 30, 2026 – Thursday, July 30, 2026)

    Penrith, England 3.4 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 Helton Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Helton Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Helton Campsite? Walking trails for all abilities are plentiful in the Lake District – from Helton your options include lakeside ambling by Ullswater (10 minutes’ drive) or the short stroll to Aira Force waterfall … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Helton Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Helton Campsite? From $46.93 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.