Holmescales Campsite

View prices & book 9.1 228 reviews
Around the site
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 now
Opens 28 March
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • 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).
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, touring caravan, motorhome or accommodation hire) 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.
  • This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the site are unlit.
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 28 Mar to

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

  • 63%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 27%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 4%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
6

95% would recommend this site to a friend

93% would stay here again

What customers say

A lovely, tidy, peaceful site with grand views & pitches. Showers/toilets are spotless & fine. Handy for Kendal & Lakes, though access is a bit tricky & M6 is audible. Basic but great value. Many keen to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 23
Arrival date (latest first)

Lovely campsite for peace and quite

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
Mathew B.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked The views and how peaceful it was

Recommend to friends Visit again

We stopped off at Holmescales whilst on our way home from completing…

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
No rating
Mathew B.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked We stopped off at Holmescales whilst on our way home from completing the NC500.
A peaceful camp with amazing views. Toilets and showers were clean and tidy and always had hot water.
Thank you Holmescales was a lovely one night stay

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, beautiful views. Toilets and showers were kept clean and shower…

Overall

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

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Lovely site, beautiful views. Toilets and showers were kept clean and shower was nice and warm. Has washing up area which is ideal. Will definitely be back! Thank you

Disliked Nothing we didn’t like.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice views west across the rolling hills. Great sunset 🌇 👌…

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
5
Value for money
7
Accommodation
4
Facilities / Activities
3
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
2
Wifi
1
Caroline SARAH T.

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Nice views west across the rolling hills. Great sunset 🌇 👌

Disliked The showers had no lighting, that alone stopped me using them at night, then the next day I chose not to because they were filthy. I'm aware this is a cheap and rustic site but I definitely would not return.
The road in needs attention too.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your feedback. I'm afraid the lights in the showers are solar and with the storm during your stay they may not have been able to work aswell as usual. We also mention in our welcome you receive on booking that the site and amenities have no electricity so guests can come prepared, please let us know if you did not receive this and I can look into the problem for you. We do have plans in place at the moment to provide electricity to our facilities this year, As for the cleanliness of the site, we check and clean the site and facilities throughout the day, cleaning all areas to a high standard. i do wish you would have informed us during your stay so we could have resolved any issues and looked to improve if needed.

Good site

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
8
George B.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Beautiful views quiet site toilets good showers good instant hot water pitch sizes good

Disliked Weather!!! had to leave mid way through the FLORIS STORM, wasn't funny at the time but we laughed going home soaking wet

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ok for a stop over

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
4
Value for money
3
Accommodation
5
Facilities / Activities
4
Customer service
5
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
3
Wifi
No rating
Penny K.

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked View . Easy set up

Disliked Extremely noisy campers next to us ...shouting, laughing and loud talking through night till 4 am wasn't on but noone on site to tell .

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thank you for your feedback. We are very disappointed to hear you where having problems during your stay. Around the site we have signage with contact deatils and on emails and welcome packs sent to you on booking we do state that any problems can be reported 24 hours a day to x3 contact numbers we have listed for you to use if needed, we are approx 1 minutes drive down the road. Please do let us know by email or phone if you did not receive the information on booking so we can resolve any issues and Any suggestions of improvement are greatly appreciated.

Great stop over site

Overall

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

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Lovely views
Well laid out site

Disliked The sat nav took us on a very narrow road to get to the site. We were coming down from the north. Might be worth putting a warning in the details.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent experience.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
10
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Dr.M.Usman K.

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Very clean and quiet. Excellent views and amenities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic site with amazing views, convenient location, good facilities.…

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
No rating
Anonymous

Non-electric grass pitch

Liked Fantastic site with amazing views, convenient location, good facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything we didn't have kids or use wi fi spacious between…

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
No rating
Anonymous

Electric grass and gravel touring pitch

Liked Everything we didn't have kids or use wi fi spacious between each pitch would definitely recommend

Disliked Nothing

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 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 +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.27493°N
2.68536°W

Nearest transport

Coach
7.2 km Bus Station
7.2 km Bus Station
7.3 km Bus Station
Rail
4.1 km Oxenholme Lake District Rail Station
7.3 km Kendal Rail Station
10.4 km Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
17.4 km Fell Foot Country Park Ferry Landing
17.6 km Lakeside Windermere Ferry Landing
18.3 km 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 24.7 km Estuary GoodN/AGoodGood
Morecambe South 25.7 km Sea N/AN/AGoodGood
Haverigg 40.4 km Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
Walney West Shore 41.8 km Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A
Walney Sandy Gap 42.2 km Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Sizergh Castle and Garden 5.7 km

Levens Hall & Gardens 6.3 km

Blackwell, The Arts & Craft House 17.3 km

Windermere Lake Cruises, Lakeside 17.7 km

The World of Beatrix Potter 18.2 km

National Trust

Sizergh Castle and Garden 5.7 km

Fell Foot Park 17.3 km

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse 19.4 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 19.6 km

Hill Top 20.4 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

LEVENS HALL 5.5 km

SIZERGH CASTLE 5.5 km

The River Kent and Kendal 5.9 km

Levens Hall and the River Kent 6 km

Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle 6.1 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 sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

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 €30 (for 1 night, 4 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.