Barkbeth Campsite

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.1 42 reviews
A tent on site
A tent on site
Tent and picnic blanket
Campsite
View of the site with Skiddaw in the background
View from a tent
View of the site with Skiddaw in the background
A tent on site
View from the site
1/77
Tent and picnic blanket
Campsite
View of the site with Skiddaw in the background

  • Simple, pop-up site on a farm in the Lake District National Park
  • In the foothills of Skiddaw, 10 minutes' drive from Keswick
  • Dogs and barbecues welcome; half an hour’s walk to the pub
If you’ve been dreaming of a back-to-basics break, a wild-camping adventure or epic hiking excursions in the company of your dog, Barkbeth Campsite might just be the answer to your prayers. Open to the public only for 60 days a year, this quiet site on a working farm in the northern fringes of the Lake District National Park sits within a gently hilly landscape. Turn west and you might catch splendid glimpses of Bassenthwaite Lake; look south and the distinctive silhouette of Skiddaw looms in the distance. (Indeed, you’re in the foothills of Skiddaw here, and a short walk up the farm lane takes you on the direct footpath to the mountain.) When you need a break from these spectacular landscapes, or if you feel like visiting a cosy café or a lively market, the town of Keswick is easily reached via the A591 (10 minutes’ drive). After pitching your tent in the large grassy field (and perhaps after a good long hike), you might want a bite to eat. Stock up on grillables in Keswick, then set up your barbecue on a slate (there’s a supply of these right by the entrance gate). Alternatively, take a half-hour stroll to the pub in Bassenthwaite, where you can sample real ales and home-cooked food in a large beer garden. Amenities have been kept nicely minimal at Barkbeth Farm, to help preserve the peaceful rural vibe. That means pitches have no electricity (don’t forget your torch), but you will have access to a drinking-water tap, portable toilets and a unisex hot-shower cabin, plus a sink for washing up.

Site type

Tent sites 10
Motorhome sites 2
Opens
Please note

General

  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.

Admission

  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Dogs

  • Your dog must be tattooed or microchipped.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.1

Overall rating from 42 Pitchup.com customers

  • 52%
    10
  • 14%
    9
  • 26%
    8
  • 4%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 4
Spectacular sceneryLake and/or mountainPeaceful

95% would recommend this site to a friend

95% would stay here again

What customers say

A tidy pop-up campsite with epic views. Perfect for hikers, offering peace and great access to walks. Clean facilities, though more loos needed when busy. Pitches can be cosy. Easy to find, friendly owners. BBQs & campfires welcome.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 29/09/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 5
Arrival date (latest first)

Popup site, clean warm showers. Very sloppy field

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Lorraine B. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Popup site, clean warm showers. Very sloppy field

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very small quiet site with great…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Very small quiet site with great views .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fabulous setting peaceful perfect base to wide camp

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Teela B. 10 reviews

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Location location location perfect base hike from the off no car needed just a backpack and a head for heights

Recommend to friends Visit again

Views, easy booking, fire aloud…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 No rating
James B. 1 review

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Views, easy booking, fire aloud

Recommend to friends Visit again

Breath-taking scenery Small and peaceful Hot and clean…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Breath-taking scenery
Small and peaceful
Hot and clean shower

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean shower, toilet and washing up area. Whole site has great views

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Ian H. 4 reviews

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Perfect location with great views & peaceful site.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Breathtaking views, peaceful nature…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Jens S. 1 review

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Breathtaking views, peaceful nature

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent view well kept site with…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 7
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Excellent view well kept site with good access

Disliked The pitches need to be better marked out . Please do not state no awnings then fail to ensure visitors abide by the site rule with no operator visit . The two toilets proved adequate over a weekend stay however the door to the excellent single shower needs attention. Currently the door handle fails to open the latch causing brute force required to exit . I appreciate you only have one more weekend to see out the 60 day period but it needs ongoing attention . Other than that great . Will look to visit again next year . Thank you

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice and quiet campsite

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Good clean toilets and shower
Friendly staff

Disliked Walking back from the pub in the rain
😁

Joking aside ,it was good all round

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely small campsite with decent facilities.…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Maria N. 2 reviews

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Lovely small campsite with decent facilities. The owners do rentals of fire pits which was brilliant. Would 100% stay there again.

Disliked Nothinb

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Pop-up campground

Dogs allowed

Campfires 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 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

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 Dog walk nearby

Type

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

Accessibility

Accessible parking at site Level campground, no steep slopes

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Mountain biking nearby

Location

Barkbeth Campsite

Barkbeth Farm

Bassenthwaite

Keswick

Cumbria

England

CA12 4QY

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.67255°N
3.18004°W

Nearest transport

Coach
8.3 km Bus Station
12.1 km Gallowbarrow
12.2 km Fairfield Junior School
Rail
13.7 km Aspatria Rail Station
17.5 km Wigton Rail Station
20.7 km Maryport Rail Station
Ferry
8.7 km Nichol End (Derwentwater) Ferry Landing
9 km Keswick Ferry Landing
10.2 km Hawes End Derwentwater 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

With its narrow streets and independent shops, plus spectacular views of the surrounding fells, Keswick (10 minutes’ drive) is well worth a visit. Check out the Derwent Pencil Museum, where you can take a selfie next to an eight-metre long pencil, then head to Friars Crag, a scenic spot on the banks of Derwentwater. Red pandas, zebras and lynx are among the residents at Lake District Wildlife Park (10 minutes’ drive), which is also home to exotic birds like flamingoes and kookaburras. The centre runs interesting animal experiences – from birds of prey sessions, to walks with the alpacas. On a summer’s day, you might fancy a hike that leads you to water. Consider heading to Moss Force Waterfall (half an hour’s drive) or Scale Force Waterfall (35 minutes). Thought to be the highest fall in the Lake District, the latter thunders down a vertical granite wall, while Moss Force descends along a series of rock steps.
(within 10 km)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park, Zoo and Cashpoint (within 16.1 km)

Food and drink

  • Sun Inn Pub 1.3 km
  • Castle Inn Hotel Pub 2.8 km
  • The Pheasant Inn Pub 4.1 km
  • Lakes Distillery Restaurant 4.4 km
  • Mae's Tea Rooms and Gallery Restaurant 5.4 km
  • Wheatsheaf Inn Pub 6.8 km
  • The Lion Pub 7.3 km
  • The Cottage in the Wood Restaurant 7.6 km
  • Middle Ruddings Restaurant 7.6 km
  • Pheasant Inn Pub 7.6 km

Groceries

  • Lakes & Dales Co-operative Supermarket 8.2 km
  • Booths Supermarket 8.2 km
  • Wild Sheep Distillery Off-licence 8.3 km
  • Brewery Hub Off-licence 8.4 km
  • Lakes Lemoncello Off-licence 8.4 km

Parks and play

  • Lower Fitz Park 8.2 km
  • Upper Fitz Park 8.4 km
  • Hope Park 8.8 km

Family days out

  • Mirehouse Visitor attraction 3.2 km
  • Lake District Wildlife Park Zoo 3.9 km
  • Whinlatter Visitor Centre Visitor attraction 7.7 km
  • Go Ape Whinlatter Visitor attraction 7.7 km
  • Isel Hall Castle 8.4 km
  • Alpacaly Ever After Visitor attraction 9.3 km
  • Castlehead Visitor attraction 9.3 km
  • Derwent Island and House Visitor attraction 9.3 km
  • Castlerigg Stone Circle Visitor attraction 9.4 km
  • Goosewell Farm Activities Centre Visitor attraction 9.4 km
  • Ruskin Monument Visitor attraction 9.5 km
  • Cockermouth Castle 11.8 km

Public transport

  • High Side (S bound) 1 km
  • Bassenthwaite Village 1.2 km
  • Trafford Caravan Park (E bound) 1.6 km
  • Trafford Caravan Park (W bound) 1.6 km
  • Ravenstone Hotel (S bound) 1.7 km
  • Ravenstone Hotel (N bound) 1.7 km
  • Long Side Plantation (S bound) 2.3 km
  • Castle Inn at The Smithy (W bound) 2.7 km
  • Castle Inn at The Smithy 2.7 km
  • Castle Inn A591 S bound 2.8 km

Other nearby

  • Cockermouth Golf Club Golf course 7.9 km
  • Derwentwater Marina 8.4 km
  • The Loft Nightclub 8.5 km
  • Hope Park Pitch & Putt Golf course 8.6 km
  • Nichol End Marine Marina 8.7 km

Local services

  • Euronet Cashpoint 8.4 km
  • The Cumberland Cashpoint 8.5 km
  • NatWest Cashpoint 11.9 km
  • Pod Point Charging station 7.6 km
  • Mary Hewetson Cottage Hospital 7.8 km
  • High Hill Garage Fuel station 7.8 km
  • Boots Pharmacy 8.4 km
  • Derwent Service Station Fuel station 8.4 km
  • GeniePoint Charging station 8.5 km
  • evolt Charging station 8.5 km
  • Cohens Chemist Pharmacy 8.5 km
  • Castlehead Medical Centre Doctors 8.8 km

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens 3.3 km

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 7.5 km

Castlerigg Stone Circle 9.4 km

Ullswater Steamers 20.9 km

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 23.8 km

National Trust

Wordsworth House and Garden 12.2 km

Buttermere and Ennerdale 27.5 km

Grasmere and Great Langdale 28 km

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 29.7 km

Townend 33.8 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Ullock Pike - Longside Edge - Skiddaw 2 km

Dodd Wood under Ullock Pike 3.3 km

Bassenthwaite Osprey Walk 3.4 km

Latrigg, Blease and Lonscale 7.4 km

Newlands Valley 7.9 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Barkbeth Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Barkbeth Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Barkbeth Campsite? With its narrow streets and independent shops, plus spectacular views of the surrounding fells, Keswick (10 minutes’ drive) is well worth a visit. Check out the Derwent Pencil Museum, where you can … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Barkbeth Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  11 a.m. –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  noon –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more