Wildscapes Retreat and Campsite

View prices & book 9.4 50 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.

Site type

Tent sites 15
Motorhome sites 6
Rent a tent 4
Open now
Opens 4 April
Please note
  • 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).
  • Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
  • 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

No availability here for your search criteria

Pitch types & availability

Reviews

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

96% would recommend this site to a friend

96% would stay here again

What customers say

Tranquil, natural setting with stunning views. Friendly owners, fire pits, and a wild camping vibe. Basic but clean facilities. Great value for a back-to-nature escape, near a pub. Some noted longer grass and dim toilet lights.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 5
Arrival date (latest first)

Everything…

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
Michael B.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Everything

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic off grid site! Great host… One not to miss!

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
Angel D.

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Weather - Awesome. Pitch - Amazing. Composting toilets were perfect and fit with the Eco friendly vibe. Bins to separate your waste, if you can’t take it home. Drinking water tap and washing up area proper cute! Suzie greeted us on arrival and gave us options where to camp. Along with a fire pit and logs. Then just let us get in with it which is what we prefer! Knew how to get hold of her if needs be!

Disliked The only disappointment was only having one night free!! We will definitely be back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Picturesque and peaceful basic site.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Very quiet location, up a long single track road. Beautiful setting, so peaceful..
Suzie was great at communicating before our arrival and very friendly and helpful without being overbearing. She directed us to a small field at one end of the site which we ended up having all to ourselves.
Loved being able to have a campfire 🔥
Will definitely come again 100%

Disliked It's a basic site, but the composting toilets were the cleanest we've ever seen, in nice sheds with a sink. Much better than a chemical portaloo. There was plenty of places for drinking water and the site was kept very clean by everyone
It's a shame we could only stay one night but if we had more time we'd have to go somewhere with hot showers.
Definitely a, warm weather place, as it's out of the way.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice, quiet, not frills site. Great…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
5
Customer service
8
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass motorhome site

Liked Nice, quiet, not frills site. Great for a one night stop over whilst touring the area.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Basic but very lovely site.

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
9
Wifi
No rating
Helen D.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Wonderful owner, Suzie, who made us feel very welcome.
She couldn’t do enough for us.
We camped next to the Beck, so it was lovely for the dogs to paddle in.
Facilities were clean and did their job.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Closeness to Ravenstonedale pubs and walks Quiet…

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…

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

Love the wildness and peace this…

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
Dominic H.

Unpowered concrete and grass tent or trailer tent site

Liked Love the wildness and peace this campsite offers! The views are mega and Suzie is a lovely woman. Very close to Ravenstonedale, which has 2 brilliant pubs.. The Black Swan is fantastic and serves brilliant food.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your fabulous words, Dominic. Glad you enjoyed the pubs too! See you again soon! Suzie and Sam


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.

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 $46.09 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.