Wasdale Lakeside Campsite

View prices & book 9.4 146 reviews
Aerial view of the camping field
Aerial view of the camping field
Wasdale valley
Campsite entrance
Wasdale valley
Looking up wasdale to yewbarrow
View above the campsite
Aerial view of the camping field and wastwater
Lambing time
1/213
Wasdale valley
Campsite entrance
Wasdale valley

  • Basic and remote campsite five minutes’ walk from Wastwater in Cumbria
  • Wastwater Alpaca Trekking 25 minutes’ drive; Ravenglass 20 minutes
  • Pop-up pitches on a Lakeland fell farm; access to Scafell Pike
If you’re after a spectacular wild camping spot to lay down your head, you’ll certainly find it at Wasdale Lakeside Campsite. Set on a working Lakeland farm, this Cumbria pop-up site is big on views, looking up Wasdale to Yewbarrow, and right down to the shores of Wastwater. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to join your Lakeland jaunt, but must be kept on a lead at all times as there are always sheep about. You’ll all get lots of exercise, as there are numerous walks into the scenic Wasdale Valley from the camping field. Talking of the camping field, pitch numbers are limited so your wild camping experience can stay a private, peaceful one. Simple amenities run to portable toilets, on-site water in a container, cold running water a short walk from the pitches, recycling and washing lines for drying clothes and wetsuits. Small barbecues are allowed, but please place them on the slates provided. Pick up any vital supplies in Eskdale Stores (15 minutes’ drive), or order takeaways from the Lion and Lamb pub in Gosforth (they’ll deliver to your tent). If you fancy a change of scenery, hotfoot it down to the pubs in Nether Wasdale (10 minutes or half an hour’s walk). Please note there are no showers and no electrical hook-up points at this campsite. As this is a remote area, there is limited phone signal and data coverage; some networks have better coverage than others.

Site type

Tent sites 47
Motorhome sites 3
Open now
Opens 17 July
Please note
  • This campground/park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • 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).
  • Discount cards and gift vouchers cannot be applied to bookings made via Pitchup.com.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality torch with them as parts of the campground/park are unlit.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Thu, 17 Jul to

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating from 146 Pitchup.com customers

  • 80%
    10
  • 1%
    9
  • 13%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 1%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 4
Lake and/or mountainPeacefulSpectacular scenery

96% would recommend this site to a friend

95% would stay here again

What customers say

Stunning Wastwater location, great for walkers & water sports. Friendly owners. Portaloos are basic, access via farm track. Peaceful, brilliant stargazing.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 15
Arrival date (latest first)

Nice quiet and almost wild camping!! We will come back again…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 7
Santiago D.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Nice quiet and almost wild camping!! We will come back again

Disliked The toilet is not nice

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic location for water access.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked The site location is perfect for access to Wastwater. Loved swimming in the lake in the late evening and early mornings. The views are stunning and the sunset well worth watching. Chemical toilet cubicles welcomed addition. 20 min walk to a great cafe for breakfast or lunches. Great for those that like simple close to wild camping. Enjoyed getting the kayak on the lake. Very friendly host.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic location with stunning views. Far off the beaten track with lots…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Fantastic location with stunning views. Far off the beaten track with lots of peace and quiet. The nearby Wast Water lake is incredibly beautiful. Also great base to explore Lake District mountains. Very basic but what a place! Will definitely come back.

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything was so nice Very quiet and peaceful area…

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Everything was so nice
Very quiet and peaceful area

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning scenery

Overall

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

Unpowered grass campervan site

Liked Panoramic outstanding scenery , nice quiet site with just a short walk to the lake.

Disliked There wasn't anything we didn't like .

Recommend to friends Visit again

Exellant site with clean facilities, friendly staff

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 3
Dean C.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Great campsite, david the farmer is very helpfull, its close to the lake with stunning views all round you can also buy fire wood for firepit £5 a bag basic site theres a tap for water and lots of portaloos witch are nice n clean would recommend 👍

Recommend to friends Visit again

Don’t let the portaloos put you off - this site is great.

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Deborah T.

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Location can not be beaten; beautiful views and access to a lovely quiet corner of Wastwater. Lots of walks from the campsite.
David, the farmer, is a lovely young man who is working hard to build his business. He popped into the field several times, checking all was OK and fetching wood and fire pits. There was a little issue with the water so he immediately returned to the house to fill up our container.
The field has a slope but there are plenty of flat spaces.
Well signposted from the road and the track was fine - fewer pot holes than some roads. It is a gravel farm track so you need to take it at a suitably steady speed.

Disliked Portaloos! We were expecting them and David is clearly trying to make them the best he can by including an air freshener in each one and he was on site at about 8am cleaning them. I hope that he is able to build the camping business enough to be able to convert a farm building or build an amenities building. Maybe, next year, as the camping business grows, he will invest in slightly better portaloos.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Staff were helpful and friendly. Fab location

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Location was stunning and the access to the lake is charming. Over a stone bridge, through the woodland and then Wastwater opens up the expansive view. Breathtaking.

Disliked Plastic potaloos lined up in rows. Felt like a festival and some campers decided to have one at 2am! The owner was great and moved them on first thing in the morning.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A quiet and remote campsite. Great views with excellent surrounding walks .Friendly…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 9
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked A quiet and remote campsite. Great views with excellent surrounding walks .Friendly and helpful owners . Local pubs/ facilities near bye.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, friendly host. Stunning location.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass campervan site

Liked Great location. Stunning views. Loved the lake access. Host was friendly and helpful.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Pop-up campground

Dogs 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 Wild swimming

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

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 No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

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

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Wasdale Lakeside Campsite

Easthwaite Farm

Nether Wasdale

Cumbria

England

CA20 1ET

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.42191°N
3.32446°W

Route directions

On arrival, please follow the sign to the campsite. Do not cross the farmyard, but drive through the double gates on your left. Drive carefully as there are sheep in the fields. What3words: goats.spotted.named. Please note that it is a farm track, not a tarmac road, so please drive carefully.

Nearest transport

Coach
20.3 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
20.3 km Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
22.3 km Tangier Street
Rail
9.2 km Ravenglass Rail Station
9.2 km Drigg Rail Station
10.8 km Seascale Rail Station
Ferry
18 km Coniston Ferry Landing
18.1 km Waterhead Hotel (Coniston) Ferry Landing
18.2 km Torver (Coniston) 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

Just five minutes’ stroll from the camping field, Wastwater is a hub for wild swimmers, scuba divers, paddleboarders and kayakers – you can hire gear from the rental shop 10 minutes’ drive away. The lake is also fertile ground for anglers, who can fish for Arctic char, trout and salmon (in season). Hardened hikers have access to ventures up Scafell Pike (three hours) from the site. If you’re thinking of less strenuous days out, play a round at Eskdale Golf Course (25 minutes), or take the weight off your feet completely with a train tour of the West Lakes fell and mountain scenery on Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, locally known as ‘La’al Ratty’ (15 minutes). Local kid-friendly options include trotting through the fells with alpacas at Wastwater Alpaca Trekking (25 minutes), or a gentle scramble up Wasdale (an hour and a half’s walk from the site) to the Fairy Pools. The sand-and-shingle beaches at Seascale (25 minutes) and Ravenglass (20 minutes) are both dog-friendly, with lots of rook pools for splashing around in.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Seascale 11.1 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Bees 19.9 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Silecroft 22.6 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Haverigg 26 km Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
Walney West Shore 33.7 km Sea N/AGoodGoodN/A

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 9.1 km

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 20.1 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 21.6 km

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 22 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 22.2 km

National Trust

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 1.7 km

Buttermere and Ennerdale 17.3 km

Gondola' 17.8 km

Coniston and Tarn Hows 18.2 km

Grasmere and Great Langdale 19.6 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Eskdale Green - Muncaster Fell - Muncaster Head - Eskdale Green 3.6 km

MUNCASTER CASTLE 8.5 km

High Gillerthwaite - Red Pike Ridge Traverse - High Gillerthwaite 10.4 km

Seathwaite - Scafell Pike - Seathwaite 12.6 km

The Gables from Honister Pass 12.7 km

Local events

  • Kendal Calling (Thursday, 31 July 2025 – Thursday, 31 July 2025)

    Penrith, England 44.2 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 Wasdale Lakeside Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Wasdale Lakeside Campsite dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Wasdale Lakeside Campsite? Just five minutes’ stroll from the camping field, Wastwater is a hub for wild swimmers, scuba divers, paddleboarders and kayakers – you can hire gear from the rental shop 10 minutes’ drive … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Wasdale Lakeside Campsite?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  noon –  9 p.m.
    Depart by:  noon
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Wasdale Lakeside Campsite? From $44.82 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.