Sykeside Camping Park

View prices & book 9.2 268 reviews
Dove crag views
Dove crag views
Campsite and mountains
Campsite
Overview of the campsite
Mountain views
Looking toward Sykeside from the hillside
Campsite
Entrance to the campsite
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Campsite and mountains
Campsite
Overview of the campsite

  • Remote location but with easy access to the Lake District and Cumbria
  • In a walker's paradise in the Dovedale Valley
  • Modern facilities and well-stocked shop
The placing of this Penrith park is pretty perfect. Get ready for Lake District and Cumbrian valley walks in sublime surroundings, at this friendly site in a walker's paradise at the northern foot of the Kirkstone Pass. Although it's listed as in a remote location and is set deep and quietly in the Dovedale Valley, Sykeside Camping Park is easily accessible to the best of the Lake District and Cumbria, as it's just off the A592 and is no more than half an hour's drive from Ullswater, Patterdale, Glenridding, Ambleside, Coniston and Keswick. Cruising around Windermere is about 20 minutes away. Sykeside's Dovedale Valley locale has it surrounded by Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield, and with the town of Brotherswater nearby. Short strolls around Brotherswater are among the walky local options, or you could have a longer hike from the town's high street, where many walks start. (Or take the also most pleasant option of just staying in town and seeking out your holiday local the Brotherswater Inn for a pint or two of regional ale among the splendid regional scenery.) The Sykeside team has set the site out carefully to blend in with its surroundings and make the most of its natural settings, but have added modern amenities to keep guests comfy, like the shower and toilet facilities with shaving points and power points, and the laundry room with washing machine, tumble dryer and washing-up area. Feel free to set yourself up here to ignore the rest of the outside world: the well-stocked shop sells most of what you might need including fresh food, camping equipment, maps and guides; and because of the site's position right at the bottom of the valley, telly reception is pretty unreliable and you'll not get a single bar on your mobile – did someone mention digital detox…?

Site type

Tent sites 100
Caravan sites 5
Motorhome sites 19
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 3
Open all year
Opens
Please note

Admission

  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Occupancy

  • Group bookings of 2 or more units travelling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.

General

  • The grocery shop is open between 01/01 and 31/12.
  • Due to the position of the campsite at the bottom of the valley, television reception is extremely unreliable, and there is no mobile phone reception at all. Group bookings of 6 or more adults are not permitted.

Languages spoken

English

AA 3 pennants

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

9.2

Overall rating from 268 Pitchup.com customers

  • 66%
    10
  • 9%
    9
  • 15%
    8
  • 2%
    7
  • 0%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 8
Spectacular sceneryLake and/or mountainWalkers' paradise

96% would recommend this site to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

Stunning valley, epic mountain views, walking trails from your tent. Clean facilities, helpful staff. Ground can be rocky, occasional noise. Highly recommended for scenery and facilities!

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews. Last updated 27/10/2026

Filter by topic

Reviews page 1 of 27
Arrival date (latest first)

This campsite is on my list for my favorite sites. Worth every penny.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Great facilities, friendly staff but worth then 10,simply due to the brief chat we had beforehand, telling us where the best place would be to pitch. Vital info.

Many times I've been to sites, pitched up and ended up getting blasted with wind or soaked; owners will know there sites better than anyone so again, very appreciated information.

Disliked Nothing. Maybe some indicators to show pitch sizes (I didnt see any). It seemed everyone pitched wherever they felt like (Too close to eachother).

But, that's more on the people pitching but, indicators would help; little flag? (If there are some, sorry!)

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great views, facilities need updating.

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 5
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 2
Wifi
 2
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Incredible views of Red Screes, Fairfield peak and Helvellyn. No limit to pitch size. Staff are friendly and the shop is handy. Dogs allowed and a private dog field for them to toilet in is handy. Good amount of bins spread across the site which makes cleaning up after yourself easy. Campfires allowed and the shop sells wood.

Disliked Toilet and shower facilities are dated, stained, insect infested. Water is scolding hot or freezing cold. The campsite is on the farmer's land, he starts work around 7.30am and rides the quad bike through the campsite which is noisy.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Bob P. 16 reviews

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Location is outstanding.
Facilities were clean.
Pub was a handy extra!

Disliked Water pressure is very good, too good!

Recommend to friends Visit again

I love it and will visit again

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
 Vikas T. 3 reviews

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Most beautifull location on the top of my list

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely scenic campsite

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 6
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Absolutely fantastic views and great facilities. The well-stocked on-site shop was very useful, and the staff were helpful and friendly.

There are a good amount of toilets and showers. I never had to wait to use anything, which was nice.

There are a variety of areas to choose from to set up your tent on the campsite. We chose a levelled pitch on a hillside towards the edge of the camp, which was nice and quiet.

The pair of sheep grazing around the campsite were charming and didn’t cause any disruption. We found it quite entertaining to watch them waddle around munching on grass.

Disliked The water pressure of the sinks in the toilet block was very intense. The hot water tap was scaldingly hot, and the cold water tap was freezing. There were several times when I was trying to wash my hands that the intense water pressure meant that water got splashed onto my clothes, which isn’t ideal when it’s definitely not warm enough outside for clothes to dry quickly.

The water temperature in the showers was a bit temperamental. I had one shower that was just about lukewarm, and another a day later that was scalding at first, though eventually calmed down to be pleasantly hot.

The location is great if you’re setting off to hike any of the nearby fells, though be advised that the road from Ambleside/Windermere to the campsite is quite the meandering climb. Our little car struggled at times.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely gorgeous location and lovely staff.…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Absolutely gorgeous location and lovely staff. The site has everything you need and a lovely little pub for the evenings. 15 min drive / 6.5 mile walk to Ambleside, and plenty of trails you can walk to from the campsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location, very quiet and…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Great location, very quiet and peaceful everything you need is on site. Very friendly staff,

Recommend to friends Visit again

Pick your area to pitch and have a fantastic time. Will be back.

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Pick anywhere you like to pitch. I chose to be in the tiered area as the more sheltered options were obviously taken. Great pub and shop on site.

Disliked Main area was mowed but tiered section wasn't. So longer grass leading to more water being transferred into tent.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely great staff. Very welcoming and…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Absolutely great staff. Very welcoming and friendly. Camping ground was amazing! Had to switch to a bunk house due to winds but even then the bunk house was amazing. Camping ground even had some great hiking starting points either from the camp grounds or just up the road.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Spacious and amazing scenery…

Overall

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

Unpowered grass tent site

Liked Spacious and amazing scenery

Disliked Litter when we arrived, facilities could do with a good clean

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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 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 Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Step-free access Uneven terrain; gravel or loose mud

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Sykeside Camping Park

Hartsop

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0NZ

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

54.49861°N
2.92474°W

Nearest transport

Coach
7.8 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
7.8 km Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
8 km Kelsick Road opposite Library
Rail
13.3 km Windermere Rail Station
15.3 km Staveley Rail Station
19 km Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
5.2 km Glenridding Ullswater Ferry Landing
9 km Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
9.1 km Ambleside Waterhead 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

Sykeside Camping Park's central location in the Lakes means it has loads of activities within easy reach by foot or car and on land or water. For watery days within 20 minutes of the site, join one of the most popular pastimes in the Lake District with a cruise on Windermere, or get serious about the water and hire a boat or learn to sail with Glenridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater. Boat trips are also available from Coniston Water and Keswick. By land and also within 20 minutes are the crashing hike around Aira Force waterfall, and the medieval manor and greenery of Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens as well as the heritage and cinema of the The Rheged Centre at Penrith. Within half an hour, spy ospreys at Bassenthwaite near Keswick, have a ride on the 3.2 miles of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, and wander around the The Rheged Centreancientness of the Castlerigg stone circle, the most visited in Cumbria.
(within 10 km)
Castle, Aquarium, Theme park, Zoo and Cashpoint (within 16.1 km)

Food and drink

  • Barn End Bar Pub 0.06 km
  • Brotherswater Inn Pub 0.1 km
  • White Lion Inn Pub 4 km
  • Patterdale Hotel Pub 4.1 km
  • Travellers Rest Pub 5.4 km
  • Badger Bar & Restaurant Pub 6.9 km
  • The Yan at Broadrayne Restaurant 7.1 km
  • The Travellers Rest Inn Pub 7.2 km
  • The Garden Room Restaurant 7.6 km
  • Golden Rule Pub 7.7 km

Groceries

  • Beer Ambleside 8 km

Parks and play

  • King George V Playing Field park 4.3 km
  • Formal Garden park 6.6 km
  • University of Cumbria Park 7.4 km
  • Rothay Park 8 km
  • Aira Force park 8.6 km
  • Borrans Park 9 km
  • Troutbeck Play Area Playground 9.1 km

Family days out

  • Kirk Stone Visitor attraction 3.2 km
  • Ice house Visitor attraction 6.5 km
  • The Grot Visitor attraction 6.6 km
  • Dora's Field Visitor attraction 6.8 km
  • Stock Ghyll Force Waterfall Visitor attraction 7.5 km
  • Bridge House Visitor attraction 7.7 km
  • Rydal Cave Visitor attraction 7.7 km
  • Wordsworth Daffodil Garden Visitor attraction 7.8 km
  • William Wordsworth's Grave Visitor attraction 7.8 km
  • Aira Force Visitor attraction 8.6 km
  • Stag Shaw Gardens Visitor attraction 9.2 km
  • Measand Visitor attraction 9.3 km
  • Townend Visitor attraction 9.6 km
  • Wray Castle 11.2 km
  • Dacre Castle 15.7 km

Public transport

  • Brotherswater Inn (N bound) 0.1 km
  • Brotherswater Inn (S bound) 0.1 km
  • Hartsop Hall Campsite 0.3 km
  • Hartsop Hall camp site 0.3 km
  • Windy Corner 0.6 km
  • Road End 1.4 km
  • Cow Bridge car park 1.5 km
  • Cow Bridge 1.5 km
  • Bridge End Phone Box 2.5 km
  • Bridgend 2.5 km

Other nearby

  • Market Cross Shopping centre 7.8 km
  • Waterhead Marine Marina 9.3 km

Local services

  • Tesco Bank Cashpoint 7.9 km
  • NatWest Cashpoint 7.9 km
  • Cashzone Cashpoint 13.3 km
  • Glenridding Health Centre Doctors 5.4 km
  • Ambleside Health Centre Doctors 7.6 km
  • Grasmere Pharmacy 7.7 km
  • Boots Pharmacy 7.8 km
  • Thomas Bell Chemist Pharmacy 7.9 km
  • Hill's Fuel station 8.2 km

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Must see

Ullswater Steamers 5.2 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 6.8 km

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 7.8 km

Brockhole - Lake District Visitor Centre 10.8 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 14.6 km

National Trust

Grasmere and Great Langdale 9.2 km

Townend 9.9 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 12.2 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 14.6 km

Coniston and Tarn Hows 16 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Kirkstone Pass - Caudale Moor - Stony Cove Pike 3.8 km

Helvellyn - Nethermost Pike - High Crag - Dollywaggon Pike 4.3 km

Glenridding - Helvellyn - Grisedale Brow - Glenridding 5.3 km

Caudale Moor and Troutbeck Tongue 5.3 km

Glenridding and Greenside Mine 5.3 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 Sykeside Camping Park have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Sykeside Camping Park dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Sykeside Camping Park? Sykeside Camping Park's central location in the Lakes means it has loads of activities within easy reach by foot or car and on land or water. For watery days within 20 minutes … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Sykeside Camping Park?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Sykeside Camping Park? From $56.54 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.