Gill Head Farm

View prices & book 9.5 1,194 reviews
Camp life
Exterior
Tent pitches
Tent piches

  • Working hill farm in the north of the Lake District National Park
  • A 15-minute drive from Keswick and Penrith; 10 minutes from Ullswater
  • Stunning views of Blencathra and the Northern Fells
Check out those views… family-run Gill Head Farm is a scenic place indeed, with a backdrop of Blencathra and the Northern Fells. And it’s a cinch to get to as well – this site on the banks of Trout Beck is less than a mile from the A66, so you can get your fix of proper rural time without having to navigate miles of winding lanes. It’s often said that visitors to the Lake District National Park are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities – and that’s certainly true at this Cumbria site. Days of hikes, horse riding, watersports, climbing, visiting historic houses and wild swimming are among the many options around here. If you don’t know where to start, have a chat with the owners – as outdoorsy folk themselves they’re happy to help plan your adventures and offer up local tips. Whatever you get up to by day, it also must be noted that those views make a great setting for an evening by the campfire – handily, there are firepits to hire on site, and bags of logs and kindling for sale. What if it’s not campfire weather? Retreat to the indoor communal area which has comfy seating, a dining area and a little kitchen area (with microwaves, kettles, a fridge and a freezer) – or take the 15-minute walk to the local pub. To stock up on food for your barbecues/picnics there are plenty of shops in Penrith and Keswick, both 15 minutes’ drive away (or get to Keswick on the bus). Back at base, facilities include a laundry room and a shower/toilet block that was done up in 2019 to offer spacious and clean amenities. Please note that group bookings are strictly not allowed at Gill Head Farm. Due to the rural location, the wifi also does not cover the whole site and is limited to a hotspot in the communal room.

Campground type

Camper sites 8
RV sites 8
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 11
Tent sites 10
Open now
Opens March 21
Please note
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, RV or accommodation hire) traveling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Group bookings of 3 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted).
  • Single-sex bookings of 4 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The park caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.
  • This is a quiet park: no music is allowed.
  • If making a fire, the fuel, logs and coal have to be purchased on site.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Wifi is available only in communal room and does not reach individual pitches.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Mar 21 to

Campsite types & availability

Other options

Reviews

  • 78%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 13%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 3%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 0%
    2
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    1
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
9
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
7

96% would recommend this campground to a friend

94% would stay here again

What customers say

Gill Head Farm: praised for stunning Lake District setting, spectacular views, and easy attraction access. Spotless facilities, friendly staff, family-friendly vibe, spacious sites, and good amenities. Highly recommended for a peaceful stay.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 120
Arrival date (latest first)

The campsite was beautiful, all facilities very well maintained and clean. Great…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
9
Accommodation
10
Facilities / Activities
10
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
9
Simona B.

Camping pod (no pets)

Liked The campsite was beautiful, all facilities very well maintained and clean. Great playground for kids. We stayed at one of the pods, it was spacious enough to accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids. Plenty of storage under the beds. The best part was underfloor heating, kept us really warm over the night. We will definitely come back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely campsite with fabulous views, clean facilities and great extras

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
10
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
6
Francesca J.

Power optional grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely campsite with fabulous views. Really nice touch with the communal area where there are facilities such as fridge, freezer, kettle and washing machine.

Really good play area for children too.

Toilets and showers clean.

Disliked Not being able to park right next to the tent meant you were looking at quite a lot of cars in the central section.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We have been coming here for the last 4 years and it's just fantastic!

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
10
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
7
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
5
Kerry D.

Camping pod

Liked Lovely views, clean and friendly staff

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic site in a great location for exploring the Northern Lake District.…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Fantastic site in a great location for exploring the Northern Lake District.

Staff were friendly and the facilities were clean and well maintained. The addition of a communal common room was a welcome change from the tent in an evening.

Just be careful if following a Sat-Nav from Keswick as mine took me down a small road rather than waiting to turn towards Troutbeck off the main road.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely location, clean and tidy site, very peaceful with amazing views

Overall

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

Camping pod (no pets)

Liked Clean and tidy site, easy to access, close to a number of amazing hikes, Rookins activity centre and a lovely farm shop (Basecamp)

Disliked nothing!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Central location to popular site seeing areas of the Lake District. Friendly…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
9
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
9
Wifi
5
Paul M.

Powered grass and gravel travel trailer campsite

Liked Central location to popular site seeing areas of the Lake District.

Friendly staff.

Great views.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Nice overnight stay

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
9
Value for money
8
Accommodation
8
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
7
Child friendliness
8
Cleanliness
8
Wifi
2
Anonymous

Camping pod (no pets)

Liked Beautiful location, reasonably priced accommodation. Our youngest daughter really enjoyed the little play area and seeing the chickens roaming around. No late night noise which was great for us. Hired the fire pit which was great and also had breakfast the next morning at the farm shop cafe nearby which was tasty.

Disliked No real instructions on where to go when you arrive but did find it ok. Didn't realise there was under floor heating as we arrived a bit later and didn't notice the thermostat on the wall, saw it in the morning and it had been on full all night making the pod very hot.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fantastic views, very clean and tidy. Staff were friendly, kind and helpful.…

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
5
James W.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Fantastic views, very clean and tidy. Staff were friendly, kind and helpful. Great value for money. Perfect location - would stay again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great camping site

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Love this site. We have been here many times and love the relaxed, friendly vibe. The family that run the site and farm are always so nice and helpful. Beautiful views and easy access to lovely walks and the surrounding areas. Site is respectful of quiet times in the main.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A good location for exploring the Lake District. The campsite is very…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
8
Value for money
8
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
No rating
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
4
Anonymous

Camping pod (no pets)

Liked A good location for exploring the Lake District. The campsite is very clean, the toilets and showers work perfectly. The owners are very friendly.

Recommend to friends Visit again


Features

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Scouts welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Communal fridge Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transportation nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Seasonal sites

Location

Gill Head Farm

Troutbeck

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0ST

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.6334°N
2.96195°W

Nearest transport

Bus
7.6 mi Bus Station
8.4 mi Rail Station
12.6 mi Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
Rail
8.4 mi Penrith North Lakes Rail Station
12.7 mi Langwathby Rail Station
13.1 mi Lazonby & Kirkoswald Rail Station
Ferry
5.6 mi Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
5.8 mi Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
6.2 mi Glenridding Ullswater 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

Ullswater is the nearest of the lakes at 10 minutes’ drive away, so that’s as good a place to start as any – stop by at Aira Force waterfall on your way down there, then get down to the lake itself for waterside walks, steamer cruises and various watersports – or even a wild swim if you’re feeling brave. Over on the banks of Derwentwater, Keswick (15 minutes’ drive) is another good place to explore, with a brewery, The Puzzling Place and the Derwent Pencil Museum as well as boat trips and paddleboards to hire. Walkers of all varieties have much to choose from around here, from gentle lakeside wanders to uphill scrambles at Blencathra and Helvellyn, both of which are close by. The folk on the farm are happy to suggest routes to suit – or point you towards the likes of Dalemain Mansion (15 minutes), Mirehouse & Gardens (20 minutes) or Lowther Castle (25 minutes) for stately-home strolls.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 21 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Seascale 26.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
St Bees 27.7 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 5.8 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 5.9 mi

Ullswater Steamers 6.2 mi

The Rheged Centre 7.2 mi

Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens 9.1 mi

National Trust

Grasmere and Great Langdale 13.7 mi

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 14.5 mi

Townend 15.5 mi

Wordsworth House and Garden 16.4 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 17 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

Blencathra Classic - Sharp Edge and Narrow Edge 2.3 mi

Mungrisdale - Bannerdale Crags 2.3 mi

Threlkeld - Blencathra - Sharp Edge - Scales - Threlkeld 3.9 mi

Threlkeld, Westcoe and Keswick Railway 3.9 mi

Aira Force - Dockray - Dowthwaitehead - Aira Force 4.5 mi

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 campgrounds

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable campgrounds.

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

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Gill Head Farm have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Gill Head Farm dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Gill Head Farm? Ullswater is the nearest of the lakes at 10 minutes’ drive away, so that’s as good a place to start as any – stop by at Aira Force waterfall on your way … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Gill Head Farm?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11:30 a.m.
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  10:30 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Gill Head Farm? From $37.81 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.