Sykeside Camping Park

View prices & book 9.4 325 reviews
Dove crag views
Dove crag views
Mountain views
Grass pitches
Outdoor feel
Pitches with views
Overlooking the mountains
Raised area of the campsite
Breathtaking surroundings
1/386
Mountain views
Grass pitches
Outdoor feel

  • 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…?

Campground type

Tent sites 100
Camper sites 5
RV sites 19
Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 3
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Group bookings of 2 or more units (e.g. tent, caravan, RV or accommodation hire) traveling together are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No bachelor/bachelorette parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • The grocery shop is open between 01/01 and 12/31.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
  • 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

9.4

Overall rating from 325 Pitchup.com customers

  • 76%
    10
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  • 15%
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Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Spectacular sceneryLake and/or mountainPeacefulHikers’ paradise

97% would recommend this campground to a friend

94% would stay here again

What customers say

This scenic campsite near the Lake District boasts friendly staff, a well-stocked shop, and great pub food. Showers and toilets are clean. Ideal for outdoor activities. Some noted rocky ground and occasional noise, but most visitors loved it and plan to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 33
Arrival date (latest first)

Great location, clean facilities…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
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Customer service
 10
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Wifi
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Dan J.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Great location, clean facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great for everyone, clean facilities, helpful staff and very relaxed

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked For my first ever camping experience I really enjoyed this. It wasn't too dense and it wasn't empty either. People were respecting the rules well!

Beautiful scenery, the staff were lovely and the receptionist gave me all the information I needed.

The shop isn't too expensive and was a life saver when we couldn't get the kilnwood to light, it's just a fair price.

Plenty of wildlife! Really nice outdoor experience. There's a nice trail just off from cow bridge which this site connects to. If you're interested in hiking will take you up the nearby hills.

Valleys looked stunning in the morning and night, just a beautiful place honestly.

Superb place to go to for your first camping experience. Just make sure to get a 3-4 season sleeping bag after late autumn..! Don't be waking others up like I did at 6am shivering so much aha.

Can confirm internet is great there with Three/Vodafone, 4G+ 4 bars had very little problem on site.

Disliked Unfortunately like the others say, a good chunk of the pitch does puddle in bad weather but that's nature for you.

The shop didn't have any sprayable cooking oil! Which actually turned out quite bad as we had to buy a large bottle of sunflower, which is kind of dangerous for the grass as we spilt it often and didn't realise where this spillage was only to find out after the grass began to char up under our firepit..!

A suggestion I'd give for some quality of life is to put reflectors onto the sides of the gravel path to allow us to see the outline of the path at night as some of us may have forgotten torches..! I didn't, but the battery died halfway during the bathroom run at 1am.

We were suggested to tent up near the wall, though the ground was really rocky and was hard to get our pegs in solid.

Another thing was that the hot water in the shower and sink was just extremely too hot for my comfort but that's just me being me aha.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great place lovely staff

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
Dan J.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Great location lovely views

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great camping site, beautiful views, easy travel & dog friendly

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Absolutely beautiful views, friendly and accommodating staff, very dog-friendly and good location for walks nearby. The pub onsite was pretty good too.

We changed to the bunkhouse due to poor weather and that was easy to organise too.

Disliked A fair amount of the field was unusable due to flooding/rain which was unfortunate!

Recommend to friends Visit again

I really like the site and the facilities despite the bad weather.

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
 10
Wifi
 10
Nigel C.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Very scenic location. Well stocked shop where meals can be booked at the pub.
Brilliant pub. Excellent meals.
Good showers and toilets.
A couple of good walks from the site and of course many more in the area.

Disliked The ground had lots of stones so difficult to get tent pegs in.
Lots of hammering sounds from nearby tents.
Was very windy when I was there and tent blew down a couple of times until I reinforced it during very heavy rain in the middle of the night.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great experience with lovely walks near by

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
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Ian F.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked The beautiful location and staff were really helpful and flexible when we changed last minute from a tent to a pod because of the heavy rain

Disliked The heavy rain

Recommend to friends Visit again

We had a fantastic stay at…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 No rating
Larochelle d.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked We had a fantastic stay at this campsite! The on-site shop is well stocked with everything you could possibly need, and the staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Facilities are spotless and very convenient, making the stay even more comfortable. Best of all, the site offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and is ideally located for exploring some of the Lake District’s most beautiful spots. Couldn’t recommend it more!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Definitely recommend and would like to return to that site.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful area. Pleasant helpful staff. It’s a pitch up where ever sort of deal which is good especially if your with friends. It Was my first solo camp as was travelling up to Keswick for the sands charity walk in honour of my son. This site was a peaceful escape that I very much needed. Felt very safe there too as a lone women.

Disliked Only thing tricky is parking and road being blocked as a result of parking. In Rainy weather you certainly can’t drive over the grass obviously. So makes it so you’re a bit stuck if you are blocked. Sections I couldn’t reach to pitch due to that as I didn’t want to be far from my car since I was travelling alone.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely fantastic campsite, lovely staff and…

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
Kane M.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Absolutely fantastic campsite, lovely staff and amazing views.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very helpful staff, well stocked shop and great facilities.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Amazing location with great views. Very helpful hosts

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

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 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 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 Lake and/or mountain Remote location Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities 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

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 Horseback 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 +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

54.49861°N
2.92474°W

Nearest transport

Bus
4.8 mi Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
4.8 mi Daffodil Hotel for Dove Cottage
5 mi Kelsick Road opposite Library
Rail
8.3 mi Windermere Rail Station
9.5 mi Staveley Rail Station
11.8 mi Burneside (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
3.2 mi Glenridding Ullswater Ferry Landing
5.6 mi Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
5.7 mi 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.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Seascale 23.8 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Silecroft 25.8 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Haverigg 25.9 mi Sea PoorN/AN/AN/A
St Bees 27.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Allonby 27.6 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Ullswater Steamers 3.2 mi

Rydal Mount and Gardens 4.2 mi

Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum 4.8 mi

Brockhole - Lake District Visitor Centre 6.7 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 9.1 mi

National Trust

Grasmere and Great Langdale 5.7 mi

Townend 6.1 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 7.6 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 9.1 mi

Coniston and Tarn Hows 10 mi

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 2.4 mi

Helvellyn - Nethermost Pike - High Crag - Dollywaggon Pike 2.7 mi

Glenridding - Helvellyn - Grisedale Brow - Glenridding 3.3 mi

Caudale Moor and Troutbeck Tongue 3.3 mi

Glenridding and Greenside Mine 3.3 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.

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?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    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 $30.57 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.