Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite

No availability at present on Pitchup.com 9.3 79 reviews
View of the campsite with Skiddaw in the background.
View across over water
View of the campsite on a sunny day with skiddaw in the background
Views towards over water

  • Pop-up site on a working fell farm in the northern Lake District
  • Bassenthwaite Lake 10 minutes’ drive; Keswick 20 minutes
  • Views of Over Water; close to cycle routes and Wainwright hikes
A peaceful, off-grid spot for wild camping, Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite sits within sight of Over Water, a feeding place for ospreys, in the northern Lake District. Here, you get a front-row seat to views of the northern fells, including Longlands, Lowthwaite, Great Sca Fell, Knott, Great Cockup, Little Cockup, Meal Fell and Binsey. Indeed, the site’s location is so convenient that you will soon be bagging Wainwrights (as the local peaks are affectionately known) or pedalling down stunning cycle routes. More Wainwrights await at the ‘back o’ Skiddaw’ (20 minutes), as the locals call it. This area has cycling routes such as the Skiddaw Loop, the Lakeland Monster Miles Adventure Cross and the Lakes 100. Added bonus: somehow, big crowds have yet to discover it… Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but they must be kept on a lead at all times, since the site is on a working sheep farm with Herdwick and Swaledale flocks. The barn (which once featured on a ‘Top Gear’ episode) has covered picnic tables for rainy spells. Raised firepits and small, raised barbecues are welcome; logs are for sale on site. There are no showers or electricity here, but simple facilities extend to unisex portable toilets, a water source (not for drinking water) and rubbish bins. Please note that there is no public access to the lake, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest owned by the National Trust.

Campground type

RV sites 3
Tent sites 50
Opens
Please note
  • This park has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Breed-specific legislation (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.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

  • 69%
    10
  • 10%
    9
  • 12%
    8
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    7
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    6
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    1
Location
9
Value for money
9
Accommodation
9
Facilities / Activities
8
Customer service
10
Child friendliness
9
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
4

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

90% would stay here again

What customers say

Peaceful, back-to-basics site with great views. Friendly owners, fire pits/logs for rent. Clean facilities, ample space. Ideal for hiking. Access roads narrow, no showers/drinking water (advertised). Lake access limited.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 8
Arrival date (latest first)

Great campsite - keep up the good work

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
7
Value for money
10
Accommodation
No rating
Facilities / Activities
6
Customer service
9
Child friendliness
No rating
Cleanliness
10
Wifi
1
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Excellent campsite, well maintained and wasn’t over populated perfect for a quiet relaxing evening. The people who run it were great help also, could rent fire pits and buy logs. Would definitely recommend. They also kindly asked for drone footage I took an offered me a free stay one weekend which I thought was brilliant of them. Great campsite stumbled upon by accident but would definitely stay again.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Gorgeous views Owners friendly and came…

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
1
Katherine D.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Gorgeous views
Owners friendly and came round to check we was ok for everything we brought our own fire pit and wood but loved that you could get more wood and hire fire pit if needed also loved the fact can Che k in and out when suited yourself

Disliked Nothing loved that it was totally off grid no work just what we wanted

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely location and even at fully…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely location and even at fully booked there was so much space between everyone so you can chill and have your own privacy.

The owners are so nice! So friendly and helpful!

Not too far to Keswick in case you forget supplies which something which we always do!

Will defo be back next year!

Recommend to friends Visit again

All round great place

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
1
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Unreal campsite. Incredible views and stunning surrounding location. 20 mins drive from keswick. Great land owners too.

Disliked Neighbours we had were noisy until 1:30am struggled to sleep

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning views, lovely hidden gem. Plenty…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Stunning views, lovely hidden gem. Plenty of toilets. Good back to basics camping.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Amazing place, highly recommend…

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
10
Michal M.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Amazing place, highly recommend

Recommend to friends Visit again

Will be back!

Overall

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

Primitive grass campervan campsite

Liked Great site, good views, loads of room and quickly checked on by the hosts!

We were a little late so missed out on a fire pit but looked like the option was there if arriving a little earlier to snag one.

The fact you can come and go whenever is perfect

Disliked Tight roads to get to the site - not a fault of the site though, worth it when you’re there

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely place and nice people…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lovely place and nice people

Recommend to friends Visit again

clean toilets, the fire pits, plenty…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked clean toilets, the fire pits, plenty of space, easy to find, good waste disposal

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fab no frills camping

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
1
Lisa S.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Love this place. Lovely campsite, beautiful views and the owners are lovely. Nice and simple no fuss camping. Big bonus for us was no arrival and departure times so you can relax and not rush packing up. Plenty of toilets which were kept nice and clean and well stocked. Plenty of room between pitches, loads of space for the dogs to run round. 10/10

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 Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

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

Camping 2.0

Jumbo tent sites

Themes

Hikers’ paradise Lake and/or mountain Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No drinkable water point No hot water No running water Propane/gas cylinders available 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 Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Golf nearby Indoor pool nearby Leisure/theme park nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite

Orthwaite Hall

Uldale

Wigton

Cumbria

England

CA7 1HL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.704°N
3.15687°W

Route directions

What3words: ///spires.craziest.sedative

Nearest transport

Bus
7.1 mi Bus Station
8.9 mi Gallowbarrow
8.9 mi Fairfield Junior School
Rail
8 mi Aspatria Rail Station
8.7 mi Wigton Rail Station
11.9 mi Dalston (Cumbria) Rail Station
Ferry
7.5 mi Nichol End (Derwentwater) Ferry Landing
7.6 mi Keswick Ferry Landing
8.5 mi Hawes End Derwentwater 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

The area around Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve (10 minutes’ drive) includes Dodd Wood, whose forests are home to red squirrels, and Lake District Wildlife Park, with birds of prey, primates and farmyard animals. At the Lakes Distillery, you can take a tour of the facilities – complete with a whisky tasting, of course. In the lively market town of Keswick (20 minutes), the riverside Derwent Pencil Museum displays a huge pencil (almost eight metres long) and has a colourful shop stocked with quality art supplies. The town is also the gateway to island-dotted Derwentwater, with its splendid lakeside trails and assorted watery attractions. After visiting the ruins of the 14th-century castle in Penrith (40 minutes), linger a while in the surrounding park, where there’s a playground with a miniature adventure course for the kids. On the outskirts of town are a public pool and several golf courses, plus the Thacka Beck Nature Reserve, where you might spot birds and dragonflies.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 11.9 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Southerness 21.2 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodExcellent
St Bees 23.4 mi Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Seascale 25.1 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood
Sandyhills 25.6 mi Sea N/AN/APoorPoor

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens 4.4 mi

Whinlatter Forest & Visitor Centre 7 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 7.4 mi

Ullswater Steamers 14 mi

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 14.5 mi

National Trust

Wordsworth House and Garden 8.9 mi

Buttermere and Ennerdale 19.1 mi

Grasmere and Great Langdale 19.2 mi

Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon 20.8 mi

Townend 22.5 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

High Pike, Fellside 3.4 mi

Ullock Pike - Longside Edge - Skiddaw 3.6 mi

Dodd Wood under Ullock Pike 4.4 mi

Bassenthwaite Osprey Walk 4.4 mi

Latrigg, Blease and Lonscale 6.2 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 Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite? The area around Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve (10 minutes’ drive) includes Dodd Wood, whose forests are home to red squirrels, and Lake District Wildlife Park, with birds of prey, primates and … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
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