Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite

View prices & book 9.4 45 reviews
View of the campsite with Skiddaw in the background.
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
View of the campsite with skiddaw in the background
Grass pitches
Grass pitches
Happy campers!
1/68
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
Open now
Opens July 25
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.
  • Guests are advised to bring a good quality flashlight with them as parts of the park are unlit.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Jul 25 to

Reviews

9.4

Overall rating from 45 Pitchup.com customers

  • 75%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 20%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 2%
    6
  • 0%
    5
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    4
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    3
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    2
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 4
Lake and/or mountainPeaceful

93% would recommend this campground to a friend

87% would stay here again

What customers say

This is a back-to-basics campsite with beautiful views of a lake and surrounding scenery. Reviewers consistently praise the friendly and helpful owners, the ample space available, and the cleanliness of the portaloos. While some mention the lack of showers and drinking water, many find this acceptable for a short stay. The site is described as peaceful and quiet, with opportunities for walks and campfires. A few guests felt it was expensive for the basic facilities offered, and some noted the inability to access the lake.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 5
Arrival date (latest first)

Very nice campsite, lovely views. Would stay again.

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Clean porta loos, and plenty of space to choose a pitch, lovely views.
There was quite a lot of people there when we arrived but it wasn’t too noisy.

Recommend to friends Visit again

The beautiful scenery, easy to locate, nice and quiet…

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
 10
Romanas P.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked The beautiful scenery, easy to locate, nice and quiet

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful setting with a view of the lake , very friendly owners,…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Beautiful setting with a view of the lake , very friendly owners, clean portaloos .

Disliked All good 👍

Recommend to friends Visit again

Not qoth the money

Overall

4 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 3
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Miss S.

Primitive grass campervan campsite

Liked Near a lake
Gorgeous views

Disliked Couldn't use the lake
Massive sloping ground
Too expensive for what it is

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lots of space and easy to find…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Lots of space and easy to find

Recommend to friends Visit again

Pretty views and friendly staff

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
Mike W.

Primitive grass campervan campsite

Liked Such a pretty site, loads of room to park up anywhere, loads of toilets scattered around. Very peaceful. Will defo come back again. Owners also very friendly and checking up to make sure everyone was okay

Disliked Cannot fault the campsite

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean facilities, friendly staff, level pitches, easy to find!

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Owner was very friendly! Cleanliness of portaloos was good!

Board on the farm explained when staff come with logs. Logs are cash only!

Disliked Nothing, very basic campsite couldn’t fault!

Recommend to friends Visit again

A lot of space, clean everywhere, clean toilets.…

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked A lot of space, clean everywhere, clean toilets.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great site for back to basics camping! Recommend

Overall

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

Primitive grass campervan campsite

Liked Great site, clean and tidy back to basics site that we love. Toilets very clean and stocked. Can have a lovely firepit in the evening. Camp owners very nice and friendly. Would definitely be back!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Loved the lack of signal, clean portaloos and ability to walk a…

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
 2
Erin Sue G.

Primitive grass tent campsite

Liked Loved the lack of signal, clean portaloos and ability to walk a few wainwrights without having to drive from the campsite. Good to get a flat bit of land at bottom of hill. Super friendly staff who come round to sell firewood and lend fire pits.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Portable toilet

Pop-up campground

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 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

Local events

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

    Penrith, England 18.9 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 Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite dog friendly? No 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
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Orthwaite Pop-up Campsite? From $33.58 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.