Helton Campsite

View prices & book 8 119 reviews
Visitor image of the lovely site
Visitor image of the lovely site
Visitor image of the view across the field as the sun was setting behind them around 6:30pm
Pitches with a view
Views across the site
Views
Sunny views
Views from the pitches
Grass pitches
1/68
Visitor image of the view across the field as the sun was setting behind them around 6:30pm
Pitches with a view
Views across the site

  • Scenic Lake District site with easy access from the M6
  • A 10-minute drive to Pooley Bridge, Ullswater and Lowther Castle
  • Laidback pitches with space for kids to play; dogs welcome
You don’t have to go very far into the Lake District National Park to start appreciating the gorgeous views – and the area around Helton Campsite is a case in point. This spacious Cumbria site is only a couple of miles from the M6 at the northern end of the park so it’s a handy spot for a stopover or a quick fix of country air. That said, the scenery around here is lovely enough that you could certainly settle here for several days – pitches have gorgeous open views over the surrounding countryside, and there are lots of places to get out for a walk nearby too. Pooley Bridge is about 10 minutes’ drive away for outings on and around Ullswater, and you’ll also easily be able to get to other top spots like Aira Force waterfall and Haweswater (or Skiddaw and Helvellyn if you’d rather do some climbing). Life on site is fairly simple, with just the essentials provided to keep you going: pitches have access to a toilet and fresh mountain water for drinking, and there’s a field where families can play games. Dogs are welcome to join you here for Lake District jaunts, and there’s space to give them a run around on site plus plenty of choice for walking routes nearby. This corner of the Lake District has several choices for eating out at pubs and the like, but you’re also welcome to light barbecues or campfires on site if you’d rather settle in for an evening of outdoor cooking. There’s a convenience store just over a mile away in the village of Askham (which also has a pub and an open-air swimming pool).

Campground type

Tent sites 50
Open now
Opens April 18
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, Apr 18 to

Reviews

8

Overall rating from 119 Pitchup.com customers

  • 43%
    10
  • 0%
    9
  • 28%
    8
  • 4%
    7
  • 12%
    6
  • 1%
    5
  • 1%
    4
  • 0%
    3
  • 5%
    2
  • 0%
    1
Location
 9
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 4
PeacefulRemote locationSpectacular sceneryBudget/backpacker

82% would recommend this campground to a friend

76% would stay here again

What customers say

This basic campsite boasts stunning views and peace. Most found clean facilities (flushing toilets, cold shower) and appreciated fire pits. Owners are friendly & helpful. Some experienced noise during busy times, and a few found facilities too basic for the price.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 12
Arrival date (latest first)

Simple campsite very basic but all you need…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 5
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 No rating
Wifi
 No rating
Tom R.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Simple campsite very basic but all you need

Recommend to friends Visit again

Overall excellent

Overall

8 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
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked The field was flat and spacious with great grass and the toilets and shower where clean

Disliked Music late in to the night

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great little site and would definitely stay again

Overall

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

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked We hadn't booked and headed across to lakes late evening, managed to book a slot and found a quiet site with great views and good facilities.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Out of the way site with friendly owner.

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 5
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 5
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Land owner came and greeted us immediately upon arrival and was very accommodating

Only a 20 min or so drive to ullswater. And about 10/15 to penrith

Recommend to friends Visit again

Absolutely brilliant site everything you need good for dogs aswell with field…

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
Tanya K.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Absolutely brilliant site everything you need good for dogs aswell with field to walk them in good overall atmosphere from everyone staying there.

Disliked Nothing to dislike at all

Recommend to friends Visit again

Barebones, good for some - not for others 5/10

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 3
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 4
Cleanliness
 3
Wifi
 1
Michael B.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked This is probably a great campsite for people who are in larger groups or are looking for somewhere to drink and camp responsibly with friends.

Price is good for location.

Overall, I think if I were using this as a "stopover" location whilst touring, I would have had a better experience on this campsite.

Disliked Hard to find, lots of flies (although this is seasonal, I feel like if the grass had been cut/managed this would have been reduced), other guests were rather loud, dogs were all over the place.

I don't want to detract from the Campsite as if it was what we were looking for it would have been totally fine, I just felt that it was too barebones for what we were looking for.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely views, easy to find and set up where we wanted. Clean…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 7
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Tina P.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Lovely views, easy to find and set up where we wanted. Clean toilets and always had toilet roll. Water provided.

Disliked There were quite a few groups of young adults on the camp. First night the music didn't stop till 2:20am. Second night the group of young lads next to us were up talking till 4am. They weren't loud or partying but tents are thin so could hear everything they were talking about sat at their fire pit.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean Bottled water available Good location…

Overall

5 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 4
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 3
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 1
Josh C.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Clean
Bottled water available
Good location

Disliked No policy on noise
Some other campers were loud until early hours
Got crowded on Saturday night

Recommend to friends Visit again

A really nice place to visit

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 3
Facilities / Activities
 2
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 5
Wifi
 1
Joanna H.

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Helton is next to Askham and a castle which is loveky.

Disliked I paid for wood at £15per night and never received it. There is nowhere to speak to anyone. I reached out via email address provided to ask for the wood refund at £30 but no one got back to me which doesnt seen fair.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Chilled campsite Easy to find The queens head pub local to campsite but…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 6
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 6
Facilities / Activities
 6
Customer service
 5
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 1
Anonymous

Primitive grass tent or trailer tent campsite

Liked Chilled campsite
Easy to find
The queens head pub local to campsite but nothing else in walking distance
Toilet roll issue others spoke about was fine, it didn't run out on a Saturday

Disliked Very basic campsite which we knew about

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

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

Themes

Budget/backpacker Hikers’ paradise Peaceful Spectacular scenery

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) No hot water 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) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Horseback riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Watersports nearby

Location

Helton Campsite

Helton

Askham

Pooley Bridge

Cumbria

England

CA10 2QB

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.58753°N
2.76028°W

Route directions

Go all the way through the village of Helton, past the triangle field on the way to Bampton. Just as you pass the triangle field, you will see the site to your right.

Nearest transport

Bus
5.2 mi Rail Station
13.6 mi Kelsick Road opposite Library
13.8 mi Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
Rail
5.1 mi Penrith North Lakes Rail Station
8.3 mi Langwathby Rail Station
11 mi Appleby Rail Station
Ferry
3.1 mi Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
4.3 mi Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
8 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

Walking trails for all abilities are plentiful in the Lake District – from Helton your options include lakeside ambling by Ullswater (10 minutes’ drive) or the short stroll to Aira Force waterfall (25 minutes) or more challenging outings like the ascent of Helvellyn (half an hour). Those aren’t the only options for exploring though – the area around Pooley Bridge (10 minutes) has boat hire, various watersports and horse riding centres. The natural views are spectacular, of course, but there are some lovely buildings to see too – nearby Lowther Castle & Gardens (10 minutes) is worth a visit for the grand building, the 130-acre gardens and the adventure playground, and the Grade I-listed Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens (15 minutes) is equally lovely. If the weather takes a turn, there are several things to keep you busy in Keswick (35 minutes), including the Derwent Pencil Museum, Puzzling Place and tours of the Keswick Brewing Company.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 29.7 mi Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 3.8 mi

The Rheged Centre 4.2 mi

Ullswater Steamers 8 mi

Rydal Mount and Gardens 13.2 mi

Castlerigg Stone Circle 13.6 mi

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 7.7 mi

Townend 13.8 mi

Grasmere and Great Langdale 14.7 mi

Windermere and Troutbeck 15 mi

Beatrix Potter Gallery 17.6 mi

Cycle routes

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

Other

ASKHAM HALL 1.5 mi

LOWTHER CASTLE 1.5 mi

Pooley Bridge - Loadpot Hill - Howtown - Pooley Bridge 3 mi

Pooley Bridge and Heughscar Hill 3 mi

DALEMAIN 3.7 mi

Local events

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

    Penrith, England 2.1 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 Helton Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Helton Campsite dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Helton Campsite? Walking trails for all abilities are plentiful in the Lake District – from Helton your options include lakeside ambling by Ullswater (10 minutes’ drive) or the short stroll to Aira Force waterfall … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Helton Campsite?
    RV, travel trailer and tent sites
    Arrive:  Anytime –  Anytime
    Depart by:  Anytime
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Helton Campsite? From $30.90 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.