Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

View prices & book 8.6 116 reviews
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  • Small campsite with direct access to the Ullswater Way walking path
  • A 10-minute walk from Pooley Bridge, past the Ullswater Steamer Pier
  • Just 500 metres from the lake; short walk from bars, cafés and shops
How’s this for the first morning of your Lake District trip? Rolling out of the tent to lake views, before strolling 10 minutes into the village for coffee and breakfast and then backtracking five minutes to take up a spot on a historic Ullswater steamer. Such routines are commonplace at Waterfoot Carpark Campsite… This small, simple campsite is in a field around 500 metres from the shore of Ullswater, with views over the lake, so there’s always something to satisfy the eyes. As for satisfying the stomach, it’s just outside of Pooley Bridge, meaning that restaurants, bars, cafés and shops are only 10 minutes’ walk away too. The Ullswater Steamer Pier is just five minutes’ walk away from the pitches, so you’re in pole position for getting to other spots around the lake without so much as touching your car’s steering wheel. If you have Cumbria hikes high on your priority list, you’re also in for a treat. The site has direct access to the 20-mile Ullswater Way, a round trip around the lake. From Pooley Bridge, you can also follow the Lowther Castle Loop and Dalemain Loop.

Site type

Tent pitches 50
Open now
Opens 11 July
Please note
  • This site has no on-site shower facilities.
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • No gas barbecues allowed.
  • No electric barbecues allowed.
  • Please note that the toilet facilities are unisex.
  • There is no reception on-site: on arrival please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 11 Jul to

No availability here for your search criteria

Reviews

8.6

Overall rating from 116 Pitchup.com customers

  • 56%
    10
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    9
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    8
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    7
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Lake and/or mountainSpectacular scenery

89% would recommend this site to a friend

88% would stay here again

What customers say

Great spot near Pooley Bridge & Ullswater. Awesome views, friendly owners, good value. Clean loos, but no showers & sometimes no loo paper. Can be noisy, some pitches are sloping.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 12
Arrival date (latest first)

Didn't stay in the end…

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10 out of 10
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Shaun F.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Didn't stay in the end

Recommend to friends Visit again

Perfect location, stunning views, the owner…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
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 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 5
Anonymous

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Perfect location, stunning views, the owner was lovely, clean looked after camp, overall no complaints, for the bad reviews read what you are booking. Definitely would return and recommend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Waterfoot carpark campsite was an amazing…

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
Laura G.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Waterfoot carpark campsite was an amazing end to the summer holidays though the weather was very wet we had a very enjoyable time for a good price . located with in a 5 minute walk from the local village which is filled with activities for the whole family it is also a stones through away from lake ullswater which is thriving with endless water activities the locals were very welcoming and the campsite owner was very friendly, the campsite itself is equipped with toilets and bins and you can pick your own pitching area the kids enjoyed seeing the sheep running by the the mornings and had alot of fun exploring the campsite wil definitely be returning next year as we couldn't do everything within the 3 days we were there!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Ideal location but please realise your paying £30 to sleep in a field

Overall

1 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 2
Child friendliness
 1
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Glen R.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Lovation

Disliked Lack of facilities, this should be clear when booking, other campers had left litter.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: when you book if you bother to read about the sit it say porta loos water taps bins
back to basic campsite the information is there

Great location, friendly staff. Outstanding views

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
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Sarah B.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Easy booking , great location for a pit stop , or longer, plenty of space. Will be back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Really friendly bloke who runs the…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Really friendly bloke who runs the site. In a brilliant location with a great view of the lake and hills. 2 mins walk to the lake or 5 mins through the woodland trail to Pooley Bridge. Definitely back next year. Lots of room for the kids to get up to kid things

Recommend to friends Visit again

Fab little pop up campsite, with a lovely friendly couple who run it

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked We stumbled across the campsite buy driving past. The lovely lady let us stay the night and managed to get us in for the second night.
From then we have been as many times we could during the school holidays
It a very friendly site where my little lad and 2 dogs have had so much fun making friends.
Its only 1 road away from the water, you wake up to stunning views. Just a 10mins walk into the little village with stunning views and lovely pubs/ food
If your lucky enough you get one or two flighter jets going over camp which is mint to see and the sound that they make is amazing


See you both next year kay lincoln cocker and frenchie

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location if you want to…

Overall

8 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 4
Customer service
 4
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 4
Wifi
 1
MARTIN D.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Great location if you want to paddleboard etc on the lake. It's literally accessible from a small beach next to site. 4 porta loos on site. Quite uneven pitches. All about the location here not facilities

Recommend to friends Visit again

Stunning views, ruined by filthy loos & poor pitches won’t be back 😆

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 1
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 1
Customer service
 1
Child friendliness
 5
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
Zahra S.

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Scenic view of the lake

Disliked Beautiful views of the lake, but that’s about where the positives ended. We were told to pitch on a patch of overgrown grass, which was on a hill and made life with kids pretty tricky. Way too many insects, and the toilets were an absolute disgrace. Such a shame, because the setting itself could be amazing with better upkeep.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: sorry to say but you do not get told where to pitch you are told to pick somewhere we do say when full to go through second but not to high as bits to steep the toilets are cleaned regularly they are stocked with toilet rolls and hand sanitizer

Nice little basic campsite, toilets were…

Overall

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

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked Nice little basic campsite, toilets were reasonably clean. Lake 1 min walk away and Pooley Bridge shops/cafes 10 mins walk also. Would definitely stay again

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs allowed

Portable toilet

Pop-up campground

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports Wild swimming

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

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

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year No dogs allowed

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available No hot water Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Medium (26-50 pitches) Pop-up campground

Nearby leisure

Horse riding nearby Mountain biking nearby Restaurant nearby

Location

Waterfoot Carpark Campsite

Pooley Bridge

Penrith

Cumbria

England

CA11 0LL

Directions

Timezone

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

GPS

54.61132°N
2.83113°W

Nearest transport

Coach
7.4 km Rail Station
20.1 km Bus Station
21.2 km Lakeside House for Dove Cottage
Rail
7.3 km Penrith North Lakes Rail Station
14.2 km Langwathby Rail Station
17.5 km Lazonby & Kirkoswald Rail Station
Ferry
0.3 km Pooley Bridge Ullswater Ferry Landing
4.9 km Howtown Ullswater Ferry Landing
10.5 km 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

Get your hiking boots at the ready, as there are plenty of walks to get stuck into from your pitch. The Ullswater steamers can drop you off in Glenridding (otherwise 15 minutes’ drive) for a quick loop up Lanty’s Tarn, which has views of Helvellyn, England’s third-highest mountain. You could also get off the boat in Howtown (15 minutes), where there's a walk to Hallin Fell overlooking Ullswater. If you’d rather tackle Helvellyn (20 minutes), it's not far away either. Aira Force Waterfall (10 minutes) is another splendid place for a good stroll – this waterfall with a 65-foot drop was a favourite spot for William Wordsworth. If you fancy breaking up all that walking with a cycle, you can hire bikes at Lowther Castle & Gardens (20 minutes). The estate trails make for an easy ride, and if you’re visiting with kids, there’s also a handy adventure playground. Stop by in Penrith (20 minutes) if you have time too. It has a 14th-century castle and a museum, and it's close to a lovely walk up Beacon Hill.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Allonby 42.5 km Sea N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Dalemain Historic House & Gardens 2.5 km

The Rheged Centre 5.1 km

Ullswater Steamers 10.5 km

Castlerigg Stone Circle 17.3 km

Rydal Mount and Gardens 20.7 km

National Trust

Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill 15.5 km

Grasmere and Great Langdale 22.9 km

Townend 23 km

Windermere and Troutbeck 25.3 km

Beatrix Potter Gallery 28.4 km

Cycle routes

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

Other

Pooley Bridge and Heughscar Hill 0.7 km

Pooley Bridge - Loadpot Hill - Howtown - Pooley Bridge 0.7 km

DALEMAIN 2.8 km

Howtown - Patterdale - Glenridding 4.9 km

Howtown - Hallin Fell - Sandwick via Steamer 4.9 km

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 Waterfoot Carpark Campsite have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Waterfoot Carpark Campsite dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near Waterfoot Carpark Campsite? Get your hiking boots at the ready, as there are plenty of walks to get stuck into from your pitch. The Ullswater steamers can drop you off in Glenridding (otherwise 15 minutes’ … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Waterfoot Carpark Campsite?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  10:30 a.m. –  8 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Waterfoot Carpark Campsite? From R596,41 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.