The Lake District is a popular and beautiful touring spot – with breathtaking scenery, plenty of outdoor activities, and quaint towns and villages, it has something for everyone. If you’re planning to take your ‘van there this year, you’re going to want to pitch up at one of the best campervan sites in the Lake District, where you’ll find yourself perfectly placed for exploring these picturesque surroundings.
From waterfalls to woodland, peddle boarding to the ‘Ullswater Steamers’, there will be plenty to keep everyone occupied – and that’s before taking the facilities provided by the best campervan campsites in the area into account.
In this guide, we’re sharing our favourite sites in the Lake District to stay at in your campervan, so you can get the most from your tours to this beautiful part of the world.
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The best Lake District campervan sites are:
Keswick Club Site
Waterfoot Caravan Park
Skelwith Fold
Park Foot Holiday Park
Burns Farm Caravan & Campsite
The Quiet Site
Park Cliffe
Hillcroft Park
Castlerigg Hall
The best campervan sites in the Lake District:
Keswick Club Site
Crow Park Road, Cumbria, CA12 5EP, www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk
As Lake District campervan sites go, Keswick Club Site offers a well-placed location for taking in the beauty of the Derwentwater and Keswick.
Site facilities include a motorhome service point, toilets and showers, and a children’s play area. A pub can also be found within a mile of the Camping and Caravanning Club’s site, an ideal spot for relaxing after a day spent exploring in your campervan.
As well as Keswick, guests can visit Skiddaw, Castlerigg Stone Circle and the Catbells, with the latter providing gorgeous views of the Lake District. And who can forget the Derwentwater itself? The breathtaking lake is an ideal destination for more active campervanners who want to take to the water.
Waterfoot Caravan Park
Pooley Bridge, Ullswater, Cumbria CA11 0JF, waterfootpark.co.uk
If you want to take your campervan to the western part of the Lake District, Waterfoot Caravan Park is a site that’s well worth considering.
The park appeared in our Top 100 Sites Guide 2023 and provides good facilities, including an onsite shop and a bar. If you’re away in your campervan with the whole family, the children can have fun letting off steam in the outdoor play area.
The campsite allows guests to soak up the beauty of Ullswater too, with the option of enjoying a trip on the water on one of the Ullswater ‘Steamers’. Alternatively, campervanners can cycle through the picturesque surroundings, or explore the village of Pooley Bridge.
Skelwith Fold
Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0HY, skelwith.com
Despite having 320 static caravans, it’s impressive how Skelwith Fold doesn’t feel crowded – instead, it offers campervan owners a dog-friendly base for exploring the beauty of the Lake District.
Visitors can also embark on the 1.5-mile walk into the nearby town of Ambleside for lunch at one of the eateries, before proceeding to see the 70-foot Stock Ghyll Force waterfall in all its breathtaking glory. Closer to home, the site’s five-acre recreation area provides stunning views of the nearby fells and mountains too.
Skelwith’s dog wash facilities will help prevent your camper van from becoming covered in muddy footprints if you embark on one of the woodland walks or stroll around Lake Windermere with a four-legged friend too.
Park Foot Holiday Park
Howtown, Pooley Bridge, Penrith, CA10 2NA, parkfootullswater.co.uk
Our ‘vans provide a great base for indulging our hobbies, and if you love getting away in yours to enjoy a spot of fishing, Park Foot could be the best Lake District campervan site for you.
This is because there’s the option of fishing in Lake Ullswater for a variety of species during the fishing season, including perch, pike and char (a licence will be needed though). The site also offers its own beach and launching facilities, and there is the chance to hire paddleboards if you want to take to the water.
Guests can also visit TJ’s Bar & Restaurant, where dogs are permitted, so long as they stay on the lead and are well-behaved.
Then there’s the option of enjoying one of the Lake District’s many activities, including walks and bike rides, the chance to explore Dalemain Mansion and the option of visiting the Aira Force waterfall.
Burns Farm Caravan & Campsite
St Johns-in-the-Vale, Keswick, Cumbria CA12 4RR, burns-farm.co.uk
Sitting in the beautiful valley of St John’s in the Vale, Burns Farm is well-placed for a variety of walks and is also surrounded by Helvellyn, Skiddas and Blencathra. Both fully serviced hardstanding pitches and grass non-electric pitches are available.
The site’s facilities are award-winning, with a heated shower block, accessible bathrooms and a laundry area provided – there is also a chemical toilet disposal point. Visitors can order wood-fired pizzas on Saturdays too, when a van stops at the site, giving campervanners a break from cooking after a day’s adventuring.
A dog walk and dog wash can both be found on site, while guests can visit the nearby village of Threlkeld, only a mile away, or Keswick, which is three miles away.
The Quiet Site
Ullswater, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 0LS, thequietsite.co.uk
A carbon-neutral campsite that sits right at the heart of the Lake District National Park, The Quiet Site makes an ideal destination if you want to immerse yourself in the area’s natural beauty.
In the vicinity, guests can explore Ullswater Way as they enjoy a 20-mile circular walk, or head to Lowther Castle and Gardens and Aira Force waterfall. The site’s all-weather, fully serviced pitches also offer views of Helvellyn, Ullswater and Hallin Fell. If you’re touring with a canine, there’s also a dog wash, while muddy bikes and boots can washed too.
After a day of exploring, visitors can relax in the site’s bar, set in a traditional Cumbrian barn. Other facilities include a zero-waste shop, a wood-fired pizza takeaway and modern washrooms.
Park Cliffe
Birks Road, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3PG, parkcliffe.co.uk
The picturesque Park Cliffe not only offers breathtaking views of Lake Windermere but is also ideally placed for visiting the popular Lake District destination.
Only three miles from Bowness-on-Windermere, the campsite allows campervan owners to embrace the great outdoors, with plenty of activities in the vicinity, ranging from hiking to water sports. The site, which has won a David Bellamy Gold Award, offers a games room, a shop, a bar, a shower block and a children’s playground, while guests can also make the most of free WiFi.
Hillcroft Park
Pooley Bridge, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2LT, hillcroftpark.co.uk
Campervan owners who want to explore Ullswater will find Hillcroft Park perfectly situated.
Set in Ullswater Valley, the site boasts a shop selling local products and everyday staples, along with a children’s play area, a dog shower, a games room, and a shower block opened by Johnny Vegas in 2018. Pitches in its fully serviced Buttermere Touring Field provide views across Ullswater too.
Destinations to explore include Lowther Castle and the nearby Pooley Bridge, while a 20-mile walk around Ullswater Way can also be embarked on.
Castlerigg Hall
Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4TE, castlerigg.co.uk
Lovers of the natural world are sure to enjoy a stay at this Lake District campsite, with local residents including deer, owls, badgers and red squirrels – bird watchers can also drive to the observation point, around 15 minutes away, to see ospreys.
Head to Keswick, only two miles away, and explore the quaint dog-friendly town – there are a number of pubs that welcome our four-legged touring companions too. Castlerigg Stone Circle, around 4000 years old, can also be found nearby, while activities to enjoy in the area include pony trekking, fishing and a variety of watersports.
When it comes to amenities, the site offers award-winning toilets and showers, with laundry facilities also to hand.
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