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  • North Lakes Camper Loop
  • North Lakes Camper Loop

North Lakes ‘Forest, Sea & Mountains’ Loop – Ascent Campers

http://ascentcampers.co.uk/ (Phil H)

3 nights. Total mileage: 270+/-.

This route was our first experience of a campervan and was designed to ‘break us in gently’  whilst giving a range of the wonderful scenery that the North Lakes and Cumbria has to offer. We certainly aren’t experts but hopefully this guide helps other newbies to plan an interesting, hassle free break.

We booked all the sites via Pitchup.com for simplicity but direct bookings can be made in most cases. They all cost between £25-30/night when we went during May bank holiday. 

Day/Night 1 – Forest:
Site: https://www.lowther-holidaypark.co.uk/
Location: Penrith
Electrical hook up: Yes

Approx. 2 hours away from Liz & Dave in Edgworth, driving to this site is really  straightforward, basically just up the M6 beyond Tebay (do stop at Tebay if you can – it’s essentially a giant farm shop and canteen selling lovely food/drinks. Very useful for stocking up on treats/booze). Tebay is about 1 hour and 45 mins away from the starting point and the site approx. 15-20 mins beyond that.  Lowther Holiday Park is a biiiiiig site with lots of large, posh holiday cabin things. It’s set in the middle of a forest so the scenery around it is beautiful. We particularly enjoyed taking our boy for a night time torch walk through the forest and down to the river.

The site itself has plenty of amenities, including an independent on-site bakery/shop (amazing breakfast baps), a pub and plenty of shower blocks etc. The wash/toilet facilities whilst plentiful were starting to get a bit tired. That said, they were clean!
The only negative with this site was the proximity to other campers – we felt a little hemmed in. It didn’t ruin anything, but compared to the other two sites, we were quite close to other groups. Other pitches looked bigger so it’s just luck of the draw I guess.

Day / Night 2 – Sea:
Site: https://www.maryportmarina.co.uk/book
Location: Maryport
Electrical hook up: Yes

Less than 1 hour away from Lowther, getting to Harbour Side Caravan Site takes you through Keswick. We stopped there to stretch our legs and indulge in a spot of retail therapy (I’m a sucker for an outdoor shop of which Keswick has dozens).

The site itself is MUCH smaller than Lowther, having space for probably around 20ish campers/motorhomes and a couple of glamping pods.  Each camper is positioned on its own flat gravel pitch with a dedicated electrical output and
water tap. There’s plenty of space between each pitch so you don’t feel on top of one another.

The facilities here were grade A. Absolutely immaculate and very modern. Toilets and showers in dedicated rooms giving plenty of privacy etc. We were very lucky with our pitch as it afforded views over the marina and out towards the Solway, but any pitch on this site is going to be pretty decent.

Maryport itself is essentially built around the working fishing harbour. It’s not the most picturesque of seaside towns, but there is an aquarium and some decent coastal walks to keep you occupied. We had dinner at the Lifeboat Inn after doing the obligatory tripadvisor review sift. It was proper pub grub but really decent. Excellent beer too and very friendly staff.

Day / Night 3 – Mountains:
Site: https://seatollerfarm.co.uk/campsite/
Location: Seatoller (bottom of Honister pass)
Electrical hook up: No

Getting to Seatoller from Maryport was an adventure in itself. We drove there via Buttermere as we wanted to walk round it again (it’s a stunning 4.5 mile circular walk – highly recommended but does get busy). I also wanted to drive down the Honister pass (epic drive – the scenery is spectacular!) 

Surrounded on all 4 sides by mountains/fells, Seatoller is a stunning site. Absolutely stunning. We pitched-up down by the river at the bottom, but the top field with unobstructed views of the ‘Base Brown’ wainwright is equally beautiful. There aren’t any set pitches either, more just rock up where you find a space whilst being respectful of other people’s space etc. You should know that this site is entirely off-grid – there is no wi-fi or mobile signal at all. Not even if you stand on top of your camper and wave your phone around (please don’t try this – Liz and Dave will be cross).

You should also know that beyond a small toilet block and washing facilities, there is nothing else on the site itself. Showers have to be taken back up the road at the farm (which is a 5 min walk away). It didn’t bother us as it was our last stop before heading home anyway, but it may put others off. There is also a pub in Seatoller but we cooked using the outdoor camping stove provided with the van. (One pot camping beans in you’re interested – recipe available on request!) I loved this site the most, whilst there were still plenty of other campers, the lack of formality and facilities made it feel more like proper camping. The guys pitched next to us had the  firepit going and it was just beautiful watching the sun set and the mist rolling down the fells (i’ll bring my camping bbq next time as I definitely got a large dose of FOMO with that).

In summary, we had a great time at three very different sites, in very different environments. All had their pros and cons, but we wouldn’t hesitate to stay at any of them again. The driving wasn’t onerous and left us with plenty of time to explore the surrounding areas etc. 

All in all, tremendously enjoyable.

General tips

  • After the first night, we quickly got a routine for setting up the camper or breaking it down to get moving – it takes less than 5 minutes.
  • Pack light – you’ll use less than you think (but there is plenty of space/cubby holes anyway) Dave was absolutely right with this, and even though we re-packed after he mentioned it – we still had plenty of stuff we didn’t use.
  • Don’t forget to cap the water tanks – I did and had a fun few minutes drying out the cupboard. Dave did specifically mention this to me too but i’m a forgetful idiot.
  • Don’t stress if you have a night or two without plugging in – the leisure battery recharges when you’re driving and will last.
  • Put a tea towel between the grill and the rack. It stops it rattling on bumpy roads.