Kestrel Lodge Camping

Friendly welcome and organised check in for this wonderful campsite. The site is set in a quiet corner of the lakes with great access to the Cumbria way and many hill walks from the tent. Walkable to local pub and the lake for a swim. We booked a 6 night stay with our 2 dogs. Owners were friendly and helpful with advice and walking tips. We tucked ourselves out of the way but the peace and quiet throughout the site was great for relaxing and taking in the views and birdsong. Fire pits for each pitch and a well stocked honesty box shop were bonuses. Would love to return again. Highly recommended. Laura, Jamie, jake & flo

Cracking views, nice quiet friendly site with a fire pit included, walking access to a pub, Cumbria way and close to lots of tourist sites. The only thing I'd improve is the tone of the confirmation email. The covid toilet booking details are best described on-site and the burning site sold logs only policy is fine but it didn't need the justification in the email. Other than that it's hard to think of anywhere more perfect, we will be back.

A lovely quiet campsite, nestled amongst the hills and a stones throw away from Bassenthwaite Village which has a great pub. We didn't realise how many great walks we could do from our tent, we'll be back soon as we weren't able to do all the walks we wanted to do!

We came for a weekend with family, including a toddler and a dog. Every pitch has its own fire pit and that was a big selling point for us. Logs, kindling and marshmallows are all available from the honesty shop too! There are lots of walks straight from Campsite (we walked to some waterfalls near cockup along the Cumbria way). The lake is about a 45 min walk or 10 min drive with lots of stony beach areas - perfect for swimming or watersports. Theres a seperate field area for exercising dogs, which was really handy. And a section for children to play in with goalposts, tyre swing, boats, stepping stones, etc (my toddler loved sitting in the boats and jumping off the stepping stones!) The showers were the best I've had on a Campsite - always hot and really clean. Great holiday, would definitely come back! (the nearest shops are in Keswick, about 20 mins drive away, so worth stopping on your way through for supplies)

First break away out of winter lockdown. Lovely spot. We spent 4 nights here. Clean, well organised and sorted for all COVID restrictions. Lazy mornings before heading off for walks and a couple of open water swims. Loved waking to the sound of the birds (and watching a thrush gathering worms for the chicks breakfast), the sound of sheep and the chooks unshyly wandering around the site). We had grey weather but not particularly cold and a very windy last night (no, we didn’t have a curry). We would recommended this place and would do more walking from the site when we’re fitter, rather than getting in the car which was a pain on the gravelly roads. Would recommend you check your emails for updates as it was a concern for owner that we hadn’t received the communications about COVID and we felt a bit like we were told off

Fantastic friendly campsite with something for everyone. Close to towns, local lakes and wainwrights, what more could you ask for?

Beautiful camping spot with very friendly and knowledgeable hosts. Great organisation due to Covid restrictions. Lovely touch is the shop with the honesty box where you can even buy marshmallows to toast!

Great campsite, nice and quiet and out of the way of main roads etc. Great amenities and plenty of room on the pitch. I will definitely be returning!

Great location. The owners are a lovely couple and meet your every need. Enough space to not feel on top of each other and showers and toilet v clean. Thoroughly recommend

The hens clucking around (campers warned us about their bacon pinching ways). The glorious red of Skiddaw, a friendly ambience and stunning scenery within easy reach.

We love small campsites and Kestrel Lodge is a great find. The owners are lovely and friendly, the covid guidelines are clearly explained on arrival. Spacious pitches on lovely grass with your own fire pit, wood on site to purchase for it. Lovely bathrooms and very funny chickens! We will be back 😊

Kestrel lodge is a nice well maintained campsite, in a nice “out of the way” location. The family who own the place are really nice and go out of their way to help you. The toilets are clean and tidy. This place is very COVID secure, there are sanitiser near the public areas. There are only three toilet/shower rooms; one wet room (disable access), one with two toilets and two showers, and the other with two toilets and one shower. I can imagine it might be difficult during peak times, luckily they do have a nifty process in place so your whole “bubble” can go in one of the rooms at the same time, which will make things less congested. It was quiet when we went so can not comment fully on how busy it can get. There is a shop, although to minimise risk they are using an honesty box, and they sell the necessities; wood, milk, drinks, water etc. Overall I felt at ease and not worried about COVID. I highly recommend this place if you are in the north lakes. If you are wanting to climb the mountains you are spoilt for choice, or if you want to visit towns such as Bowness, Ambleside, and Keswick they really close by. Side note: if you do stay here make sure you visit the Sun inn in the village bassenthwaite; there is great food, beers, and COVID secure (make sure you book in advance).

The friendliest staff, cleanest modern toilets and an amazing location. A nice quiet site with easy access to hike skiddaw, and stop at the pub on the way back

Couldn’t fault kestrel lodge at all, very helpful staff with a great set up. Quiet campsite in an ideal location. The local pub is great too!

Very helpful and friendly hosts. Good spacings and firepits are a great idea but did not use ours. Showers were spotless and loads of hot water. Covid had meant that drying room was not available and we had a couple of damp days but hosts were great about helping us find spots to air our kit. Access road looked daunting at first with fully loaded motorbikes and tired and hungry but was actually fine the next day. Would happily book again

Everything was fantastic at Kestrel Lodge - warm, clean showers, great facilities and very friendly people. The pitches are very well spaced out so you have your own firepit, and it was a nice quiet stay. Hiking trails directly from the site are super easy - through a gate and you're on the Cumbria Way. Great information and easy to find, would definitely stay again. The only negative was that I bought some wood from the site as encouraged but the bag I was given was soaking wet already, which meant I spent a few hours trying to get it to catch but it wouldn't go. Other than that everything else was fantastic.

A lovely campsite. Hidden gem with great fire pits, friendly owners who were so helpful and really clean facilities. We didn’t want to leave and can’t wait to go back! Highly recommend

First thing we noticed on arrival was how peaceful it was. A really lovely site with amazing views. We had our choice of several fantastic pitches, each with their own fire pit. Owners had given considerable thought to organising use of the facilities to keep everyone safe. We never had to wait long for a shower or to wash up. Fire wood on offer every evening. An honesty shop was in operation which came in handy several times. A quiet and beautiful site. Looking forward to our next visit.

A great campsite about 20 mins up the hill from Keswick town centre. Helpful, friendly staff, very well kept, neatly organised site with spacious, quiet pitches. Immaculately clean, modern bathrooms and pot wash area. COVID precautions were well thought out and easy to follow, unobtrusive to the experience. Honesty box supplies area and wood to buy each evening. Great views, free range chickens to share your breakfast, friendly cat and wildlife in the area. Recommended, would stay again

Set in beautiful surroundings at the foot of the Siddaw range , Kestrel Lodge is perfect for a quiet getaway. Everyone running the site was very friendly and helpful. The facilities and grounds were spotless . The bathrooms were cleaned constantly and excellent. . We are looking forward to future visits a.s.a.p

I loved Kestrel Lodge. Myself and a friend stayed for 3 nights to do some hiking. The owners are thoughtful and friendly and the place has a great set up. Firepits and great quality wood, communal shelter, great facilities, well stocked little shop for basic provisions. Would definitely recommend and return soon :)

Recently stayed for the second time and we will be returning again. Clean facilities with very friendly staff. The location is great for walks and close to towns.

Great campsite with everything I needed for a lovely break in the Lakes. Staff were very friendly and helpful.

The owners were so friendly and helped get us check in quickly! Showers and loos were super clean and a good covid system in place. Will defo return - love the location too with easy walk to the local lovely pub and Lakes.

On a picturesque site overlooked by Skiddaw, Kestrel lodge was so tranquil and a lovely place for relaxed camping. The fire pits were a really nice touch. Amenities are kept very clean and showers hot. Chickens and a duck wander around and we had a hedgehog visit in the night! At night you can only hear the nearby stream and owls. Keswick is a 10 minute drive so plenty to do nearby. The local pub was lovely with great traditional pub food and dog friendly of course! We will definitely be visiting this site again, you couldn’t fault it.

The place is amazing, surrounded by woods and stream sound can be heard nicely, especially during night. The facilities are excelent, the showers, sinks and toilets are cleaned periodically. The staff are amazing. I will recomend this nice and quiet place to everyone.

Kestrel Lodge Campsite provided us with a wonderful experience despite apocalyptic rain! The site owners were friendly and approachable and couldn't do enough to help us - they even supplied additional ground sheets to help protect us from the weather. The site itself is great for families - my nephew said it was the best we'd stayed at and wants to come back nect year - with a den building area and enclosed football field next to the main camping field. Toilets and showers were modern, clean and well maintained and included a wet room which was ideal for me as I was recovering from a broken ankle and had limited mobility. The shop (open twice daily) sold essentials like logs and chocolate and the location was easily accessible for Keswick and well-placed for walkers exploring the northern Wainwright fells (not that I did much walking!) All-in-all a lovely site which I would highly recommend.

Pick your spot well and there was plenty of firm ground around the tent, in spite of the massive rainstorms. Showers were clean and hot - great. We found plenty in the local area to do with small children (2 and 5yrs) once they were tired of the mud (or we were!).

A very friendly campsite. Small but at the same time spacious. It feels isolated but is very well connected, Keswick being only a10 minute drive away. Plenty of walking close by and good facilities for its size, I’d definitely stay there again.

Enjoyed our three night break here, staff were friendly and site was relaxing and quiet. A couple of things which lost a star - the road up to the site is awful with massive potholes & there was the occasional smell of what I can only describe as rotten turnips around the water tap and our pitch but this could have been a temp problem.

Had a great time as a family.

Came up for a weekend with my partner. Relaxed and beautiful campsite. Very scenic with views over bassenthwaite lake from the campsite. Felt the owners were there when you needed them, however we didn't feel intruded upon. Each pitch is associated with a fire pit and you can buy marshmallows from the little shop on site (fantastic idea). Very secluded and only downside for us was we wanted to cycle and the road to the campsite was too rough, however we just ended up driving and parking outside the pub. Lovely local pub is walking distance away. Thanks for a great stay, we will definitely be coming back!!

Free WiFi. Lovely friendly pets. Well run and very clean.

We stayed for 4 nights in May with our two boys (10 & 8). Definitely off the beaten track, but when the clouds cleared, with great views towards Skiddaw, Great Cockup and Bassenthwaite Lake. There are modern showers and toilets which are kept sparking clean, and a washing up area. Fire pits for each pitch are provided, with wood available from the on-site shop, along with other necessities such as marshmallows! Having a freezer on site was also incredibly useful, along with leaflets and maps of the area to peruse. Best of all was the laid-back atmosphere, with free range chickens, ducks and cats. My boys loved making friends with the cats, and sadly we only found the kids play area and the den-making/ woodland area on the last day, so of course we’ll have to come back! Other nice touches were the labelled bins making rubbish disposal easy, and the herbs in planters with ‘Help Yourself’ signs. Faye and Dave (I think!?) were warm, welcoming and helpful, and we loved everything about this site. Will def be back on our next visit to the Lakes.

My girlfriend and I recently stayed with our dog for three nights. Upon arrival Dave gave us a warm welcome and then showed us to our pitch. The actual site is in a good, quiet location and had all the facilities we could ask for. The toilet / shower blocks were clean, well kept and the under cover washing up area was really handy! There was also a freezer available so we could keep our cool box cold. The sites small reception shed also sells a few handy bits and bobs (tent pegs, gas etc..) I would definitely recommend this campsite to anyone looking for a nice scenic place to relax.

We had a wonderful time at the Kestrel Lodge Camping site, even though it was raining for most of the bank holiday weekend. The staff was very welcoming and we enjoyed our stay overall! The toilet/shower facilities were okay and there is a local pub with delicious food just down the road (15 minute walk or so).

We liked the fire pits and the spectacular views. The freezer wasn't working and there was only one washing machine for the whole site, but the toilets and showers were ok. We would have liked a bit more of a play area for the kids instead of just an old rope swing. Loved the area but would find another campsite next time.

This was our second visit this year to kestrel lodge. I’m already seeing if we can get a 3rd in before camping season ends! I could not praise them enough, they are helpful, friendly and all in all just wonderful!

We have just had 3 nights at Kestrel Lodge and loved it. The owners are incredibly friendly and welcoming (to the point of helping you enjoy a birthday treat!) and the site is within easy reach of everything you need to enjoy a positive camping experience. The showers really are good and hot and well-maintained, and there are some lovely walks from your tent. Would definitely recommend- all our children loved it- the cats and the tyre swing were the best for them!

Absolutely loved this place, wonderful location, friendly helpful staff and owners. Great for family’s there’s pony’s and chickens amongst others for kids to see or stroke. A great area at the end of the campsite so you can let your dog off the lead and children can runaround away from the tents. The undercover little area with benches was a god send as we had a bit of rain and even though we didn’t get to use one the fire pits were a brilliant idea. We walked to the local pub in th village which had lovely food and again child and dog friendly. Highly recommend this place and we will definitely be visiting again!

We really enjoyed our stay here. The site is lovely, and the communal covered area very useful in the rain! The showers were hot and clean. The best bit for me was the onsite wildlife - ponies, gorgeous cats, and Fudge the guinea pig. The owners were so friendly and helpful, I would definitely recommend this site any happy camper.

Wonderful to be back. Owners are very friendly, kitchen and bathroom facilities are very good and kept clean. Beautiful views and very useful field shelter with picnic tables, which we used one rainy morning. Village pub (1 mile) does very nice food. Also a good 3.5 mile circular walk which my little campers managed.

I loved my stay so much that I almost don't want to review it - want to keep this place a secret! This site is clean, safe and friendly it has everything that you need; perfect for families. I felt so relaxed here; we had an amazing time and our two boys (10 and 8) loved the freedom to roam around the site playing tag and hide and seek for hours in the fairy wood. It's great that every pitch is designated by its fire pit - makes it easy to know where to camp and keeps the site open and accessible to cars/vehicles. The 10pm quiet curfew is great! This way all children (and adults) know that its time to take the volume down, my boys were happy to go to bed knowing everyone else was also going to bed. The local Sun Inn pub does decent food and is worth a visit, we also loved visiting Keswick for the Derwentwater boat trip, the Apple Pie cafe in Ambleside is amazing! On rainy days we enjoyed going to Keswick Leisure Pool - slide and wave machine, and the cute cinema in Ambleside. We will definitely return!

This was by far one of our very best ever family get always! We only stayed for two nights and have just booked to go back for longer in a few weeks. Really clean facilities, the owners are always visibly cleaning the toilets/showers. We also really loved the fact they allow/provide campfires, for me it makes our evenings just perfect! Owners are always on hand if needed and are more than happy to help! Beautiful setting, walking distance to a pub - which we ate in and it was very nice. Can't wait to go back!

Took the boys camping by myself for the first time! Site was great. Easy to find and lovely welcome. Pitched up next to a fire pit and enjoyed the lovely views! We visited Keswick for a boat ride and a visit to the Pencil Museum when the weather turned! Had a lovely walk from the campsite down to Bassenthwaite Lake for a spot of wild swimming. Great ammenities and the wet room was great for getting us all clean! Looking forward to visiting again.

Great location with pleasant views over bassenthwaite, well signed on the approach. Walking distance to pub, quiet over the evening, fire pit provided. Short drive to Keswick, all in all a lovely site.

Useful picnic bench area with rain cover Fire pits with wood and firelighters provided by campsite at a good price Very helpful owners with good local knowledge Quiet location with good atmosphere

Great campsite, great owners and a great location. What more is there to say?

This is a lovely campsite with super clean facility’s . Location is great for exploring and the pub down the road serves lovely food . The Owners at kestrel lodge are really friendly and helpful , nothing is too much bother for them . The freezer was an added bonus with the temperatures we had last week . My two girls loved the ponies and fudge !! Will defo return again .

Owners have thought of everything to make this a memorable campsite. The site feels wild and remote but has five star facilities i.e washrooms and plenty of hot water to wash dishes.Great touches including a sheltered picnic table area and a small group fire pit.

This is a great place, a real little gem. Super friendly owners, with a well stocked little shop on site, with all essentials. It has a beautiful natural playing field for children, 3 beautiful pony’s and guniea pig. The showers / toilets / washing up areas are spotless and kept that way. Bbq’s and camp fires are allowed with fire pits provided on each pitch at no extra charge, dogs are also allowed at no extra charge. There is also a nice pub that does food and is dog friendly just a 20 min stroll away. The walking and exploring from the site id excellent. We will definitely be returning in the future.

This is a fantastic place for families, a real little hidden gem. Super friendly owners, with a well stocked little shop on site, with all essentials that are easily forgotten until you arrive and realise you haven’t packed them. It has a beautiful natural playing field for the children, as well as the 3 beautiful pony’s and guniea pig to fuss. The showers / toilets / washing up areas are spotless and kept that way consistently. Bbq’s and camp fires are allowed with fire pits provided on each pitch at no extra charge, dogs are also allowed at no extra charge. There is also a nice pub that does food and is dog friendly just a 20 min stroll away. To sum up it’s just a real treat of a site. We will definitely be returning in the future

Having driven over 350 miles from the South of England the friendly, helpful welcome was lovely. The site was full but didn't feel cramped with good space between pitches. Being able to park my car next to the tent was great as that's where my dog slept. The toilets and showers are modern and were kept very clean throughout my stay. I very much hope to return!

The site was fully booked, but there was plenty of space for everyone, with a designated, fenced play area for kids and dogs, and a separate, forest play area as well. There was even a covered cooking area with tables in case of rain. The site is well thought out and generous, with fire pits and flat pitches; we had lovely walks straight from the site. Our dog especially enjoyed the river nearby. The owners are very friendly and clearly care very much about the experience of their guests. Excellent organisation; clean showers; just brilliant. Fantastic star gazing on a clear night; owls in the trees above the tent; Shetland ponies and guinea pigs to boot...

Unbelievably helpful and friendly owners (I arrived very late and they had erected industrial lighting to help me pitch), great facilities (really hot, powerful, clean showers), individual fire pits, a group fire pit area, covered gathering area if the weather is bad. Brilliant. Will definitely return.

We stayed here in the first weekend of August. Weather was kind to us although it had rained most of the week before meaning that the field was a little muddy, despite this, the facilities were extremely clean. Never had to queue for toilet or showers. Owners/staff onsite extremely helpful and friendly with lots of ideas for walking etc. We took our dog - no extra charge. Local pub serves great food and is dog friendly. Our stay was all too short but I'm sure we will return!

A massive thank you to everyone at Kestrel Lodge campsite in the Lake District. We'd thoroughly recommend the site to anyone and everyone (although I'd hate for it to get too busy as Id be cross if we couldn't get in!) The site itself is beautiful and the facilities are spotless. The family who own it are really friendly and helpful and nothing is too much trouble. And its in a beautiful area - near to lots of places but miles from anywhere - just my kind of place! We'll be back !!

We found this site via cool camping in Spring last year after searching for what seemed weeks to find a place we wanted to spend our holiday. It came out of no where and I booked within hours of coming across them. From the first message I sent to the phone call to confirm booking I knew that I'd found a great site and we'd have a fab holiday, and I wasn't wrong. We stayed at Kestrel Lodge for 8 nights over Whitsun in 2016 and had what has now to be known a best camping holiday, ever. The owners can not be beaten, they are extremely friendly and go out of there way to accommodate their guests. We were joined on our holiday by relatives who had a 6 month old baby, we wanted to store breast milk in the freezer (supplied just for ice blocks) and the owners were extremely supportive and even offered to store it themselves if we weren't comfortable using the outside freezer. We arrived extraordinary early as we had wanted to beat the traffic, which we did, and although we took them by surprise they allowed us on to pitch our tent (as our pitch was free, obviously if the pitch is in use you wouldn't get away with this!). The owners ensured we had what we needed, ran through the basic site rules (nothing out of the ordinary, where fire pits were allowed, not to break trees for wood, balls in the football pitch and no noise after a certain time). We had reccomdations off the owners for walks and outings in the area, they even allowed one of our party to have a parcel delivered to site. When they found out it was my birthday during our stay, they even brought me a bottle of bubbly! The facilities are the best kept I have ever been too. They were frequently cleaned day and night and the owners worked hard to unsure their high standard were kept. The facilities were new and in good condition, although at the busiest time on the site they could have done with a slightly more toilets and showers available, however time it right and avoid the rush and it wasn't a problem. This and a lack of charging facilities for devices were the only this we could comment on this site in a bad way (but saying this they did allow us to occasionally charge phones and batteries as long as the shop was open, which again shows how much these owners wold go out of their way for their guests). One thing to be aware of is how 'of the beaten track' this site is...make sure you read the directions before just sticking in a postcode on the satnav. This however means the site is so peaceful that it is truly a hidden gem. We have just booked to return to Kestrel Lodge, and we can't wait!!!

We recently stayed at Kestrel Lodge with friends in 2 VW campers,  wow what a fantastic setting! The site only has 30 pitches which were all full when we arrived and there was a lovely atmosphere , children playing on the central grass area while parents sat chatting. There was even a marshmallow party organised by the children, which we were invited to (even though we had no children) The owners were so friendly and helpful and told us about a lovely walk into Keswick from the site over Skiddaw which was great, ( 10 miles but we got the bus back and called into the local pub). The facilities are very clean and they were still cleaning the toilets at 11.30pm , they are quite compact but don't let that put you off!   The fire pits on the pitches are a great idea and everyone was making use of them.  This is a gem of a site in a stunning location and we will definitely be returning