Grizedale Camping

Camping and glamping in Grizedale

The forested fells of Grizedale are a shady haven between the lakes at Windermere and Coniston. The nine-square-mile Grizedale Forest is the main attraction and with walks, mountain bike trails and works of art all tucked among the trees. It’s a great place to pitch your tent for a camping or glamping holiday in the Lake District with plenty of opportunity for outdoor adventure. It’s close enough to Windermere, Ambleside, Hawkshead and Coniston to offer easy access to their attractions but far enough away to offer a little more tranquillity – even in the busy summer season. This area’s smattering of small villages and quaint towns have a wealth of history and there are plenty of attractions associated with the writers and artists who’ve been inspired by the Lake District’s stunning scenery. There are pubs, tea rooms and cafes where you can tuck into tasty Cumbrian produce to fuel your days out exploring the Southern Lakes.

Active families with their own tents, couples with mountain bikes in tow and backpackers travelling on foot will all enjoy classic camping in Grizedale. We’ve sought out the best campsites in the area and given the thumbs up to places that offer something special. And there’s also a great range of glamping available right across the Lake District. Whether it’s a bell tent, yurt, shepherds’ hut or cosy cabin that takes your fancy, we should have a glamping site that’ll help you make the most of this beautiful part of Cumbria.

Things to do in Grizedale

If you’re looking to camp in Grizedale there’s a good chance you’ve chosen it for the forest itself. Whether it’s mountain biking, family cycling, walking or a treetop adventure trail that’s tempting you to the region, a great place to start is the Forestry Commission’s Grizedale Visitor Centre. All the information you’ll need can be found here – along with a café and adventure playground for kids. For hikers, the 10-mile Silurian Way offers a route through Grizedale that starts out from the visitor centre and takes you past sculptures in the forest to Carron Crag, Grizedale’s highest point. There’s more relatively gentle fell walking to great view points at Latterbarrow, Claife Heights, and Tarn Hows too. Peak-baggers, may want to look further north to the Old Man of Coniston or Crinkle Crags for more of a challenge.

With Grizedale situated between Windermere and Coniston, just south of the smaller lake of Esthwaite, it’s a great place to pitch up in order to explore all the attractions of the Southern Lakes area – and the rest of the Lake District National Park. For boating and cruises you'll need to go to the two larger lakes and for fishing, get a permit from the Esthwaite Water Trout Fishery. The village of Grizedale is a tiny collection of houses and farms while Satterthwaite has a pub and a church but if you want to stock up on supplies or pick up souvenirs it’s only a matter of a couple of miles to Coniston and the higgeldy-piggeldy lanes of Hawkshead, which are packed with tea rooms and gift shops – not to mention its own chocolate factory. It’s in Hawkshead that you’ll find the Beatrix Potter Gallery too and you can find out more about her at the National Trust-managed Hill Top, her former home near Sawrey. For more information on things to do in this part of the Lake District visit the national park's website.