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Spent one night at this great campsite in Langdale valley.
It's location is superb, with some excellent walking available directly from the site, such as Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and the Langdale Pikes.
The local pubs are excellent. The Old Dungeon Ghyll is an excellent, old fashioned in with loads of beers and live music. This is a minutes walk from the site. The Sticklebarn, a little further along the road is another great pub with nice food.
Site facilities are good and campervans can simply pitch up on ant hard-standing areas.
I visited this site for four nights at the start of May. My first ever camping trip - busy harassed Mum and two boys aged 6yrs and 7yrs. As a new camper I was a bit worried about what to expect but we absolutely loved this site!
We had a pitch on the family field, perfectly flat, the play area is in the middle of the field so I could always see my children when they went to play.
Shop was a Godsend - I had forgotten some basics but they had everything I needed.
Staff were always helpful and very reassuring to a brand new camper.
The area is idyllic, loads of easy flat walks for those whose children don't like hiking, and plenty more dramatic walks for those who are up for it.
No noise at night which was a big relief, site felt very safe and was very peaceful.
I can't praise this site enough and we are going back this weekend. !
3 x pubs in very short walking distance and a small village also in walking distance.
Pre-booked this site 8wks ago and paid £5 to do so. Very pleased we did-arrived 3.30pm and was shown to our pitch in family area opposite play area. No vehicles allowed in the fields, which is such a plus as its so safe for the kids. The site is just breathtaking, surrounded by hills. Clean facilities, hot showers, shop with everything you could need.
Our 6 yr old daughter made friends within 5minutes of getting out of the van and she had a wonderful weekend on the playarea.
We did a lovely walk round Blea Tarn and up Side pike straight from the campsite-as did most of the other families apparently. We had our lunch looking down at the camp thinking just how lucky we were to be there.
The National Trust's Great Langdale campsite is superbly located in a beautiful valley beneath the towering crags of Langdale Pikes. Like much of Cumbria, the valley is prone to gusting changeable winds at any time of year but the campsite itself is surrounded by trees and is thus fairly sheltered.
If you are planning to visit Great Langdale, be warned that the ground is very stony - you must take rock pegs and a decent heavy hammer. You should also pre-book at busy times such as school holidays and bank holiday weekends as the site is very popular and, despite offering over 200 pitches, sometimes reaches capacity (the National Trust provides an online booking facilty).
The site itself spreads along the valley floor with a signposted entrance at the east end. The entrance is barriered and new arrivals must park and visit reception to collect a magnetic card to operate the lifting barriers. The reception and shop are just beyond the barrier.
Arrival times are from 3pm to 7pm and departure time is 11am. The basic pitch tarrif is £8 in low season, £9.50 mid season, and £12 high season. There is a supplement for large tents and additional adults are charged £5 each. There are also extra charges for additional cars and for dogs. Bank holiday weekends are high season price and subject to a minimum three-night stay; there's a minimum two-night stay on high season weekends.
So Great Langdale is not a particularly cheap campsite. But, in my opinion, it offers great value for money.
My first impression was very good - the staff were friendly and helpful, the site had a very 'traditional' feel, everything looked well maintained and very tidy, and booking in was handled swiftly and courteously. I particularly noticed the immaculate lawn-like grass - later I discovered this manicure is thanks to the hundreds of rabbits who inhabit the site and who seem oblivious to the presence of people.
Beyond the reception and shop the site is divided by hedges into several areas. There are reserved areas for pre-booked visitors and for families, a 'first come first served' field for non-booked arrivals, and areas with pre-erected tents, yurts and wooden camping pods. The camping fields have a few humps and bumps but, overall, are level.
There are also areas of hardstanding set aside for motorhomes and camper vans: note there are no EHU pitches.
The site has two near-identical wooden facilities blocks. One is near the entrance and serves the family field; the other is half way along the site and serves the further end of the pre-booked and 'first come' fields. Each building has loos, showers, a laundry room, a drying room and a washing up room. There are sufficient loos, showers and sinks to ensure that even when the site is crowded queueing is unlikely.
The laundries contain a washing machine and tumble drier, both operated by tokens that can be purchased from the shop. The drying room is free and is a small heated room with wooden racking and pegs - this room and the tumble driers are particularly useful as Langdale is statistically one of the wettest places in England. During my visit, the drying room was constantly in use and stuffed with boots, socks, coats, towels and even sleeping bags - a very welcome and well-used free service.
All the facilities were kept very clean throughout my visit. There was lots of hot water and the toilet rolls and paper towels were replenished regularly.
When pitching, the site's rule is six metres (approx 20 feet) separation between tents and signs reinforce this message. However during my visit it seemed honoured more in the breach than the observance and a party of three tents set up barely ten feet from my pitch. The site also has a noise curfew at 11pm - again, this was not rigidly enforced.
Cars must remain on the roadways and hard-standings - there is no parking beside pitches. However, given the long narrow fields this means a few yards walk at most. The trees and hedges provide plenty of shelter from the winds on almost the whole site. As the site is low-lying on a valley floor, there are a few areas where puddles gather but the site remained fairly dry during my visit despite several days of intermittent heavy rain.
Dogs are welcomed but must be kept on a lead. There are several disposal points for 'poo bags'. The footpaths adjoining the site provide dog-walking areas. Dog owners should remember this is a sheep farming area (both in the valleys and up on the fells) and dogs should be kept under control, especially during lambing (April and May).
Open fires are not allowed on any part of the site and barbeques must be raised off the ground. This 'no fires' rule is rigidly enforced.
As previous reviewers have pointed out, the site is set in truly magnificent scenery and is perfectly placed for fell walks in all directions. Two pubs are within walking distance and the campsite shop sells basic provisions and camping gear. There are plenty of shops in Ambleside which is about 25 minutes' drive from the campsite.
In summary, this is a very well-run campsite with above-average (if slightly basic) facilities in a really magnificent setting. If you prefer holiday parks with entertainment laid on and all the bells and whistles then Great Langdale is not for you - but if you want a really top notch traditional tenting campsite from which to explore the Lake District you will not find better.
Camped here with 2 small children, great location, plenty of space, useful shop, good facilities - free hot showers and very useful drying room. No electric hook-ups which was probably a plus point, minimising the number of campervans / large units. Good separation of the site into group / family / general fields, play area in the middle of the family field. Beautiful views from any direction, and lots of walks straight out of the campsite (maps sold at the shop). Would definitely plan another visit.
Great site, split into different fields with the family field and group field down the bottom and the other field near the top. We pitched up the top of this one to be as far away from families as possible but we couldn't hear the families or groups anyway.
Very quiet when we went during Easter holidays, very friendly staff. Basic shop but as all campsite shops quite pricey.
Showers were good, just about always hot but always free. Quite clean but bit muddy at times but there was a fair bit of rain so understandable.
There is also recycling points for cans and bottles so very environmentally friendly.
Three pubs within 10/15 minutes walk, we ate at one of them which was fine.
Location is the best thing this campsite has though, stunning views.
Great Langdale is a superb site being surrounded by fells-all accessible straight from the campsite. Appeals particularly to lightweight/4 season campers/walkers/climbers and cyclists. Good facilities and shop on site for essentials. Views are spectacular. In winter the site sees little direct sunshine and wind can funnel down Mickleden so a strong tent is recommended. Have camped here many times over the last 30 years. Another benefit is the famous 'Old Dungeon Ghyll' pub within an easy stroll of the site-remember to take your torch for the return! Highly recommended!
Having 'Glamped' a couple of times without children decided to take the plunge and book a family pod and take the 2 youngsters with us. Arriving on site at around 4pm we were shown to our pod which was located near the entrance of the family field.
The grassed area leading up to the pod was absolutely sodden after some heavy downpours and we ended up stepping in a few hidden puddles which was not great. The pod itself had lights fitted but when I tried to switch them on found they did not work so queried this with reception staff who said they had been looking into getting some electricity to the pods!
There was also no heating in the pod which was a big shock. The NT website does state that there is heat and light at Wasdale but it wasn't immediately apparent when I booked Langdale that it did not have the same. Had I known, I wouldn't have booked this site as it was extremely cold for both nights we were there and did put a bit of a dampner on our few days away. What made it worse was that there was an electric cable running from the pod, just nothing to plug in to.
On the plus side the site is in a great location, loads of showers and a decent pot wash area. However, the toilets and showers were covered in mud by early evening, well I think it was mud
Me & other half will be back but probably not with children til they are a bit older and can appreciate the walks. Site could do with some drainage and some lights as it was difficult to navigate around late at night. All in all a good site with only minor niggles.
We stayed at Great Langdale Campsite for 3 nights in early September.
It is a National Trust site and set in an amazing location, hidden away in a quiet wooded copse of trees at the head of the Great Langdale valley, overlooked by the majestic Langdale pikes. The vista of Langdale is really breathtaking and the site takes full advantage of this.
Some pitches are available on a first come, first served basis but you can also now book online if you prefer. We arrived around 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon and had no problem getting a pitch, but we noticed that the site was full by early on the Friday evening.
There are automatic barriers controlling access to the site and on check in you are given a card to give access.
The site is made up of a number of flat, level and grassy fields, separated into different areas for groups, families, those who have pre-booked and those who haven't. There are no marked pitches as such, you just pick a spot and as long as you are 6m (20ft) from the next tent can pitch where you like in the relevant field. No cars allowed on the actual camping fields, but there is ample parking around the perimeter and it's never far to lug your gear.
It is a bigger site than we are used to (with 220 pitches, some camping Pods and a couple of Yurts) which was a slight concern but it didn't feel particularly overcrowded or too busy, even when full.
After a depth of about four inches the ground is quite stoney – you will need a mallet and rock pegs would be useful, otherwise expect a few bent pegs.
It was very dry and sunny in the run up to and during our visit, but the site looked like it had previously been very wet and boggy in places so worth bearing the weather conditions in mind (as usual with The Lakes!).
Also, being surrounded by trees I'd be wary of sap which is shed at certain times of the year (spring / early summer); it's sticky and difficult to remove from tents, definitely worth thinking about when selecting a pitch.
Being NT the facilities are good; there are 2 large light and airy toilet / shower blocks which were clean and there was plenty of hot water and good pressure when I used the (free) showers. Other than a couple of hooks on the back of the door there is nowhere in the spacious shower cubicles to put anything, which is a bit inconvenient when trying to keep clean clothes and things dry. Also, by early Saturday morning the bins were overflowing in the Ladies and the paper towels had run out.
There are good recycling facilities and a shop selling most things you might need from milk, bacon and other essential supplies to maps and camping equipment.
There is lots of wildlife; plenty of birds, rabbits have free run of the site and were not at all phased by the campers in 'their' field. On a clear night the stars are amazing.
The Langdale valley itself is quite secluded and out of the way, housing just two small villages - Chapelstile and Elterwater. However there are three great pubs within easy walking distance of the site; the hikers bar at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel is the nearest (10 minutes max) and is the pick of the 3 – a friendly, buzzing atmosphere with live music and real ales, the food is okay but pretty basic. The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and the Sticklebarn Tavern are slightly further, but both do real ales and are set in a lovely location at the bottom of Stickle Ghyll. Apart from the pubs and a few farms dotted around there isn't much else here, which maybe not to everyone's liking but perfect for us! If you like walking and climbing this campsite is a dream come true; Bowfell, Crinkle Crags, the Langdale Pikes and England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike are all accessible from the site. We walked up Pike O' Blisco and it was amazing. A gentler but equally lovely walk along the valley floor takes you to Chapelstile (The Wainright Inn) and on to Elterwater (The Britannia); it's about 7 miles round trip. You can get details of the walk from the shop but we thought £2.50 for a single sheet of A4 paper detailing a couple of walks was rather expensive so gave them a miss and used our OS.
Ambleside isn't far (about 6 miles) and Hawkshead and Grasmere are within an easy drive.
This site isn't perfect, nor is it cheap (£66 for 3 nights), but is worth it just for the magnificent location.
We have stayed at this campsite in June 2010 for a weeks holiday, then came back on the August Bank Holiday for the weekend and would go back again.
The site is ideally situated for lots of walks, there are plenty from the campsite and even more just a short drive away. There are also 3 nice pubs within a mile, all of which do nice food and aren't too over priced.
The site is flat and the pitches are spaced out nicely, although it is close to a river so midgies become a problem later on in the year.
There are 2 toilet and shower blocks on site, which are cleaned regularly, but are prone to spiders and other creepy crawlies! but there are plenty of toilets and 4 showers in each block, which have plenty of hot water. There are also electric points in the toilets blocks so you can take your own hairdryer and straightners! There are also washer and dryer facilities, which is useful if you get caught in a downpour while out walking!
There is a small shop on site which stocks the basics but you can re-freeze your cool box ice blocks which is very handy if you stay for more than one night.
The staff are all very friendly and very accommodating.
We have just come back from staying at this site and must say we loved it. Even though it was bank holiday weekend and they where fully booked it was not over crowded. We had pre-booked and so when we turned up they had allocated a pitch for us.
There are a couple of things that make this a good site, firstly there are different fields, group, family, advance booking and turn up and hope and because the National Trust keep to the 6m rule you don't feel like you are on top of another tent. There are 2 toilet/shower blocks, both with about 8 showers in each which are free, hot and welcoming after a day of walking. The staff on the site are friendly, helpful and welcoming.
There are some great walks within easy reach, breath taking views and wildlife running wild around the site, you bunnies know who I am talking about!
We will definitely be back here either later this year or next year.
We visited this site in August when unfortunately for us, the weather was very poor. However the beautiful setting of the site more than made up for the lousy weather.
We pitched our tent on a 'large family pitch' which we had prebooked over the internet some time ago. We were very impressed to discover that the tents were very well spaced apart, indeed they were all over the site.
The site is a hikers dream with plenty of walks for different abilities within walking distance, or a short drive away.
There are several pubs, all serving food, two well within walking distance. There is a well stocked on site shop and a co-op at Chapel stile, only about 3 miles away.
The shower and toilet facilities are basic but adequate but, whilst the actual fittings were fairly clean unfortunately all around the edges of the rooms and all over the lighting there were loads of huge cobwebs and lots and lots of spiders. It was the same in the dishwashing area and also the public phone box. I fail to see why these cannot be brushed away on a daily basis.
There were no electric hook up facilities on the site but it wasn't a problem.
However, I still thought the site was amazing. The highlight was looking up at the sky at night, I've never seen so many stars. There is very little lighting around the site which can prove difficult on late night trips to the loo but if you take a torch it's fine and worth it anyway to see a sky like that.
Look forward to our next visit, hopefully in better weather.
I have been staying at the Great Langdale campsite since I was about 5 years old, usually once a year from Spring to Autumn. Each time I have found the staff to be friendly and helpful. The on site shop sells all the basic food and equipment you may need.
The site caters easily for all kinds of visitors: from the pros to families, tourists to locals. The views are unbeatably breathtaking. The site offers easy access for campers to their vehicles. There are sufficient showering and washing facilities available that again cater for every basic need.
There is a play area for children and the people are always very friendly. I have at times met with people over the years that I originally met there.
I highly recommend this site and now use no other when visiting The Lake District. The campsite offers secluded easy and close access to many walks, climbs and other adventures. I really can't fault it except for the price - but you really do get what you pay for in the views and activities anyway.
We booked this National Trust campsite as we have visited before (it was easy and booking staff very helpful and friendly) and love the situation for walking and stunning scenery, and quality of local hostelries! Booking is such a bonus as we travel from Hampshire and cannot with children risk not getting in. We had a lovely spacious pitch with 360 views.
The site has a no noise policy after 11pm for all the climbers to get their energising sleep! For children thre is a playground and lots of sheep and wildlife to see. It is very safe and fenced in the family field. There are activities such as rock climbing and canoeing for the adventurous, that pick up from site. Ambleside is a 20 minute drive away and if walking the shop on site does not stock too much so remember to bring it with you! The campsite is well patrolled to ensure security.
The shower block has free hot showers and is very busy in the evenings as the walkers come back, the washing up area is clean. The only let down was the fact that the toilets are cleaned only daily and not stocked up outside this, there are no hand dryers and the towels run out fast and the toilet roll runs out / low by the morning the mens by the previous evening. An evening stock up would resolve this! The reception staff are friendly and the recyling facilities good. It is an incredible location, and we will be back.
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Common Questions
Is Great Langdale Campsite National Trust child friendly? YES, it accepts children & has a playground View all facilities
Where is the nearest shop to Great Langdale Campsite National Trust? There is a shop on site View all facilities
Is Great Langdale Campsite National Trust dog friendly? YES View all facilities
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All reviews and comments are the personal opinion of the review author only , and as such do not represent the view of the UK Camp Site.co.uk.
The facilities shown on this website are a guide only, and you should check with the campsite direct before making any booking. The UKCampsite.co.uk will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions
Tent Pitches 
No Caravans 
Motorhome Pitches 
Small Campervans 
Glamping Units 
No Statics for Hire 
No Statics for Sale 
No Seasonal Pitches 
Electric Hookups 
Hardstanding Pitches 
No Fully Serviced Pitches 
Families Welcome 
Not Members Only 
No Rallies 
Not Naturist Site 
Dogs Welcome 
No Dogs Allowed 
Groups Welcome 
Toilet Facilities 
Hot Showers 
Washing Up 
No Bathroom 
No Baby Changing 
Laundry On Site 
Drinking Water 
Disabled Friendly 
No Chemical Disposal 
No Battery Charging 
Gas Exchange 
No Recycling Facilities 
Kitchen Facilities 
Freezer / Fridge 
No Motorhome Point 
No Wifi Access 
Shop On Site 
Bar <1 mile 
Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway <1 mile 
Kids Playground 
No TV Room 
No Games Room 
No Evening Ents 
No Fishing 
No Wild Swimming 
Indoor Pool <5 miles 
No Outdoor Pool 
No Horse Riding 
Cycle Hire On Site 
No Golf 
No Tennis 
No Beach 
Watersports <10 miles 
No Boat Launch 
No Sea Views 
Not Working Farm 
No Campfires Allowed 
Open All Year 
No Waterside Pitches 
Public Transport <1 mile
Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access 
Spent one night at this great campsite in Langdale valley. 
