Church Stile Farm And Holiday Park (opens in new tab) campsite
about 2.3 km from the start, in a straight line
The only independent inside the radius, 2.34 km from the start, and the only one whose owner you can talk to on a local number. What makes it worth the extra 1.2 km over the hostel is what sits at reception: a farm shop with essentials, Wasdale-reared meat, a camping range and takeaway coffee and Mawson's ice cream, free wifi, and a paid phone-charging service. For the non-walking half of the party there is a play area with swings and climbing frames, and Nether Wasdale's two inns are a two-minute walk for the evening meal the site itself does not serve. Two hard limits: the pods take 2 adults + 2 children and no more, and the park is shut from 14 October to 26 March - book anything here for a November weekend and there is nothing to book. Nothing on the page states a drying room or a dog policy either way, so ring before you arrive wet or with a dog.
Reception is also the farm shop. It stocks bread, butter, baked beans, local milk and eggs, meat reared in Wasdale, and a small camping range - walking poles, maps, compass, camping gas, chairs, socks - so a forgotten map or an empty gas canister is a two-mile fix rather than a drive to the coast.
- Family rooms “We offer a diverse range of family friendly options for your stay including camping pitches, electric hook-ups, hardstanding pitches for motorhomes and campervans, static caravans to rent, static caravans to buy”
- Children “Our 3 Pods are recent additions. Sleeping up to 4 (2 adults + 2 children) they offer a warm and dry base from which to explore this wonderful part of England.”