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Reviews of Sykeside Camping Park

Q: Is Sykeside Camping Park child friendly?

YES, it accepts children View all facilities

Q: Where is the nearest shop to Sykeside Camping Park?

There is a shop on site View all facilities

Campsite Search > UK > North West England > Lake District & Cumbria > Penrith > Sykeside Camping Park > Reviews

Sykeside Camping Park
Brotherswater
Patterdale (lake District)
Penrith
Cumbria (Browse area)
CA11 0NZ
Tel: 01768 482239
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Pitches: 111
Open: 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2024
01/01/2025 to 31/12/2025

Rating:

8/10 from 155 Reviews

Photos (20)

Tent Pitches	Caravan Pitches	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	Show Full Facilities

Who's it for
Families Welcome	Not Members Only	No Rallies	Not Naturist Site
Dogs Welcome	No Dogs Allowed	Groups Welcome	Motorbikers Welcome
Facilities
Toilet Facilities	Hot Showers	Washing Up	No Bathroom
Baby Changing Facilities	Laundry On Site	Drinking Water	Disabled Friendly
Chemical Disposal	Battery Charging	Gas Exchange	No Recycling Facilities
No Kitchen Facilities	Freezer / Fridge	No Motorhome Point	No Wifi Access
Shop On Site	Bar On Site	Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site
Activities
No Playground	No TV Room	No Games Room	No Evening Ents
Fishing <1 mile	Wild Swimming <1 mile	No Indoor Pool	No Outdoor Pool
Horse Riding <5 miles	Cycle Hire <5 miles	No Golf	No Tennis
No Beach	Watersports <5 miles	Boat Launch / Mooring <5 miles
Other Features
No Sea Views	Not Working Farm	Campfires Allowed	Open All Year
No Waterside Pitches	Public Transport <1 mile	Offroad Dog Walk On Site or Direct Access
Electric Car Charging Point

Reviews: 155 in total, now showing 91 to 100 Previous 10 Next 10

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Date of Visit: October 2010

Unit: Campervan

Nights stayed: 2

Travelling as: Young couple

Reviewer: Metalhead

45 reviews from this member

Spent two nights at Sykeside in what has to be one of the Lake District’s most scenic and beautiful areas right at the foot of Kirkstone Pass. We took my mother-in-law, who stayed at the Brotherswater Inn who run and own Sykeside, while we camped at Sykeside, so everyone was happy.

We were met with friendly staff within the hotel and down at the campsite too. The campsite has a decent shop with the Barn End Bar tagged on the rear of the building. Early October now but the bar was open late afternoon for a quick pint or two. Nice to see the campsite bar has an ale or two different to the main Inn though we didn’t eat in the Barn End Bar, choosing to sit in the Brotherswater Inn and admiring the high up vantage point.

The campsite itself is well laid out. All the vans in one side parked around the edges where the hook ups are. The central portion looked a bit boggy but we had heavy rain the previous week. There was another camping field off to the left anyway.

The site has a dog walking area, and there’s a nice path at the end of the site that leads to Brotherswater and on to Patterdale in one direction, and up into the hills the other way. You could probably find endless walks from this campsite.

The facilities were clean and tidy. I saw the site warden in there mopping the floors at 10 in the evening, making sure they were kept clean. The toilet cubicles were a little cramped but not really a problem. The showers were included and although some have said they had issues with the water temperature, I had a shower one of the evenings and it wasn’t a problem.

There are warning signs as the water is sourced from the fells. Despite the site getting busier through the weekend, the facilities never looked too busy. Main downside to the showers is the fixed head. The spray reaches the door and anything hanging up on it with no shower curtain to protect anything. It became a bit of a juggling act to stop my clothes getting wet while I showered.

I’d recommend strolling up to the main Inn for breakfast. It sets you up for the day, and the views from the panoramic windows are spectacular. I could never tire of a breakfast view like that!

We were happy with the site and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, or return ourselves. The location is gorgeous. Mum-in-law loved the main hotel too. It seems the area was popular with walkers, cyclists, families, just about everyone really.

Date of Visit: September 2010

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: I_eric

2 reviews from this member

This was 3rd time camping and first time on this site. We had driven by it last time we were up in The Lakes and thought we would give it a go purely because of its location. It's in a stunning spot with spectacular fells surrounding it.

It's a nice size site, not to big or small, and has that feeling I like of being a bit out of the way. It really chucked it down through the week prior to us getting there, and when we were there, so the ground was a bit soggy in the middle, but we found a nice little high spot that was dry.

The facilities are good. The shower/toilet/laundry block was perfectly adequate. Seen some others say there wasn't much hot water. Not this time. It was piping and plentiful. All the facilities are free, except washing machines, at point of use and were of a good standard and are regular cleaned.

The shop is well stocked with essentials and the staff were very helpful and nice to boot. There is a cracking pub, which I think is run by the site, at the entrance which sells fabulous food, which was hot, loads of it and served promptly. We didn't use the little Barn End Bar but it looked cosy and busy.

Would we go back? Yes. Would we recommend it? Absolutely

Date of Visit: August 2010

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Minsterman64

4 reviews from this member

Visited this site for the about fifth or sixth time though not been for about 10 years so I was curious to see what changes if any had taken place. The only change to previous visits was that we had to put the tent up in the rain. Having been camping for many years I suppose I should count myself as fortunate that this was the first time I'd ever had to do this and we all got soaked to the skin.Not that I'm blaming the site for this!

I was pleased to see that very little had changed and it was pretty much as I recall it.

So the plus for me without a doubt are the spectacular views you can get on this site. Definitely the biggest reason for pitching up here. Whilst the ground got very wet as we had 24 hours of showers and heavy rain with little break it soon drained.

Toilets and showers were fine, hot water was variable. It's either very hot or very tepid depending on when you go the showers though I never had to queue for either showers or dishwashing facilities. One thing to be wary of in the mens showers ( and I'd guess the same in the ladies) is that a plastic bag to put your clothes in is handy as the cubicles are quite small and the showers certainly send a spray out. If you hang your clothes on the door you may find they get damp!

The shop was fine and sold handy packs of bacon.Think it was about £1.80 for six rashers which was great for bacon roll at breakfast.

We also ate in the pub at the top, Brotherswater Inn, and did find it busy, maybe more so as the bar on the site was closed until the weekend ( we camped mid week).The food was the usual pub fare with maybe a pound or two stuck on the price. Certainly had one or two nice real ales though which was great.

My top tip. If your after a cheap meal then I'd recommend heartily the pub called Lakeview ( I think) which is in the modern building near where the boats depart from in Windermere.( How on earth did they get planning permission for that.It looks so out of place?) We had a carvery meal there which cost £3.49 each and was excellent value with a nice view over the lake. Got to admit the pub has seen better days but for just over £3 I'm not going to complain too much!

Despite all the warnings about the badgers we never saw a single one though ten years ago we did.My youngest was gutted!

Date of Visit: August 2010

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Morland05

2 reviews from this member

Site is in an absolutely stunning setting. Ideal for keen fell walkers and outdoor loving families. There are walks to suit all ages and abilities right on your door step. No real children's play facilities, but there is an area set aside for kids to play ball and let off steam.

There is a well stocked and reasonably priced shop on site and also a bar and pub, but I did not use these.

The site is expensive in relation to the quality of the facilities, but you really are paying for the area and the view, not the quality of facilities.

The toilet block is set quite away from where you camp both the toilet block and wash area is very dated and shabby inside, and would benefit from a lick of paint all round and there are broken floor tiles in the ladies shower block.

Strangely the toilets and showers are cloesd for 2 hours each day for cleaning. So whilst they might be clean for an hour or so afterwards, by the time everyone had used them for 24 hours they are quite disgusting. Common sense would be to clean them little and often!

The showers are dated and small impractical cubicles if trying to shower with little ones. The water temp is a real issue. In the morning the water is hot enough to really scald, so don't let little ones wash their hands in the loos unattended, but by teatime, when you want the showers after a days walking the water is freezing!

On arrival we were told to pitch anywhere we liked. Once pitched the warden came along and complained we had not left enough room to get his ride on lawnmower round our tent. Whilst I have no problem with site maintenance, this chap to it to a new level, skimming the blades of his lawnmower as close to peoples tents and pegs as he possibly could. .

Still, there is no denying the spectacular setting of this site and if like us you are keen walkers then its a good site to use as a base to get right into the mountains for walks.

Date of Visit: August 2010

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Shinwhip

1 review from this member

We had booked for three nights at Sykeside on the recommendation of a friend. It was the first time we had visited and we were smitten!

We had the intention of spending a further two nights at another nearby campsite that had more facilities for the children, however our five year old and three year old enjoyed Sykeside so much that they wanted to stay and we extended our stay another couple of nights.

I had called ahead to ask what time we were able to camp up and was told that we could arrive as early as we wanted. We arrived at about 9am. We were welcomed by a very pleasant lady in reception who then told us to camp where we wanted. We chose to camp at the far end of the field near the stone wall and the farm track. The warden popped over to say hello, very friendly chap indeed.

Sykeside is situated in an astoundinly beautiful location. The site is nestled in the Dovedale valley at the foot of Hartsop Dodd on the Kirkstone Pass. A very short drive to Glenridding and Patterdale with Ambleside just slightly further afield on a nice drive down the Kirkstone Pass. There are some lovely walks situated right on the doorstep with fishing available at Brotherswater. We had prime viewing of the local farmer and his collie herding up the sheep on the side of hartsop dodd, a locely site to see. Quite humourous listening to the dialogue between shepherd and dog, not what I have ever heard on One Man and his Dog, the campsite owner later told me that the farmers dog is deaf as a post and gets lost when she gets amongst the bracken :-)

I have gave the site 9 out of 10 for location, the only reason I haven't opted for 10/10 is that the site is right on the Kirkstone Pass, the road is relatively quiet however the road is a 'driving road' and heaven for drivers and motorcyclists, my 3 year old has a habit of wandering and on one of his expeditions we found him up by the road. Other than that couldn't ask for better and it certainly wouldn't deter us!

The site itself has a small shop in the reception which is surprisingly reasonably priced! There are two pubs on the site, the Brotherswater Inn which also offers B&B accommodation at very reasonable prices, and also the Barn End Bar which appears to be only open on weekends. Both pubs are very warm and inviting and the food is very nice and very reasonably priced. ( Despite planning not to eat out at all we ate out at the pub every night! ). The staff were very welcoming to our three young children also.

There isn't much in the way of facilities for children, there is no playground as such althoguh there is a sports/games field and as I said earlier the pub and site are very welcoming to young families. My children were quite content having day's out in the local area walking and exploring. The toilet and shower facilities were clean and I had a hot shower everytime I went and didn't have to wait. Washing up and laundry facilities were clean when we used them.

We did suffer some quite heavy rain while we were there and as a result some of the grass near the centre of the main field had become quite chewed up where people had been driving on it, the warden then cordened this area off from cars for a couple of days while the ground dried off, which is fair play. While the weather can't be controlled, the location of the site means that some of the open areas in the centre of the field can get a bit breezy when the wind channels down the mountain pass. We avoided this by camping close to the stone wall and there are lots of sheltered spots around the perimeter.

There is a no groups policy and also quiet time after 11pm. Midway through our stay we ended up with a very rowdy group of adults camping next to us that resulted in very excessive noise at 3am. The warden was very swift to deal with this however and the group soon moved on. (I'm no party pooper and I'm usually one of the noisiest at Leeds Festival, but it was extremely excessive). Nevertheless the warden was on the ball and ensured the rest of the site were able to enjoy their stay.

Our only disappointment was that we couldn't get booked for bank holiday as the site was full! We will certainly be visiting again soon.

Date of Visit: July 2010

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Phiwinuk

3 reviews from this member

Visited for a second time. Beautiful location with good well drained pitches. Play facilities for children limited - just a field set aside for games - though they seemed to enjoy themselves despite mixed weather.

Campers bar good, though can get busy on a wet evening (and also when the quiz night is on).

Not cheap, though reasonable facilities provided. As others have mentioned, water sometimes can be less than hot - time your shower visits well!

Date of Visit: May 2010

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Henshawcapes

13 reviews from this member

Sykeside is set in stunning scenery. There are fantastic views from the site and when the sun shines, it must be one of the most picturesque sites in the Lakes.

Good points:

•The views – we looked at High Hartsop Dodd and decided to climb it on one of the days we stayed at the site. We walked a circular route via Caiston Glen – suitable for active 6 and 9 year olds

•The pub on the site serves well priced food – with hand pulled beet too. The Wainwright is recommended! However, at peak times it gets very busy, so get there early as it was evident that some diners had their meal and then settled in for the night and kept their table

•The site is very well kept – the grass is neatly trimmed and well cared for

•Walks from the site suit all ages and abilities – if you are a runner, there is a decent route along Brother’s Water to Patterdale

•The shop is well stocked

Not so good:

•There are signs saying the the hot water is prone to running out at peak times – the water never seemed warm to us

•The toilet block needs some work – it is rather primitive and can not cope with a full site in the rain. Maybe they need to clean it more during times of inclement weather? Some of the floor tiles need replacing too.

•The entrance to the site is quite tight with a caravan/campervan – enter via the pub car park if you are travelling from Kirkstone Pass

•It is a shame that the caravan area (5 pitches) is at the top of the park as the views are restricted by the high trees

Date of Visit: February 2010

Unit: Motorhome

Reviewer: Brendanr2004

662 reviews from this member

Spent a weekend at this excellent camp site. It is situated about two miles from Patterdale, at the foot of the Kirkstone Pass. It's one of the best spots in the lakes for walking and you'll struggle to find a better site for scenery. At the site, you have the Eastern fells, like High Street and Angle Tarn Pikes at one side, and the Helvellyn/Fairfield fells on the other. A medium length walk from the site to Priest's Hole cave is worth trying. There's also easy access to Ullswater and Ambleside.

Facilities on site are good,with an excellent pub serving great food, as well as a shop (in season only). Showers are adequate, but hot water is prone to running out! All pitches have great views and there are hard standings for motorhomes.

Date of Visit: February 2010

Unit: Other

Reviewer: Funkyshar

1 review from this member

Well. This is one of the most fabulous views that you can get !

We stayed in the 'bunkhouses' which were very cold and the kitchen was very mouldy. Which was a let down as there were 9 of us staying within 3 different bunk rooms. So eating out 3 meals a day wasn't an option and would of been too expensive. So we muddled through.

Other than that we would definitely go back but stay in a tent. The views, walks, and the Lake were fabulous. The pub on site was good too although we walked to the 'White Lion' In patterdale which was more reasonable priced.

The staff at Sykeside were nice enough. There was a certain 'odd' about them and it took a while to get them to smile. But once we had sorted that out they were ok !

This is an Ideal location for a walking holiday with Patterdale and Glenridding only a couple of miles away. The shop on site is closed this time of year but there are small convenience shops in the next villages.

Overall a good Holiday just disappointed with the standard of accommodation.

Date of Visit: November 2009

Unit: Motorhome

Reviewer: Mulberrybush

21 reviews from this member

This is a nice location at the end of Brotherswater, lots of good walks from site. The Brotherswater Inn next door was excellent. We stayed on the CL part of the site but it all looked clean and tidy. Basic clean facilities and friendly welcome. However it is expensive for what you get and beware - the shower block lights are on a timer and if there is no-one else in there you may find yourself having to leave the cubicle in the middle of a shower and wander around to get the lights back on.

Previous 155 Reviews in total, now showing 91 to 100 Next

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Common Questions

Is Sykeside Camping Park child friendly?  YES, it accepts children  View all facilities

Where is the nearest shop to Sykeside Camping Park?  There is a shop on site  View all facilities

Is Sykeside Camping Park dog friendly?  YES  View all facilities

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