First camping adventure with our son| Lake District (campsite review)
We visited lake District for the very first time back in 2012, it was our first ever British camping trip and I knew it wasn’t the last one! We went back a good few times after that. So when our son was born we really wanted to show him our happy place, hoping that he will love it as much as we do! A year later, when he was only 15 months old at the time, still breastfed and pretty loud especially at night we decided to give it a go and take little one camping! And he loved it! We slept in our empty van, on homemade pillows that we normally used on our pallet garden furniture , somehow they fitted perfectly on the van floor creating the most comfortable bed! We made them with our old memory foam mattress, fabric came from a charity shop and used my mum’s exceptional sawing skills to put it all together! We also managed to buy this super old school tent awning that was attaching perfectly to the side of our van creating a little kitchenette/dining area. Posh camping some could say! It certainly felt this way, after camping in a little tent for few years ;)
Now more about the location and campsite. I reluctantly want to share info about this little gem of a campsite, but what’s the point of this blog if I don’t share my favourite places with everyone!
https://sidefarmcampsite.co.uk/
“Side Farm, on the eastern side of the Lake District, might just be one of the most scenically situated campsites on the planet, sandwiched as it is between the steep slopes of Place Fell to the rear and the sylvan shores of Ullswater at its front. The view across the lake to the Helvellyn Fells is one of the most compelling and beautiful sights in England, and to be able to simply open the tent every morning onto this stunning scene is reason enough to stay a while at Side Farm.” (source: https://coolcamping.com/campsites/uk/england/north-west-england/cumbria/glenridding/1207-side-farm-campsite)
I loved the fact that the campsite has direct access to the lake, so it’s perfect for those who love water like we do! Bring your sup or a kayak and just rent one from the across the lake and you can even go boat fishing if you like!
The facilities are basic, so don’t expect anything crazy! Hot showers are free J There is a little kitchen area with sinks and laundry room with few washing machines and dryers. The ground is not perfectly even, so you have to choose wisely how to set up you tent, depending which side you prefer roll over to ;) Just kidding, it’s not that terrible. Side farm can get pretty busy especially over summer weekends. They don’t allow campfires, but allow dogs. I’m not 100% how their booking system works currently (2022) but until recently they operated on first come first serve basis, so no booking was required. Worth giving them a ring prior to you arrival.
Some people in review section on Cool camping complained about the entrance to this campsite saying that it’s not very well suited for low vehicles or bigger campervans (in fact they only allow small to medium campervans/motohomes anyway, apart from tents of course). The path is kind of like a rocky dirt track, but we’ve never had any issues with getting there in all sorts of different vehicles we had over the years.
There is no electric hook-ups, phone signal is pretty much non-existent, so make sure to stock up on those power banks and solar chargers J There is a small cafe on site where you can buy, coffee, amazing cakes, ice creams and some souvenirs. The nearest pubs are only 15 minutes walk away and nearest shop is only a 20–30-minute walk or 15-minute kayak ride.
We loved taking a trip on Ullswater Steamers to the other side of the lake to Pooley Bridge (https://www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk/) . There is also Aira Force waterfall worth seeing (we didn’t go this time but have seen it in a past and will definitely go back).
One thing you have to be careful especially during summer months are algae that often appear in the lake. Some blue-green algae can produce toxins, some do not. However, exposure to any blue-green algae blooms can cause health effects in people and animals when water with blooms is touched, swallowed, or when airborne droplets are inhaled.
I am looking forward to visiting this place once again later this year. It’s one of those campsites that I have to visit at least every 2 years and it’s been way too long! Here are some photos from our 2018 trip, taken with my trusty Fijufilm x100s camera, with fixed lense (23mm) some pix were taken with my phone and gopro camera. Hope you will like these
