Kestrel Lodge Campsite

Louise Smith and Andrea Bramhall seem to have found a winning formula – find an old farm in the most enviable location thinkable, give it a good make-over with a lawn-mower, a few sign posts and a spanking new block of showers, then open up the gates and let the campers roll in! Their first campsite in North Norfolk – that they took over 10 years ago – received a solid two thumbs up from all the Hipcamp clan – and it's no surprise that the same is true at Kestrel Lodge. And to top it off, they've been joined by Louise's parents Sue and Dave to make it a family-run campsite for all the generations.

Set in the shadow of mighty Skiddaw, climbing away to the south east, and a stone’s throw from sparkling Bassenthwaite Lake to the south west, Kestrel Lodge Camping is a traditional Lakeland campsite on an 18th-century farm. Grassy pitches enjoy stonking great vistas across the adjacent fields to where the hills rise and fall, speckled with woodland like barnacles on a whale's back.

There’s nothing formulaic about the welcome you receive though. Louise, Andrea and the three generations of family brought together to share the dream, are personable and friendly and just as in awe of the surroundings as most visitors. They can point you in the direction of each of the nine Wainwrights walkable from the campsite, as well as the nearest pub – a cosy little spot in Bassenthwaite with real ales on tap. It’s with fond memories that they too remember their younger days camping here and it’s clear they want to explore the surroundings of their new home as much as every guest. You almost feel guilty trekking off into the hills without them.

The ethos, they tell us, is “small, quiet, friendly, traditional, but with nice hot showers, and somewhere to clean your boots and dogs.” And the result is the very antithesis of a holiday park. For proper camping with proper views, Kestrel Lodge should be top of the list.