This was our second visit to Ullswater. We camped the first time and stayed in a camping pod at The Quiet Site in August 2025. It was AA Campsite of the Year in 2024, and it is a lovely spot, about 3 miles from Pooley Bridge. Oddly enough, we thought we had booked somewhere different, specifically Side Farm Campsite in nearby Patterdale, having strolled through it on our last visit. This is what happens when you book things in a rush, two days before setting off! Ah well, as they say, a change is as good as a dried fish.*
The Quiet Site didn’t disappoint. Accommodation can be had in tents, mobile homes, static caravans, ‘Hobbit’ holes (no round door, but it had a grassed roof) or camping pods. A camping pod sleeps two and is well equipped with some cooking facilities, an en-suite bathroom, and a patio area. You need to look at the photos to get a sense of the place. Importantly, our pod faced outwards towards some trees, and a little babbling stream provided the ambient soundtrack. The positioning of the pod gave us a feeling of privacy. Of the 23 similar pods, numbers one to ten are within the camps’ ‘streets’ and are overlooked. Pods one and two in particular are in a rather public area. I wouldn’t have liked them.
The campsite was pretty quiet. Naturally, there were kids running about during the day and some dogs around, but it was serenely peaceful in the evenings. There is a decent pub, which shuts at 10.00 pm, with live music once a week, apparently. There is also a little kitchen on the site, which serves pizza from a wood-fired oven in the early evenings and offers some breakfast baps in the morning. A two minute drive away is Ullswater Holiday Park which has a chippy you can visit. Hmm… Great quality fish, but way too heavy on the batter. One portion of chips would feed two.
A mile or so down the road is the Brackenrigg Inn, and I thought it was a good boozer, certainly if you like a decent pint of beer. The soundtrack was right up my street too, with a good mix of 1970s soul and pop tunes. Pooley Bridge is a healthy hour’s walk away. There are plenty of pubs and restaurants there. We had planned an evening meal at one place but decided our patio back at camp was too nice not to enjoy, so we got a picnic and went back for a chilled evening.
A particularly excellent idea is the Ullswater Hopper Bus, which goes around the lake, stopping at campsites. It only stops at each site four times a day during the holiday season, and a campaign is afoot to extend the service. But it’s a great idea and means you can get out and about whilst leaving the car behind. Taxis are expensive if your benchmark is an Uber in a populous area.
We caught the bus to the Howtown side of the lake intending to walk back along the shore to Pooley Bridge. But we couldn’t spot the path and, not fancying a walk along a narrow road, opted for the ferry. This gave us the opportunity to visit an intriguing place we’d been to before. The Howtown Hotel.
It must be a truly unique place to stay. Last time we were here, it was open as a typical hotel although with certain idiosyncrasies. Even about five years ago, they didn’t take online bookings, would be guests had to write a letter to enquire on vacancies. The décor and style is uncompromisingly… 1930s? It’s hard to describe. If Jacob Rees-Mogg ever designed a hotel, he’d come up with this.
I found it to be very charming, like a film set. Croquet on the lawn, Brylcreem and full whites for tennis, smoking jacket optional. The Times, freshly ironed in the morning, and a bedpan to warm the mattress at night. Nowadays there are some self-catering cottages, and the hotel is only open to larger parties of around a dozen or so for weekend hire. If you wanted a relaxing weekend with a difference, the Howtown Hotel would certainly deliver that. If you’re ever in the area, it’s worth a trip. Visit the tea room and sit on the benches on the lawn. Gorgeous.
Ullswater is my favourite lake in the area, though I’d say Hawkshead is my favourite town. It doesn’t get the crowds that can swamp Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside, and Keswick. There are fewer amenities, pubs, restaurants than in those places, but that ensures Ullswater is more laid back. That the scenery is gorgeous goes without saying. A walk around the area is likely to be punctuated with many pauses just to take in the views.
On our last day we nipped over to Buttermere for a stroll round, two hours is sufficient. It is a beautiful spot. Mind you, the journey by car is only for a confident driver. The roads get pretty narrow over the mountain passes.
Should you go?
I can certainly recommend The Quiet Site for a relaxing break. It offers a lot, and all the pitches, whatever the style of accommodation, are well organised and spaced out. The staff are friendly, professional and helpful. Our camping pod cost us £120 a night in high season, and we loved it. In fact, we loved it so much we stayed an extra night for £150, more expensive as it was on the weekend.
* Nobody says that, you fool.
Should I Go 2 