Van Life Campsites in Cumbria

Cumbria and the Lake District need little introduction to British van lifers. England's largest national park — recently the Lake District World Heritage Site — is the headline destination, but the wider county offers much more: the Eden Valley, the North Pennines AONB, and the Solway Coast are all outstanding and largely crowd-free.

The Lakes themselves are busy in summer, but farm sites throughout Cumbria maintain a tradition of affordable, informal camping. Coniston, Grasmere, and Ullswater all have good options — book ahead for July and August. The quieter eastern fells around Shap and the Kentmere valley are as beautiful as the central Lakes and often have sites available when everywhere else is full.

For van lifers wanting to escape the tourist trail, the North Pennines AONB — the UK's largest AONB — extends into Cumbria around the Eden Valley. This is wild, empty country: peat moorland, glacial drumlins, and farming communities that have changed little in 50 years.