The Lake District holds the densest run of caravan sites in northern England, and the geography means most of them sit in a handful of valleys with limited ways in and out. Choosing the right base matters more here than almost anywhere else in the country.
Where the sites are
The southern lakes around Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside are the busiest and the most convenient, and Bowness on Windermere is open all year. Keswick and Braithwaite form the northern cluster, close to Derwentwater, Borrowdale and the Newlands valley; Braithwaite also opens through the winter. Coniston, Eskdale and Great Langdale hold smaller sites with harder access. Away from the honeypots, the Eden Valley around Penrith and Appleby and the coast near Silloth are far quieter and still within an hour of the fells.
Getting there
The M6 does the heavy lifting. Junction 36 and the A590 serve the south lakes; Junction 40 and the A66 serve Keswick and the north. The A66 across from Penrith is exposed and gets closed to high-sided vehicles in winter gales, but is otherwise an easy tow.
The A591 from Windermere through Ambleside and Grasmere to Keswick is the road everyone uses and it handles caravans fine — narrow through Ambleside, slow behind coaches, never steep enough to trouble a decent tow car. Run through Ambleside outside 10am to 4pm in August if you can.
Local notes
Hardknott and Wrynose reach 1 in 3 with unguarded hairpins. Do not attempt them with a caravan whatever a sat nav suggests. Eskdale sites are reached from the west, via the A595 and Santon Bridge. The Struggle from Ambleside up to Kirkstone Pass is likewise off limits with a van; use the A592 from Troutbeck Bridge if you are heading for Ullswater.
Whinlatter on the B5292 and Honister on the B5289 are both manageable but steep enough to want cool brakes and a low gear on the descent.
