A peaceful family-run farm campsite near Carlisle, Dalston and the Lake District
Welcome to Camping at Cardewlees — a small, friendly farm campsite on our family’s working land just outside Dalston and only minutes from Carlisle. If you love peaceful campsites in Cumbria, a campsites near the Lake District but not in it, or an easy-going countryside base for your tents, trailer tents, tourers, or motorhomes, you’ve found the right place.
Our setting is simple: rolling fields, big skies, fells on the southern horizon and a warm hello whenever you arrive. As a genuine family business, we take pride in keeping the site relaxed, tidy and welcoming all year round, whether you’re pitching a tent, booking a grass pitch, settling onto an all-weather pitch, or staying cosy in one of our camping pods or bell tents.
Cardewlees is a tiny hamlet in the parish of Dalston, just outside the village. It’s a scatter of farms and homes connected by a rural lane that historic records show was already used as a byway as far back as 1300. People have been travelling this way for centuries, and our family has been here for over a hundred years.
The Glaister family have farmed in Cumbria for generations. Before settling here, the family worked the land near Silloth. In 1928, seeking better land and room to grow, three brothers and their grandfather made the move to Cardewlees — walking 60 cows nearly 20 miles, all the way from Silloth to their new home. It was a bold step that set the tone for the farm’s future.
Their goal was simple but ambitious for the time: to double the herd and put down long-term roots. And they did.
Those three brothers — Joe, John and George — shaped much of the early life of Cardewlees Farm. George later emigrated to Australia. Two houses were built at the bottom of the lane around 65 years ago with the idea that Joe and George would live there, but plans changed, and it was John, along with Johnny’s mum and dad, who made the farmhouse their home.
The next generation of Glaisters, Billy and Johnny, grew up here — in fact, Cardewlees is the only home they’ve ever known.
Johnny and Becki returned to the farm in 2006, married here in 2008, and welcomed their first child in 2010, beginning the another generation of the Glaisters at Cardewlees.
Today the farm is still very much lived-in, worked-on and loved. It’s the kind of place where tractors pass the kitchen window, dogs wander between the fields, campers and neighbours stop for a chat at the gate.
The campsite is the newest chapter in the farm’s long story. Over the years we found more and more people asking if they could stay on the land for a peaceful break close to the Lake District but without the crowds.
So we opened Camping at Cardewlees. The vision was for a small, easy-going Cumbrian camping park with space for tents, touring caravans, campervans, motorhomes and cosy camping pods. We soon created the first of our much-loved hot tub pitches for anyone wanting a little extra comfort.
Whether it’s a quick weekend camping escape or a longer touring holiday, guests tell us the farm feels like a quiet break from busy life — close enough to the Lake District for easy days out, but tucked away from the rush.
Cardewlees sits in open countryside with views toward the northern fells. We’re:
This location makes us ideal for families, walkers, cyclists, dog owners, and anyone who wants the best of both worlds: a quiet farm base near city conveniences and spectacular scenery.
As a small farm campsite, we focus on what campers actually need:
And… because we’re a real working farm, guests often tell us staying here feels like stepping into proper Cumbrian countryside — not a commercial holiday park.
We run an active Facebook group where we share site updates, local Cumbria events, weather news, dog-walking tips and anything else that might help guests enjoy their stay. Campers also use it to ask questions and swap ideas for things to do in the area.
Whether you’re here for a Lake District adventure, a quiet family holiday, a hot-tub camping treat, or simply a peaceful campsite near Carlisle, guests tell us they return because:
We’d love to welcome you soon and share our Dalston campsite in this peaceful little corner of the Cumbrian countryside.
