Camping in Crooklands

Crooklands has no campsite of its own, but its position close to the southern fells and the limestone country around Farleton and Whitbarrow makes it a reasonable jumping-off point for campers heading further into the Lyth Valley or towards Kendal and the national park proper. As anywhere in England, wild camping is not a legal right and pitching up on open fell or farmland without the landowner's permission is technically trespass, whatever the informal tolerance sometimes found deeper in the Lake District; anyone wanting to camp near Crooklands should use a proper site or seek permission directly.

The terrain around Crooklands itself is gentle, low-lying farmland and canal-side path rather than fell country, so this is not somewhere associated with classic Lakeland wild camping. The nearby limestone hills, Farleton Fell, Hutton Roof and Whitbarrow, are more rugged but still largely private farmland or nature reserve, where camping without permission is not appropriate. Campers are better served treating Crooklands as a stopover en route to established sites further into the Lyth Valley, around Kendal, or in the honeypot camping areas of the southern Lakes around Windermere and Coniston.

The best camping season here runs from late spring to early autumn, broadly May to September, when longer days and drier ground make both the canal towpath walking and any fellside routes further afield more comfortable; Cumbria's weather can turn wet and changeable at any time of year, so waterproof kit is always worth packing. For those who prefer a roof and four walls without booking a hotel, glamping options such as shepherd's huts, pods and small-scale canvas lodges are increasingly common across South Lakeland and the Lyth Valley, offering a softer introduction to the area's countryside than a tent on open ground.