Tarnfoot Farm Campsite
Cumbria
Simple tents-only site by Loughrigg Tarn, 3 miles from Grasmere
About Tarnfoot Farm Campsite
Tarnfoot Farm is a working farm campsite tucked beneath Loughrigg Fell, close to the small and little-visited Loughrigg Tarn rather than the busier Grasmere lake itself. It is one of the more basic sites in this part of the Lakes, and that simplicity is very much the point: an open field with fell views on most sides, well away from main roads, and no attempt at the facilities or organisation of a larger holiday park.
The site accepts tents only, with no electric hook-ups and no bookable pitches - arrival is on a first-come, first-served basis, and campers simply find a spot and pay on site. Facilities amount to two toilets, a sink for washing up, chemical waste disposal and a supply of drinking water, along with a small on-site sale of ice creams and soft drinks in season. There is no shop, no shower block and no wifi, so this suits campers equipped for a genuinely simple, low-cost stay rather than those wanting hot showers after a day on the fells.
Loughrigg Tarn itself is a short walk from the pitches and is a popular, relatively secluded wild swimming spot in warmer weather, while Loughrigg Fell rises directly behind the site, giving quick access to one of the best short, accessible summits in the central Lakes. Grasmere village is around three miles away by road or a longer but scenic route on foot over the fell, and Ambleside is a similar distance in the other direction, making Tarnfoot Farm a workable, if unglamorous, base for exploring both.