Camping in Kettlewell

Wild camping without the landowner's permission is against the law in England, Kettlewell included, so pitching up on the open fellside around Great Whernside or Buckden Pike is not an option here without first asking. Fortunately Upper Wharfedale has a good spread of proper campsites within a short distance of the village, ranging from simple farm fields with basic facilities to larger sites with showers, hook-ups and space for tourers, tents and campervans alike. The terrain around Kettlewell is classic Dales limestone country: steep-sided valleys, drystone-walled pastures and open moorland tops, so pitches tend to sit on the flatter valley floor near the Wharfe rather than up on the fells themselves, and even summer nights can turn cool once the sun drops behind the dale sides, so a good sleeping bag is worth packing whatever the season.

Late spring through early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping here, when the ground has dried out after winter and the long daylight hours leave plenty of time for walking Great Whernside, following the Dales Way, or simply sitting out with a view of the fells. The August Scarecrow Festival brings a lively atmosphere to the village and its campsites but also its busiest weekend of the year, so booking ahead is wise if you want to combine the two. Outside that window, autumn camping can be beautiful and much quieter, with bracken turning gold on the fellsides, though nights draw in fast and a decent tent and layers matter more than they do in July.

For those who want the Dales scenery without pitching a tent themselves, glamping has taken hold across Upper Wharfedale in recent years, with shepherd's huts, pods and safari-style tents offering a warmer, more sheltered alternative that still puts you right in the landscape. Many of these sit on working farms in the dale, giving a genuine sense of rural Yorkshire life alongside easy access to Kettlewell's pubs, shop and the walking routes that fan out from the village in every direction.