Camping in Maryport

Maryport is a good option for anyone wanting a camping base with the coast on one side and the Lake District fells within reach on the other. As in the rest of England, wild camping is not legal here without the landowner's permission, so a stay means booking into one of the caravan and camping sites near the harbour and marina, several of which also offer glamping pods for a step up in comfort without losing the coastal setting. The terrain around Maryport is gentler than the fells further inland, dominated by the flat expanses of the Solway saltmarsh and mudflats rather than mountains, which makes it a comfortable spot for camping trips built around walking the coast path rather than serious hill days, though the open aspect does mean sites here catch more wind than sheltered inland pitches. Facilities tend to be geared towards families and coastal walkers, with easy access on foot to the harbour, the Senhouse Roman Museum and the Lake District Coast Aquarium. The best camping season runs from late spring to early autumn, when daylight is longest and the Solway weather is at its most settled, though the coast can still turn blustery with little warning at any time of year, so it is worth packing for wind as much as rain. Autumn and winter camping here is quieter and suits birdwatchers drawn by the wildfowl that gather on the saltmarsh, but conditions are more exposed and sites reduce in number outside the main season. For those wanting to pair a night or two under canvas with proper Lake District walking, Maryport's camping sites also make a workable, less crowded alternative to pitching closer to Keswick or Windermere, with Cockermouth and the northern fells only a short drive inland.