Inside Out Yurts

The Borrowdale valley – south of Keswick, at the foot of Derwent Water – pretty much encapsulates what’s best about the Lake District. Apart from the odd small hamlet, this dramatically beautiful landscape (National Trust-owned for the most part) is the preserve of traditional hill farms, one of which has gone into partnership with glamping provider Inside Out Camping – and a more bucolic site is difficult to imagine.

On the banks of the River Derwent, the six rustically-furnished yurts each sleep up to five people, with proper beds for four and the option of a blow-up mattress if you need to pump up the numbers. There’s a wood-burning stove, cooking facilities and a box of games for rainy days, while the hard-wood floors are topped with Morrocan rugs. Yet, while nights beside a fire and sleeping in proper beds has its obvious merits, Inside Out Camping is a place where, really, it’s the setting that sells. The location is an absolute marvel.

Beside your yurt, you can sit and listen to the babbling of the river or roll up your trousers and take a paddle. Around you, meanwhile, some of the greatest mountains of the North Lakes reach to the sky. To the south is Green Gable and Great Gable – which combined make an excellent walk directly from the site – and the long ridge of Glaramara, while, on the north side of Inside Out Camping is 2,470-foot Dale Head. The road next to the site, meanwhile, is the famous Honister Pass and it’s only a steep five-minute drive to its top where Honister Slate Mine is a rightfully popular attraction.

Whether it’s hiking over the pass to Buttermere, taking on the great challenge of climbing Scafell Pike (a 12-mile route from the campsite) or simply lounging by the river and soaking up some sun, you’re bound for a back-to-nature treat in one of the Lakes’ loveliest valleys.