The 10 best campsites in the Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales do camping the old way. A farmer's field beside a river, a drystone wall for a windbreak, sheep for neighbours and a pub with a fire ten minutes' walk away. Where the Lake District has drama and crowds, the Dales have space: long green valleys threaded with becks and barns, each with its own character, each quieter than the last as you head north from Wharfedale into Wensleydale and wild Swaledale.

It is also gloriously good value for scenery. Most of the best sites here are small and family-run, often on working farms that have taken campers for generations. Facilities range from award-winning heated shower blocks to a single tap in a field, and both extremes have their devoted fans. What almost every site shares is walking from the tent door, dark skies that reward a late-night wander (the Dales hold some of England's darkest official stargazing spots), and a river or beck close enough to paddle in before breakfast.

When to go? Late May and June bring the famous wildflower hay meadows and long evenings, September brings quieter fields and golden light, and high summer brings the buzz (and the need to book early). Here are ten sites worth building a trip around, dale by dale.

How we chose

Small and characterful over big and busy, rivers and walking from the gate, and a spread across the dales so you can pick your valley. All are long-standing favourites with consistently strong reviews, and we checked each one is open and taking bookings.

1. Masons Campsite, Appletreewick

4.3 ★ Google rating from 500+ reviews

Masons Campsite is the Wharfedale classic: flat, well-kept fields on the banks of the River Wharfe below Simon's Seat, in a village with two excellent pubs. The Main Field takes tents, campervans, motorhomes and caravans with electric hook-up on every pitch, while the more relaxed River Field (tents and small campervans only, no electric) puts you a few steps from the water. Glampers can choose river-view yurts, safari tents or a vintage Airstream. The Airstream at the gate doubles as the shop, and Masons Kitchen serves barista coffee, warm croissants and fresh pizzas daily. The site has been welcoming campers for close to seventy years and has featured in national best-campsite lists, including the Guardian's top 100. Reviewers keep coming back to the same things: the riverside setting, the friendly, hardworking team and the morning pastry run. The shallow river beach is the best children's entertainment in Yorkshire. Tip: the River Field is unmarked pitching and popular, so arrive early on summer Fridays to claim a spot by the bank.

2. Catgill Farm, Bolton Abbey

4.5 ★ Google rating from 954+ reviews

Catgill Farm is a converted dairy farm on the Bolton Abbey estate, a short walk from the priory ruins and the famous stepping stones across the Wharfe. Two spacious camping fields offer grass pitches with or without electric hook-up (around 35 pitches have electric), backed by two modern toilet and shower blocks, a well-stocked shop and Cat's Kitchen, which does morning coffee and pastries and stone-baked pizzas in the evening. The Glamping Hideaway raises the stakes: bespoke pods and giant bell tents, each with its own private wood-fired hot tub, fire pit and pizza oven. It is a brilliant first campsite for young families, with the estate's riverside paths and Strid Wood filling a whole weekend. Guests rave about the cleanliness and the welcome; one Tripadvisor reviewer calls it "a very well run camp site", and the hot-tub glamping draws return visits year after year. Tip: book the glamping side months ahead for summer weekends, it sells out long before the camping fields do.

3. Wood Nook, near Grassington

4.7 ★ Google rating from 280+ reviews

Wood Nook is a snug, sheltered park tucked into the hills of Upper Wharfedale, about two miles from Grassington, arguably the Dales' prettiest small town. It caters for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents, with seasonal pitches and a holiday caravan for hire, and its six acres of private woodland are full of wildflowers and birdlife. Facilities are solid and well looked after: toilets, showers, washing-up sinks, a laundry, free WiFi and a children's play area. This is a site for couples and quiet campers rather than big groups; the sheltered, terraced setting keeps the wind off and the noise down. Reviewers consistently mention how peaceful it is and how helpful the owners are, and many treat it as a fixed annual booking. Grassington's cobbled square, tea rooms and pubs are a gentle walk or short drive away, and the Dales Way passes close by for riverside walking to Burnsall. Tip: the lanes in are narrow in places, so caravanners should follow the site's approach directions rather than trusting the sat nav.

4. Usha Gap, Muker

4.8 ★ Google rating from 400+ reviews

Usha Gap is a working family farm beside a beck in Swaledale, the wildest and loveliest of the dales, five minutes' walk from Muker village. Tents, campervans, motorhomes and touring caravans all fit across two fields with no set pitches: turn up, pick your spot by the water or under Kisdon Hill, and settle in. For a remote site the facilities are a happy surprise, with a modern shower block with underfloor heating and 24-hour access, a drying room for wet gear, washing machines, a small shop selling essentials and the farm's own meat, and fire pits to borrow with logs for sale. Well-behaved dogs camp free on leads. Reviewers love the laid-back feel, the absence of fixed arrival and departure times and the sheer beauty of the spot; the consensus is that this is Dales camping as it should be. The wildflower hay meadows between Muker and Keld in June are a national treasure. Tip: phone signal is patchy in Swaledale, so download maps before you arrive.

5. Bainbridge Ings, Hawes

4.5 ★ Google rating from 380+ reviews

Bainbridge Ings sits in stone-walled fields on the hillside just above Hawes, Wensleydale's lively market town, with big views across the valley. It is a quiet, family-run park taking tents, tourers and motorhomes, and the walk into town takes only a few minutes, which matters when the town in question contains the Wensleydale Creamery and a proper Tuesday market. Facilities cover the essentials well: toilets and showers, a laundrette with tumble dryer, dishwashing sinks, a motorhome service point and WiFi around the site. Dogs are welcome. Reviewers score it consistently highly and praise the spotless facilities, the roomy pitches and the friendly owners; many use it as a walking base for years on end. Hardraw Force, England's highest single-drop waterfall, is an easy stroll across the valley, and the Pennine Way passes through town. Tip: the elevated position means weather moves through fast, so peg down well and enjoy the show.

6. Knight Stainforth Hall, near Settle

4.8 ★ Google rating from 550+ reviews

Knight Stainforth Hall is the most fully equipped site on this list: a family-run park on a 45-acre estate beside the River Ribble, two miles north of Settle and moments from the waterfalls of Stainforth Force. The same family has run it since 1927. Around 100 grass and hardstanding pitches take caravans, motorhomes, campervans and tents, most with electric hook-up, and the facilities go far beyond the Dales norm: the Knight's Table café and restaurant, a games room, a shop, free WiFi and a dog exercise area. This is the natural pick for families and for anyone tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks, with Pen-y-ghent rising just up the road. Reviewers consistently praise the cleanliness, the spacious riverside pitches and the food at the Knight's Table, and recommendation rates across review platforms sit near the top of the scale. Tip: come in autumn to watch salmon leaping Stainforth Force, one of the Dales' great free spectacles.

7. Gordale Scar Campsite, Malham

Gordale Scar Campsite is a plain farm field at the mouth of one of Britain's most dramatic gorges, with the overhanging cliffs of Gordale Scar about five minutes' walk from your tent and Malham Cove a lane away. There is no website, no online booking and not much in the way of facilities: expect a basic toilet, a tap and honesty-box simplicity, and plan to be self-sufficient. That is exactly the point. This is back-to-basics tent and small-campervan camping in a setting no serviced park can match, and it suits walkers doing the classic Malham circuit of the Cove, the tarn and the Scar. Review sentiment splits neatly down the middle: people either grumble about the spartan washrooms or shrug them off entirely, but nearly everyone agrees the location is extraordinary and the farmer's welcome is warm. Tip: bring everything you need, take every scrap of rubbish home, and walk to the Scar at dusk when the day-trippers have gone.

8. Studfold, Nidderdale

4.7 ★ Google rating from 150+ reviews

Studfold is a thoughtfully run family park in upper Nidderdale, the quieter national landscape on the Dales' eastern edge. It combines touring and camping pitches with a small cluster of locally made glamping pods, heated and fully wired, that sleep up to four. Facilities are genuinely outstanding for a rural site: a modern shower block with a family room and an accessible room, a laundry, WiFi, a camping shelter with barbecue, fire pits for hire with logs for sale, and the on-site Nidderdale café. What sets it apart for parents is the Studfold Adventure Trail, a ticketed storybook trail through the woods and fields next to the site, plus an undercover mini golf course. Reviewers describe warm welcomes, immaculate facilities and children who do not want to leave. How Stean Gorge is next door for via ferrata and gorge scrambling when the family wants a braver day out. Tip: this corner of Nidderdale is genuinely remote, so do your big shop before you leave Pateley Bridge.

9. Howgill Lodge, Barden

4.8 ★ Google rating from 387+ reviews

Howgill Lodge occupies a hillside between Bolton Abbey and Burnsall, with terraced pitches cut into the slope so nearly every tent and van gets a huge, private view over Wharfedale. Camping runs from spring to autumn with optional electric hook-up and picnic benches on the terraces, glamping with hot tubs runs year-round, and there is bed and breakfast in a converted 17th-century barn for anyone whose airbed has finally died. The toilet and washing-up facilities are kept to a standard reviewers repeatedly call luxurious, and the site is well set up for dogs, with a dedicated walking field. Visitors praise the peace, the immaculate upkeep and above all the panorama; one Tripadvisor review is titled "perfect campsite in perfect location", which captures the general mood. Sunset from the top terraces is the reason people rebook before they leave. Tip: it is a stiff walk up from the valley pubs, so budget your evening accordingly or bring a torch for the lanes.

10. Kettlewell Camping, Kettlewell

4.7 ★ Google rating from 350+ reviews

Kettlewell Camping is a simple, beautifully kept family-run field on the edge of Kettlewell, one of Upper Wharfedale's best villages, with Great Whernside rising straight behind and Dowber Gill Beck alongside. Tents, campervans and caravans are all welcome, with electric hook-ups available (though not for EV charging, which the site is upfront about), and a separate private field can be booked for groups. The facilities punch far above the site's size: reviewers single out the spotless, award-winning shower block with underfloor heating, the pot-washing room and the communal fridge and freezer. Raised barbecues and fire pits are allowed, which makes for sociable evenings under properly dark skies. Review sentiment is overwhelmingly warm, with campers praising the friendly owners, the generous pitches and the two-minute stroll to the village's pubs and shop. The site closes over winter, reopening in spring. Tip: walk the old packhorse route over to Arncliffe in Littondale and come back over the tops, a perfect Dales day straight from the tent.

Before you book

Dales sites are mostly small and family-run, which is their charm and their constraint: they fill up fast, some take limited advance bookings and a few are cash-and-honesty-box operations, so plan peak weekends and school holidays early. Expect simple facilities in the wilder dales and check the details that matter to you before you travel, especially dog policies, campfire rules and whether hook-ups are available, because they vary hugely from site to site. Bring midge repellent for still river evenings, a decent windbreak for the open fells, and never trust a Dales forecast beyond lunchtime.

When you are ready, find a campsite and pick your valley. And if you are still deciding on a region, compare it with the best campsites in the Peak District one dale south, or the best campsites in the Lake District over the Pennines to the west.