Ullswater Heights
Ullswater Heights is a five-star self-catering park on a landscaped former slate quarry near Penrith, inside the Lake District National Park in Cumbria. It's a mix of luxury lodges, lakeside pods and canvas-and-timber safari tents, and every one comes with its own private hot tub. For a family it's a hot-tub-and-fresh-air break rather than a pool one, with a quarry lake, a playground and adventure golf on site and the northern fells on the doorstep.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who the park suits, what a stay includes and the facts to skim first.
Two things stand behind Ullswater Heights: a private hot tub with every lodge, pod and tent, and a quiet, well-kept setting inside the national park with the M6 only three miles off. The lodges are modern and finished to a high standard, the kit is all there so you pack light, and families come away rating the hot tubs, the cleanliness and the staff. The catch for a family is what it doesn't have. There's no shared swimming pool, no kids' club and no indoor space for a wet day, so in Lakeland weather the on-site rainy-day options come down to the restaurant and the hot tub. If a hot tub, fresh air and easy access to Ullswater and the fells is the holiday you're after, it's a strong choice. If you want a pool and a structured children's programme to fall back on, it isn't the park for that.
Best for
You want a private hot tub every night and a quiet Lake District base with the motorway close, and you're happy with a self-catering lodge and no swimming pool.
Maybe not for
You want a shared swimming pool, a kids' club, or something indoors to fall back on with young children across a wet week.
Best ages
Babies upwards in the lodges and safari tents, which include a free cot. The Pods and Waters Edge are couples' units without cot provision.
What stands out
A private hot tub with every unit, a quarry lake at the heart of the park, wildflower meadows and one of the more dog-friendly parks in the Lakes.
What to check
That you're booking a family type rather than the couples-only Pods or Waters Edge, and that you've packed your own cot sheets, since these aren't provided.
Where is it?
On a former slate quarry near Newbiggin and Penrith, inside the Lake District National Park, three miles from the M6.
Quick facts for families
What the park is like
Where it sits, how it's laid out over the old quarry, the ground underfoot and getting around with little ones.
The park is built on the landscaped grounds of a former slate quarry, and the quarry's own lake sits at the heart of it, with the lodges arranged on terraces around the water and the Lake House restaurant at its edge. Wildflower meadows run through the grounds and the fell of Blencathra fills the view. The lodges are a modern build, from around 2019, and it sits inside the Lake District National Park itself rather than just near it, in the quieter North Lakes above Penrith. It's open all year, and winter stays with the hot tub going are popular. It's run by Leisure Resorts and sold through Landal GreenParks and Hoseasons, so you may see it under any of those names.
The quarry origin means the ground has natural level changes, but the main paths between the lodges and the Lake House are surfaced, and families report walking them comfortably with a pushchair. There's no formal accessibility statement from the park, so if step-free access matters it's worth a call before you book. Parking is at or right beside each lodge, which is easy with a car full of holiday kit. The exception is the Pods, the safari tents and Waters Edge, which use a reserved space a short walk away rather than a spot at the door, so a heavily loaded buggy trip to and from the car takes a little more effort there.
The lodges sit fairly close together, in the way of a purpose-built holiday park rather than a spread of villas. The hot tubs have privacy screens between them, but sound does carry after dark and neighbours can be heard, so it's a sociable park rather than a silent one. Most accommodation types take up to two dogs, and this is one of the more dog-friendly parks in the Lakes, with a dog wash and an agility field on site. The dog fee was £13 per dog per night in the lodges and pods, and £49 per dog for a safari tent, when last checked in July 2026; it's the sort of charge an operator changes, so confirm the current rate when you book.
The lodges, pods and safari tents
Every accommodation type with what it sleeps, what comes as standard and which ones suit a family with a baby or toddler.
There are four kinds of accommodation. The luxury lodges run from a one-bedroom couples' lodge up to a four-bedroom that sleeps eight; the Pods by the Lake are compact two-room pods on the water; the Family Safari Tents are canvas-and-timber tents in their own Glamping Village, a cluster on the edge of the park over the wildflower meadows; and Waters Edge is a collection of couples' retreats on the very edge of the lake, new from spring 2026. Every one of them, whichever kind, has its own private hot tub on the decking or in a courtyard.
Whatever you book, some things are the same across the board. Beds are made up before you arrive, and linen, duvets and towels are included. There are robes and slippers, though these are adult-sized; a child robe can be requested but comes in one size only, so don't count on a fitted one. Every unit has a Smart TV or two, free WiFi across the park and gas and electricity in the price. Inside is non-smoking, with outdoor smoking areas. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is by 10am. Travel cots are free in the lodges and safari tents, though you bring your own cot sheets and mattress protector.
| Type | Sleeps | Bedrooms | Size and layout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coniston | 2 | 1 | A couples lodge in a central part of the park. King bed and an en-suite with a walk-in shower. Size not published. |
| Grasmere | 4 | 2 | Up to 588 sq ft. Master with an en-suite, a twin second bedroom that some lodges convert to a double on request and a separate family shower room. |
| Keswick | 4 | 2 | Up to 840 sq ft, a wider lodge. Master en-suite shower, a convertible twin and a family bathroom with a shower and a bath. A washer-dryer in the kitchen. |
| Blencathra Family | 6 | 3 | A purpose-built family lodge. Master with an en-suite, a convertible twin and a third bedroom with built-in bunk beds suited to children. Size not published. |
| Helvellyn | 6 | 3 | Around 800 sq ft. Master with an en-suite, two convertible twins and a family bathroom with a full-size bath. Some lodges have quarry-lake views, though these are not guaranteed. |
| Scafell | 8 | 4 | The largest lodge. Two doubles and two convertible twins. A family bathroom with a full-size bath and an overhead shower. A utility room with a washer-dryer. Size not published. |
| Wellness Retreats | 4 | 2 | Two double bedrooms that cannot be made into twins, both en-suite, plus a private sauna pod and a fire pit. A premium spot with lake and fell views, though these are not guaranteed. Not a standard family lodge. |
| Pods by the Lake | Up to 4 | 2 | A compact lakeside pod, a double and a small twin, with a shower and no bath. Officially not suitable for families who need a travel cot. |
| Savannah safari tent | 6 | 3 | In the Glamping Village. A double, a twin and a ladder-access double cabin bed suited to older children. The kitchen has a hob but no oven. |
| Kruger safari tent | 8 | 3 | In the Glamping Village. A duplex: a ground-floor double and twin, plus an upstairs space for four children or teens reached by ladder. |
| Waters Edge | Up to 2 | 1 | A couples retreat on the very edge of the lake, from spring 2026. Super-king bed, a slipper bath in the bedroom and a raised hot tub set for the lake view. |
For a family with young children, the lodges built around bedrooms you can shut for a nap are the ones to look at. The Blencathra Family lodge is the one designed for families, with three bedrooms, a master en-suite, a convertible twin and a third room of built-in bunk beds for the children. The Helvellyn and Scafell lodges are the choices for a bigger group or two families, at six and eight guests, both with a full-size bath, which is more use with a small child than a shower alone. The Grasmere and Keswick lodges suit four, with Keswick the wider of the two and the one with both a shower and a bath. The Coniston is a couples' lodge and sleeps two, so it isn't a family option. Where the second bedroom is a twin, several lodges can convert it to a double on request rather than as standard, so ask the park when you book if that matters, and the same goes for a quarry-lake view in the Helvellyn lodges, which is down to which one you're given and isn't guaranteed.
The Wellness Retreats lodge looks like a family size on paper, at two bedrooms and four guests, but its two bedrooms are both doubles that cannot be made into twins, and there are no bunks or singles, so it only works for a family if two parents share one double and put children in the other. It's really a premium couples' lodge with lake and fell views that aren't guaranteed, a private sauna pod for up to four and a fire pit.
The Pods by the Lake and Waters Edge are worth understanding before you book with a baby. The Pods are compact lakeside pods with a double and a small twin, a shower and no bath, and the park states plainly that they're not suitable for families who need a travel cot, so treat them as couples' accommodation that can stretch to four older guests rather than a baby-friendly family unit. Waters Edge, a newer couples' retreat on the very edge of the lake from spring 2026, sleeps two only; it has a highchair but no travel cot is listed, and it's designed for adults, with a slipper bath in the bedroom and a raised hot tub set for the lake view. Both the Pods and Waters Edge have a compact kitchen, a two-ring hob with an oven, a microwave and an under-counter fridge, which is smaller than the full kitchens in the family lodges but enough to cook simple meals.
The safari tents in the Glamping Village are the glamping option, and they come in two sizes. The Savannah sleeps six across three spaces, with a double, a twin and a double cabin bed up a ladder that suits older children rather than a toddler; its kitchen has a hob but no oven, so you can't bake or roast. The Kruger is a duplex that sleeps eight, with a double and a twin downstairs and a separate upstairs space for four children or teens reached by ladder, and the larger tents come with a bigger fridge for a bigger group's food shop. Both have a wood burner and gas heating, a hot tub on a gated deck and a share of the Glamping Village barbecue area. The canvas walls carry sound, so an early-rising child or a neighbouring family is more audible here than in a lodge, which is worth knowing with a baby.
The Lake House and eating in
The one restaurant on site, how it books, feeding little ones, and where to shop for a self-catering week.
The Lake House is the only place to eat and drink on the park, a light bar and restaurant looking over the quarry lake, with indoor tables and an outdoor terrace under a roof that pulls back in good weather. Its best feature for a family is the playground right beside it, in view of the terrace, so a child can run off between courses while you keep an eye from the table. The kitchen does homemade classics and wood-fired pizzas using local ingredients, across an à la carte menu, a lunch menu, a Sunday lunch and a pizza menu you can also take away back to the lodge. There's a children's menu, and crayons and drawing sheets come to the table, so it's set up for young children. The bar covers beers, wines, cocktails and mocktails, there's live sport on the screens and live music through the year, and seasonal events run at Christmas with children's crafts, Santa and live music. Dogs are welcome inside and out.
Two practical things are worth knowing. Booking is recommended rather than always required, and you sort it by email or at reception; there's no online system. The opening hours aren't published, and they shorten outside the peak dates, with some guests finding it closed when they expected it open, so check the current hours at reception when you arrive rather than assuming an evening meal is always on. For self-catering the rest of the time, Farmer Jacks is a small shop by reception with holiday essentials and local produce, handy for the gaps but not a weekly shop. The nearest supermarket is a Morrisons in Penrith, about a ten to fifteen minute drive, so most families do a proper shop there or bring it with them.
Hot tubs and water
The single biggest thing to be clear on is that there's no shared swimming pool here, indoor or outdoor. The water on the park is the private hot tubs and the lake, and for a family used to a pool complex that's the trade to weigh. What every stay does have is its own hot tub, on the decking or in a courtyard of your lodge, pod or tent, with privacy screens between neighbours. They're heated all year and brought up to temperature before you arrive, and families rate them as the highlight of the stay, checked and kept clean day to day.
The quarry lake is private to the park and in view from several lodges and the Lake House terrace, and it's part of what makes the setting, but it isn't for swimming and there are no watersports on it, so treat it as scenery rather than an activity. For a lake to get on, Ullswater and its steamers are a short drive away, which is covered in the days-out section below.
A spa, U Spa, was announced for the park in 2024 with hydrotherapy pools and treatment rooms, but it doesn't appear on the park's current facilities list, so don't book on the assumption it's open. Ask the park directly when you book if a shared spa would make a difference to your stay.
Babies and toddlers
The baby kit and its one catch, what suits a wet day, and everything the park lays on for young children.
This is a self-catering park, so the first thing to be clear about is that there's no kids' club, no crèche and no organised or supervised childcare of any kind. Your children are with you throughout, which suits some families and not others. There's no minimum age, and the booking form has a Babies under 2 category, so the youngest are catered for in kit even though nothing on site is run for them.
The baby kit that is provided is free. Travel cots come with the lodges and the safari tents at no charge, and highchairs are free in every type, including the Pods and Waters Edge that don't take a cot. The one catch, and it's an easy one to be caught by, is that the cot linen and mattress are not provided and are not available at the park, so you need to bring your own cot sheets and a mattress protector. Beyond the kit, the wet-weather picture is the real limitation for a family here: with no shared swimming pool, no soft play and no indoor activity space, a rainy day on site comes down to the Lake House and the hot tub, and everything else means getting in the car for the Rheged Centre or Penrith.
What the park does do well for the youngest is the outdoors. The wildflower meadows and grounds are pleasant to walk a baby round, and the estate is looked after for its wildlife, with great crested newts, badgers and barn owls on it and a conservation pledge to go with it, which gives a wildlife-curious child something to look for. The playground, the adventure golf and the hot tub, all covered below, fill most of a young family's day when the weather holds.
On the parkThings to do
Most of what's on site is free and outdoors. There's a nine-hole adventure golf course, free to all guests, with the clubs and a ball collected from the Lake House, and an enclosed playground with swings, a slide and a climbing frame next to the Lake House, positioned so you can watch from the terrace. For dog-owning families there's the free dog agility field and the dog wash, and there are surfaced walking paths through the wildflower meadows and the grounds. The private hot tub is the other fixture of the day, and for safari-tent guests there's a shared barbecue area in the Glamping Village with several grill stations, for those tents only. The Lake House runs live music, live sport and its Christmas events, and that's the entertainment programme.
It's worth being plain about what the park doesn't have, so the picture is complete. There's no shared swimming pool, no kids' club, no indoor activity centre, no tennis, no cycle hire, no organised watersports and no supervised sports academies. This is a hot-tub, playground and fresh-air park, with the days out around it doing the rest, rather than a resort with a full activity roster.
The area and days out
Ullswater and the fells on the doorstep, the wet-weather and animal days out, and the shops and health cover nearby.
The park's real draw is where it is. It sits in the North Lakes, the quieter, less crowded end of a national park that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017, and the days out are close. Ullswater, widely called the loveliest of the lakes, is about six miles (10 km) away at Pooley Bridge, where the historic Ullswater Steamers cruise the length of the water with the fells behind; there are also departures further south at Howtown and Glenridding, Glenridding being roughly 12 miles (19 km) off. A steamer trip pairs well with a flat section of the Ullswater Way around the shore. Aira Force, a 70-foot National Trust waterfall, is about nine miles (14 km) away, with a path that's manageable at first and steeper closer to the falls, and it's free to National Trust members. For a pony ride, Park Foot Pony Trekking at Pooley Bridge is six to seven miles (about 11 km) off and takes family bookings.
For the wetter or the younger days, there's plenty within a short drive. The Rheged Centre, a turf-covered arts and visitor centre with an IMAX cinema, a children's play area and places to eat, is the main wet-weather standby; the two operator sites give its distance as about two to four miles, so confirm it when you book. The Puzzling Place in Keswick, an indoor optical-illusion attraction, is around fifteen miles (24 km) and another good rainy-day option. Penrith Castle is four miles (6 km) away, free to enter and a short walk to explore, and the gardens of Dalemain Mansion are about three miles (5 km) off for an easy family stroll. If it's animals the children are after, Walby Park Farm, an award-winning working farm with animal encounters, trails and a play area, is about thirty miles (48 km) away.
A little further out, Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick is thirteen miles (21 km) away with open fell views and free access, Rookin House Activity Centre at seven miles (11 km) runs bookable family sessions in horse riding, quad biking, clay pigeon shooting and off-road driving, and Go Ape at Whinlatter, England's only mountain forest, is nineteen miles (31 km) off, though its tree-top course has age and height limits worth checking first. For a bigger day, the World of Beatrix Potter at Bowness is about twenty-six miles (42 km) away, with scenes from the Peter Rabbit stories and a Peter Rabbit Garden, and it's made for young children, and the border city of Carlisle, with its castle and cathedral, is twenty-three miles (37 km) north. For walks with a pushchair, the Lake District's Miles Without Stiles routes are the ones to look up, among them Pooley Bridge to Gale Bay at 1.1 miles and Brothers Water at 2.3 miles, both on good surfaces; the park staff are often praised for printing off a suitable walk when you ask at reception.
Health and supplies
For supplies, Farmer Jacks by reception covers essentials and local produce, and the nearest full supermarket is the Morrisons in Penrith, about ten to fifteen minutes away by car, with the town's pharmacies about four miles (6 km) off for anything from the chemist. For health, the nearest urgent care is the urgent treatment centre at Penrith Community Hospital, around four miles away, which handles the everyday cuts and bugs but is not a full A&E. The nearest full A&E is the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, about twenty miles (32 km) away, roughly a 27-minute drive, and it's 999 for anything that can't wait.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what they flag, how it compares in the Lake District, the drive in, the weather and how it rates.
This is our read across the guest reviews, the good and the less good.
What families love
- The hot tubs, checked daily and named as the highlight of the stay.
- The cleanliness and the quality and finish of the lodges.
- Everything included in the kit, so there's less to pack.
- The staff, praised for local knowledge and for helping out.
- The dog-friendliness, from the wash to the agility field.
- The location, close to the M6 without feeling remote, and the wildflower meadows.
- The playground beside the restaurant and reliable WiFi.
Common gripes
- No swimming pool, the most common limitation for families used to one.
- Lodges close together, with noise carrying between them after dark.
- The Lake House shortening its hours outside peak dates.
- Limited on-site entertainment and no structured children's programme.
- The odd comment that the restaurant is pricey for what it is.
How it compares
Put beside the other family options in the Lakes, Ullswater Heights trades a pool for other things. Landal Whitbarrow and Parkdean's White Cross Bay, on Windermere, both have an indoor pool that Ullswater Heights doesn't, so for a family who wants a wet-weather swim they win on that count. Another Place, The Lake is a different kind of holiday again, a hotel with an Ofsted-registered kids' club and a pool included, so if you want structured childcare and a pool it's the one to compare, at a hotel price and format rather than a self-catering one. What Ullswater Heights has instead is the year-round private hot tub with every unit, the dog-friendliness, its own restaurant on site, the wildflower setting and the easy motorway access. It's the stronger choice if a hot tub and the setting matter more to you than a pool and a club.
The drive inGetting there and when to go
It's a drive-in break. The park is three miles from the M6 at Junction 40, then west on the A66, a straightforward motorway approach, and the sat-nav address is Silver Howe, Newbiggin, Penrith, CA11 0JB. There are no airport transfers and no operator transfer service, so a car is needed rather than optional; for anyone flying in, Manchester is about two and a quarter hours away and Edinburgh about an hour and a half. There are EV charging points on site, and parking is at or beside each lodge, with the pods, safari tents and Waters Edge using a reserved area a short walk off. For when to go, the warmest and driest window for a family is roughly May to September, though the park is open all year and a winter stay with the hot tub going is a popular thing in its own right.
When to goWeather
This is Cumbria, so rain is part of the plan in any month. The table below gives the typical daytime highs and monthly rainfall for the North Lakes across the year. Even July, the warmest month, averages around twelve rainy days, and the annual rainfall is high, so pack for wet as well as fine whenever you come and have a wet-day plan.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7° | 1° | 218 mm | 18 |
| February | 7.5° | 1° | 192 mm | 16 |
| March | 9° | 2° | 167 mm | 15 |
| April | 12° | 3° | 114 mm | 14 |
| May | 15.5° | 5.5° | 114 mm | 13 |
| June | 17.5° | 8.5° | 109 mm | 14 |
| July | 20° | 10.5° | 108 mm | 12 |
| August | 19.5° | 10° | 133 mm | 13 |
| September | 17° | 8° | 153 mm | 14 |
| October | 13.5° | 6° | 242 mm | 19 |
| November | 9.5° | 3° | 216 mm | 20 |
| December | 7° | 1° | 230 mm | 18 |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. The park is open all year; the warmest, driest window for families is roughly May to September, and winter stays lean on the hot tub.
That wet-weather picture is why the drier months from May to September are the easier window for a family, though a private hot tub with every unit is reason enough for some to come in the wet or winter months.
How it ratesRatings and awards
The park rates consistently well across the review sites, sitting around 4.0 to 4.6 depending where you look: 4.0 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from more than 439 reviews, where it holds a 2024 Travellers' Choice award and ranks as the top speciality lodging in Newbiggin, about 9.3 out of 10 on Booking.com from a smaller set of reviews, and 4.6 on Wanderlog. Treat those as a rough steer rather than a precise score. On the awards side, it did well at the 2024 British Travel Awards, with a Silver for Landal GreenParks UK and a Bronze for Leisure Resorts, and it has held a Hoseasons Diamond Award.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last updated.
Is there a swimming pool?
No, there's no shared swimming pool, indoor or outdoor. Every lodge, pod and tent has its own private hot tub, heated all year. If a pool is a must for your week, the nearby Landal Whitbarrow and Parkdean White Cross Bay have indoor ones, so weigh that up before you book here.
Do we need to bring anything for the cot?
Yes. Travel cots are free in the lodges and safari tents, but cot sheets and a mattress protector are not provided and can't be picked up at the park, so pack your own. Highchairs are provided in every type.
Is the petting farm still open?
The park had a petting farm when it opened, but it isn't on the current listings, so ring the park on 01768 800 857 before you count on it for the children. If it's the animals they're after, Walby Park Farm is a working farm with animal encounters about 30 miles (48 km) away.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, most lodges and pods take up to two dogs, and there's a dog wash and an agility field on site. The fee was £13 per dog per night in the lodges and pods, and £49 per dog for a safari tent, when last checked in July 2026, so confirm the current rate when you book.
How far is the park from Ullswater itself?
It's a short drive rather than a walk. Pooley Bridge, at the northern end of the lake where the Ullswater Steamers set off, is about six miles (10 km) away; Glenridding at the southern end is roughly 12 miles (19 km).
What is there to do if it rains?
On-site cover is thin, with no shared swimming pool, no soft play and no indoor activity centre, so a wet day falls back on the Lake House and the hot tub. Off site, the Rheged Centre a few miles away has an IMAX cinema and an indoor play area, and Penrith is close for the shops.
Can the Lake House feed a toddler?
Yes. There's a children's menu, highchairs and crayons at the table, and the playground sits right beside the terrace so a restless child can move within sight of the table. The hours shorten outside peak dates, so check them at reception when you arrive.
Can two adults bring a baby to the Pods or Waters Edge?
It's awkward. Both are couples units, and neither provides a travel cot; the Pods are officially not suitable for families who need one, and Waters Edge sleeps two. For a baby or toddler, book one of the lodges or a safari tent, which do include a free cot.
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Useful links
- Ullswater Heights: the operator's own site for the lodges, pods, safari tents and booking.
- Landal Ullswater Heights: the Landal listing, with the park facilities and information pages.
- Ullswater Steamers: timetables and fares for the lake cruises from Pooley Bridge.
Last updated July 2026.
