Northern England campervan road trip: 2 weeks from Manchester
22 May – 5 June · 14 nights · A slow anticlockwise loop from Manchester through the Peak District, Dales, York, Hadrian's Wall and the Northumberland coast before crossing the Pennines into the Lakes. Gentle drives link stone villages, fell walks and castle coastlines, suiting travellers happy to settle in and wander rather than chase miles.
Every campsite on this route is a real, named site from OpenStreetMap — pinned where it actually is, with its own website where there is one, so you can check it before you drive there.
Getting there: 68 km · 1 h 20 from Manchester · Gentle Peak District roads out of Manchester, over rolling moorland with dry-stone walls closing in on the approach to Bakewell; nothing technical for a 6m van.
May 22 - arrive
14:00Arrive and set up at the campsite near Chatsworth Park
16:00Stroll into Bakewell, browse the market town and river Wye
19:00Dinner in town, try a genuine Bakewell pudding
May 23 - explore
09:30Visit Chatsworth House and gardens
14:30Walk a section of the Monsal Trail, viaduct and dales scenery
18:30Relaxed evening back at the site
May 24 - depart
09:30Pack up and head north into the Yorkshire Dales
12:25Stop in Settle for lunch and a look at the market square
15:30Continue on to Hawes
2
24 – 27 May · Stop 2 of 6
Hawes
3 nightsAysgarth Falls ↗Wensleydale CreameryYorkshire Three Peaks walking country
Getting there: 194 km · 3 h 40 from Bakewell · Over the high fells via Settle and the Ribblehead approach, with the road narrowing through classic limestone dales country before dropping into Wensleydale.
May 24 - arrive
16:30Check in at the farm campsite in Swaledale
18:00Short evening walk along the riverside
May 25 - explore
09:30Drive to Aysgarth Falls for a riverside walk
13:00Lunch in Hawes
14:30Tour Wensleydale Creamery and sample the cheese
17:00Wander the dry-stone-walled lanes around Hawes
May 26 - explore
09:00Walk up towards Ingleborough or a gentler Dales fell path
14:00Picnic lunch with views over the dale
16:00Relaxed afternoon back at the site, dry-stone-wall country at its best
May 27 - depart
09:30Head east across the dales towards York
10:20Break in Masham, a look at its breweries and market square
Getting there: 197 km · 3 h 35 from York · Rolling Pennine roads west from County Durham, quiet and open as the moors give way to the Wall's escarpment.
May 29 - arrive
15:30Arrive and settle in at the campsite right by the Wall
17:00Short evening walk along a nearby stretch of Hadrian's Wall
May 30 - explore
09:30Visit Housesteads Roman Fort and walk the ramparts
13:00Lunch at a wayside inn
14:30Explore Vindolanda excavations and museum
17:30Quiet evening back at the farm site
May 31 - depart
09:30Head north-east into Northumberland towards the coast
10:50Break in Rothbury, a look at the riverside town
Getting there: 128 km · 2 h 19 from Haltwhistle · Quiet Northumberland lanes crossing from the Wall country to the coast, opening out to wide skies and dune landscapes near Bamburgh.
May 31 - arrive
15:00Arrive and check in at the coastal campsite
17:00Walk the beach beneath Bamburgh Castle
Jun 1 - explore
09:00Boat trip out to the Farne Islands for seabirds and seals
13:00Lunch back in Seahouses
15:00Drive the causeway (tide-permitting) to Lindisfarne
18:30Evening back at the site
Jun 2 - depart
09:00Visit Bamburgh Castle before leaving
11:30Head inland and west towards the Lake District
14:10Break in Alston, England's highest market town
Getting there: 203 km · 3 h 50 from Bamburgh · A crossing of the North Pennines and into the Lake District, with fine views as the fells rise up around Keswick; care needed on the narrower stretches near Alston.
Jun 2 - arrive
17:30Arrive and set up at the farm site near Castlerigg
18:30Sunset visit to nearby Castlerigg Stone Circle
Jun 3 - explore
09:00Walk the Catbells ridge above Derwentwater
13:00Lunch in Keswick
14:30Boat cruise on Derwentwater
17:00Browse the Keswick market and lakeside paths
Jun 4 - explore
09:30Drive over to Buttermere for a lakeside walk
14:00Picnic by the lake
16:00Relaxed return to Keswick, quiet evening at the site
Jun 5 - depart
09:30Pack up and head south through the fells towards Manchester
09:55Stop in Ambleside for a last look at the lakes
13:00Continue on to Manchester
5 June · End of the trip
Manchester
Getting there: 169 km · 3 h 12 from Keswick
Jun 5 - arrive & trip ends
15:00Arrive back in Manchester and drop off the campervan
A plan, not a promise. Campsites, roads and opening times can be wrong or out of date — check anything you'd be sorry to get wrong.
Campsites come from OpenStreetMap, which volunteers maintain. A site listed here may have closed, be full, open only in season, or be tagged wrong. We link the site’s own page where there is one, and pin it where OSM says it is — always confirm it exists, and book it yourself.
Distances and times are measured on real roads, not guessed. But a router doesn't know about roadworks, a closed pass, a ferry that stops running in October, or the height, width and weight limits that apply to a large campervan. Treat them as good numbers, not gospel.
The day-by-day plan is written by AI. Opening hours, prices, whether a thing runs in your season, and whether it suits your vehicle or your party can all be wrong. Check anything you'd be sorry to arrive and find shut.
Local rules are yours to know. Where you may park and sleep overnight, what a licence permits, and what the road demands of a big van vary by country and change without telling us.
Use your own judgement, and see our Terms for the rest.
Want this United Kingdom campervan trip, but planned for you?
Different dates. A different start. Shorter driving days, or no toddler in the back. Change the shape of it and re-plan any stop — you get your own copy, and one link to share with everyone in the van.
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