Usha Gap Campsite Review
Camping in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales…
Because… look at that view! Usha Gap Campsite in Muker, part of the Northern Yorkshire Dales National Park, is a great place for a family friendly camping trip! And here’s why!
Our camp at Usha Gap
Usha Gap Campsite is a thoroughly family affair. Run by the Metcalfe family, the stunningly located Muker campsite is based on their working sheep and beef farm, a farm that has been in the Metcalfe family for generations.
It’s this kind of background that makes Usha Gap a firmly family friendly campsite, with a personal touch!
Where is Usha Gap Campsite?
Located in Muker, Swaledale in the North Eastern part of the Yorkshire Dales, Usha Gap Campsite is a 5-10 minute walk from the centre of the small village. The nearest town is Hawes (a 20 minute drive), Kirkby Stephen (40 minutes away) and Richmond (45 minutes). It’s a stunningly peaceful location, with glorious Yorkshire Dales views. A place to take a deep breath and relax!
Down the road you will find ‘waterfall central’, Keld, which has its own pub serving evening meals, as well as a tearoom and small shop (10 minute drive).
Heading a little further afield, you will find Reeth (20 minute drive) which is a fabulous village hub, boasting several pubs, an ice cream parlour and a play park!
The hamlet of Gunnerside (10 minute drive) also boasts a pub and is a great paddle spot (or the home of an epic abandoned lead mine site).
Or why not head the 20 minute drive up to the highest pub in Great Britain, The Tan Hill Inn (yes, that one that always gets snowed in!) The food and welcome there is top notch, and the views from the beer garden? WOW!
This is a great base from which to explore this stunning part of the Yorkshire Dales!
Our experiences at Usha Gap Campsite
We have paid two trips to Usha Gap Campsite, one during Summer and one in Autumn.
Usha Gap campsite has three fields. One river side on the opposite side of the quiet road from the main area, one farm side and one large field next to that (only open at peak times). There are no fixed pitches, no fixed arrival times and no fixed departure times either. The whole campsite has such a relaxed vibe that we immediately felt at home!
On our Summer trip, we arrived at around 12pm to a very quiet campsite and found an awesome pitch at the top corner of the large field, (literally as anti-social as possible!!) But we had heard that the insects could get bad during the summer months, so chose a spot far away from the water (horseflies love to bite me!) and away from the farm buildings as well.
In our experience, the insects were not as bad as had been previously suggested, but on a warm, still Summer’s evening, I can imagine it would be a different story (as it would be at any countryside campsite!)
On our Autumn visit to Usha Gap, we arrived after school on a Friday evening. There were still plenty of great pitches left despite our later arrival. The insects at this time (end of September were not a problem at all).
The campsite shop is open in the morning between 8 & 10am and 3-6pm. During our Summer stay, we arrived there at around lunchtime and pitched up and checked in later on. In Autumn, we checked in at the shop as soon as we arrived.
You can park your car next to your tent, which is always a bonus for us, as it means some of the stuff can be left in the car rather than cluttering up the tent!
On our Summer stay, there were plenty of level pitches, loads of room, and despite being the run up to the bank holiday in the middle of August the campsite was very peaceful! It is a family campsite, with rules about music and quiet time, which made for a perfect chilled camp and a good night’s sleep! During Autumn, we stopped over a weekend, and whilst the campsite was busy, there were absolutely no issues with noise.
I even forgot my ear plugs…. and didn’t get woken up! Imagine that! On both occasions!
There was plenty of space for the kids to run wild in without the fear of disturbing the other campers as well, and the fact that you can borrow (not hire!) a firepit is just another amazing addition.
The bits we loved about Usha Gap
Here we go…
The views, the peace, the camp shop that serves fresh coffee, the fact that the shower block was toasty and warm, the ice cream, the firepits, the fact you can buy marshmallows and skewers from the shop, and the super friendly staff!
What would we do differently
After our Summer trip, we decided we would pitch up closer to the shower block and water tap next time, which was a great decision as we did exactly that on our second trip. The fish and chip van comes on a Friday night at 9pm, which in hindsight was a bit late to stretch tea to, despite being on camping hours.
That’s it! I’ve gone back to this one so many times and I can’t think of anything else!
What are the facilities like at Usha Gap Campsite?
You will find everything you need at Usha Gap Campsite!
They have a washing up room with several sinks, which had everything you needed for washing up. There is a drying room and laundry, a modern and super clean shower block with four showers and toilets, six wash basins, a hair dryer and a hand dryer! There are an additional two toilets separate to the shower block with separate hand basins. There are no muddy boots allowed in the main shower area, so these are a great addition.
There are drinking water taps located just outside the shower block and in the field next to the farm buildings too.
There are currently no electric hook ups at Usha Gap (due to come 2023) but what they do have are charging lockers, which were an absolutely brilliant idea. Essentially, a place where you can plug and charge your devices (there were plug and USB sockets) then you can lock up and leave them. These are on a first come first served basis, but there were around 20 and there were always some spare (this may obviously change on a busy bank holiday weekend!)
There is also some of the best campsite Wifi I have encountered so far! Out at the far stretches of the field the signal strength was weak, but back at the shower blocks, it was good!
There is also a large fridge and freezer to keep your food chilled (as well as labels to use too.)
The camp shop is ace and is really, REALLY well stocked. You can buy campsite staple food (like pasta, rice, canned food etc.) Snacks, fresh meat for the BBQ, milk, cold drinks, ice cream, toys, insect repellent, GIN …. FRESH COFFEE!!! (Loved that touch) even some Usha Gap hoodies (which would be a God-send if you’d forgotten yours!)
You can borrow a fire pit for free! Which I love because so many campsites make you hire them! And we made full use of it on the cooler late August evenings and again on our Autumn Camp.
What is there to do with kids at Usha Gap Campsite?
In my opinion, Swaledale is one of the most beautiful parts of the Yorkshire Dales. It is remote enough that it is not overrun by lots of visitors (sorry, that’s my antisocial self coming out there!) and it has got all of the Yorkshire Dales character, with a little smattering of rugged Lake District. It is located at the northernmost part of the Dales, and has VIEWS!
The great part though, is that whilst you get a heavy dose of remote, you are not too far from a town and the market town of Hawes is only 20 minutes away. So here are a few ideas of what you can do whilst you are there!
Walk to Muker and head to Rampsholme Bridge.
This is one we did whilst we were stopping at Usha Gap!
Muker is a very short walk from the campsite, and then the walk onto Rampsholme Bridge is only around 2 miles, and is a lovely circular route from your tent and back! At Rampsholme you’ll find a great stone throwing and fossil hunting spot, perhaps even a place to dip your toes if the water is low enough!
In Muker, you’ll find the Farmers Arms which serves tasty traditional pub grub and great local beers (check opening times before you plan your trip). A great way to spend an afternoon!
Go waterfall hunting at Keld
Swaledale is the home of many stunning waterfalls, most of them centred around the Keld area, which is a 10 minute drive up the road from Usha Gap Campsite.
If you are feeling brave, then why not try a wild swim there? (If you fancy it, check out the safety info in our Wild Swimming in the Yorkshire Dales with Kids blog).
Why not check out our Keld waterfall bagging walk to find out more.
Head into Hawes
Hawes is a 20 minute drive over Buttertubs pass (The Buttertubs are a natural phenomenon that are worth a stop on the way!) Hawes is a pretty market town where there is loads for the kids to do, The Dales Country Museum, The Wensleydale Cheese Factory, there’s a park and it’s a great hub to walk from too!
Why not check out our full visit Hawes with kids blog to find out more!
Go to the park in Reeth
Reeth is a stunning village a little further down the dale towards Richmond. It has several pubs, an ice cream parlour, a park and a fab stepping stones walk.
Why not check out the walk and more details about Reeth by heading to our Reeth stepping stones walk?
Grab a bite with a view at the Tan Hill Inn
Located all of 20 minutes away from Usha Gap, on one of the most STUNNING drives EVER! The Tan Hill Inn is the highest pub in the country. The food there is super tasty and the view from the beer garden is to die for! The history of this place is remarkable and if you head there, you can find out all about its famous visitors too!
Explore the ruins of Gunnerside Gill
This is an epic full day out! A hefty walk of around 10 miles, expect ruins of the old lead mines a lot of which are schedule historic monuments, waterfalls and more!
Go stargazing!
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a Dark Skies Reserve, and the skies at Usha Gap on a clear night are STUNNING!
Go paddleboarding at Semerwater
If you are into water sports such as paddleboarding, kayaking or canoeing, or perhaps you are after a wild swim spot, Semerwater is a half an hour drive away from Usha Gap in the next Dale, Wensleydale. You can pay for a day on the water (Insurance for your craft is a must before heading out on the water there).
Questions about Usha Gap?
Skipped to the end because you can’t be bothered to read it all?! Check out our quickfire questions about our trip and more!
Can I take my Van, Caravan or Motorhome to Usha Gap?
Yes! Vans and Motorhomes are welcome at Usha Gap. From what I could see, there is no hardstanding.
Are dogs welcome at Usha Gap?
Yup, well behaved dogs are welcome to Usha Gap.
Are large groups allowed?
Groups of 6 plus or two families need to get in touch with Usha Gap beforehand. You can’t just book separately and rock up, otherwise you may be asked to leave.
Are there many insects
Being in the country and all, there will be bugs. Take your bug spray if you’re worried or if you forget, they have some at the shop.
What’s the Camp Shop like?
Fabulous. It has really got everything you need for a camping trip! Camp food, BBQ food, Ice Cream, milk, fresh coffee, games and toys, Usha Gap merchandise, stuff you may have forgotten. Perfect.
Is there Wifi?
Yes. At the far end of the large field it is weak, but by the shower block and shop, it’s great. There is no phone signal otherwise.
Can I bring my firepit?
Yes, you can bring your own or borrow one. As long as the fire is off the ground, it’s good. You can also BBQ and slates for this are provided.
Is there electric hook up?
Not yet, but these is some planned for 2023.
How much does it all cost?
You can find out how much it costs to stay at Usha Gap by tapping the link to the website.
Are there set arrival/ departure times?
Nope, just make sure you check in with reception when the shop is open and they will issue you with a tag for your tent.
Is there a minimum night stay?
Only over bank holidays, otherwise, no.
So there you go folks! Our stay at Usha Gap.
Have you any more questions? Then feel free to fire them away in the comments section below!
If you would like to head to the Usha Gap Website? Tap the link!