A popular hotel and pub in the Lake District has banned camper vans from its car park following a string of dangerous and disruptive incidents. The Wasdale Head Inn, near the village of Gosforth, previously welcomed motorhome visitors for a fee of £8 per person, per day.
Owner Dr Nigel Burton told the BBC that a “small, arrogant minority” of visitors had forced the business to take action. He described problems including staff being threatened, waste tanks emptied into a river, and a barbecue being lit just yards from large gas tanks. “Recently, the number of problems became ridiculous,” he said. “The vast majority of people who come in camper vans are perfectly well behaved, but we’ve had people littering and emptying raw sewage from their waste tank either on the ground or into the beck at the back of the hotel. We literally had someone light a barbecue on a concrete base on which two 4,000-litre gas tanks sit. It’s hard to describe how stupid that was. It becomes confrontational. If you ask people to move something or tidy up, you get people who threaten our staff. I don’t want that.”
The inn’s car park holds around 50 spaces, and Dr Burton said camper vans were causing additional problems by taking up multiple spots and spreading out with awnings and deckchairs. “It suddenly means our other customers who want to come in to eat and drink haven’t got anywhere to park,” he explained. Although the inn considered introducing pre-booking, deposits, or seasonal access restrictions, Dr Burton concluded that a clear ban was the only practical solution. “You’ve got to have clear, simple messages and so we have to say ‘no’,” he said.
The announcement on the inn’s Facebook page drew hundreds of responses, with most expressing support for the decision. Dr Burton, who has owned the inn for 25 years, said he had tried to manage the issue sensitively over the past two or three summers but reached a point where the nuisance was too great.
Concerns about camper vans and visitor behaviour have been growing across the Lake District. Around 18 million people visit the national park each year, and residents and businesses have increasingly raised complaints about littering, illegal camping, and poor parking. In September, the conservation charity Friends of the Lake District described the situation as reaching “epidemic” proportions. Labour-elected Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen warned that “we cannot and must not be in the same position this time next year.”
The ban at the Wasdale Head Inn highlights broader challenges facing the Lake District as it balances tourism with safety and environmental concerns. Dr Burton emphasised that the decision was aimed at protecting staff and ensuring a safe environment for all guests, not penalising well-behaved visitors. He expressed regret at having to make the move but insisted that clear rules were essential to maintaining order and preventing further incidents.
The Lake District’s popularity as a destination continues to grow, but businesses like the Wasdale Head Inn are showing that safety, responsible behaviour, and respect for local spaces cannot be taken for granted. The inn’s ban on camper vans serves as a reminder that even in areas famed for their natural beauty, rules are necessary to keep staff, visitors, and the environment safe.
