A FESTIVAL in the heart of the Lake District will be returning for the first time since Covid. 

Base Camp Festival 2025 will take place at the eastern end of Buttermere next year.

Dubbed the ‘UK’s friendliest outdoor festival’, the outdoor event, which has a capacity of just 400, will run from July 4 to 7.

The festival ran for five years before the pandemic and will return for the first time since the pandemic in 2025 with new owners, Amanda Travis and Chris Kempster, publishers of Trek & Mountain magazine.

Activities lined up for Base Camp Festival 2025 include guided climbing, via ferrata, scrambling, hiking, trail running, and navigation sessions, plus creative workshops on needle-fettling, outdoor photography, and adventure film-making.

There will be plenty to do on-site, much of which is free, with a climbing wall, yoga, wild swimming, stand-up paddle boarding, and a games area.

Other activities will include talks and films, music each evening, meet and greets, and competitions.

Speakers who have been confirmed so far are climber Neil Gresham, adventurer, runner and Minds Over Mountains founder Alex Staniforth, Base Camp Festival founder Belinda Kirk, 'Fell Foodie' Harrison Ward, and photographer Alun Richardson.

Base Camp Festival director Chris Kempster said: “Base Camp Festival is in a very special location, which allows us to deliver an authentic outdoor experience and a wonderful atmosphere for 400 like-minded folk.

"Buttermere is the perfect spot for exploring the lake and the surrounding fells, but there will also be so much to enjoy on the site itself. We can’t wait to welcome everyone next July.”

Each festival ticket includes free tent camping, with a fee for those who want to bring a campervan or car with a roof tent.

Tickets are now available, with special offers for early birds, including a Black Friday deal.