Welcome back! In this session, we’ll wander thru the planning for a three day, three night visit to the breathtaking Lakes District. We’ll use our process to help us determine:
- What should we see?
- Where should we sleep?
- Where/What should we eat?
This is Day 10, 11 and 12 of our England/Wales/Scotland Trip. We’ll enjoy the drive from Conwy to Keswick (a touch over 3 hours) as we visit the Southern and Northern Lakes area. We’ll revel in Wordsworth, the delight that is Ambleside, and the Castlerigg Stone Circle. Day 11 will include some hiking (Lanty’s Tarn) and some beautiful mountain passes. Day 12 is enjoying the North Lakes area with perhaps some hiking and some waterfalls!
According to the Patron Saints at Lonely Planet, the Lakeland District is by far the most popular National Park. Over 15 million people explore the regions fells and countryside. It’s postcard panoramas of craggy hilltops, mountain tarns and glittering lakes inspire the imagination. If it was good enough for Wordsworth – it should be good enough for us! It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2017, recognizing the significance of its unique hill-farming culture.
Saint Rick suggests spending at least two days and two nights in this area. We’re going to spend an extra day and night. I know we will not be disappointed that we did. 🙂
Since we’ll be coming at the Lake District area from the south, we’ll do our Southern Sightseeing first. We’ll mostly follow Rick Steves’ plan as found on his website – here is the link:
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/lake-district
What Should We See?
Using Saint Rick and cross checking with the good folks at Lonely Planet, here is our primary list of sights:
- Lake Windermere
- Ambleside
- Wordsworth’s Grasmere
- Castlerigg Stone Circle
- Kirkstone Pass
- Ullswater
- Lanty’s Tarn
- Lake District National Park
- Lake Derwentwater
- Catbells High Ridge Hike
- Newlands Valley
- Hornister Pass
- Buttermere
- Buttermere Lake Hike
- Borrowdale
Splitting up our three days, we’ll mostly work this list from top to bottom. Top is the southern Lakes District and we’ll move towards the north.
This is some beautiful driving country thru rolling valleys surrounded by craggy fells. It’s not quite as rugged as Snowdonia… but the green will hurt your eyes. 🙂 If we got lucky to get out in Northern Wales for a leg stretch, we’ll be offered numerous chances to do so in this area.
The secondary sights are pretty remarkable as well. Two are highlighted by both Rick and Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet especially likes the Wray Castle. And if you read the Beatrix Potter books to your children, you’ll have a hard time passing up Hill Top Farm:
- Wray Castle
- Rydal Mount and Gardens
- Holehird Gardens
- Aira Force Waterfall
- Hill Top Farm
- Honister Slate Mine
- Tarm Hows
As stated earlier, Lonely Planet has a nice driving tour to take in some gorgeous scenery.
Where do we sleep?
The South Lakes District is closer to London – and therefore gets more of the promotion, tour crowds and… tackiness. This is the home of Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. The towns in this area (Ambleside, Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere) are super cute – but also a bit touristy. They also are a bit higher cost. Saint Rick suggests we “buck the trend” and head north, and so we shall. 🙂
Keswick is a much smaller town (5,000) – it caters to tourists and is a great home base for the Northern Lakes District. We’ll use it as a springboard to get out into the green hills.
During our last trip, I spent the night at a delightful B&B – Burleigh Mead. This slate mansion was built in 1892. It is small and lovely – a peaceful retreat with a gorgeous front-yard sitting area that’s is perfect for enjoying the view. I really liked it – I hope my wife does as well! 🙂
There are no shortage of attractive B&B’s, hostels and the like in Keswick and throughout the Lakes District. During the summer they are overflowing. Here is a short-list of suggested locations around the Lake District:
- Rum Doodle (Windermere)
- Nanny Brow (Ambleside)
- Forest Side (Grasmere)
- Daffodil Hotel (Grasmere)
- Howe Keld (Keswick)
- Burleigh Mead (Keswick)
- Cottage-in-the-Wood (Keswick)
- Bridge Hotel (Buttermere)
Finally… Where to Eat?
With the number of visitors to the area… you know you are going to have some good food options. There is a nice mix of Eating-Well and Eating-Pub choices in many of the main towns. Here are the restaurants that I’m highlighting (bold means reservations set):
Eating Well
- Mason’s Arms (Windermere)
- Old Stamp House (Ambleside)
- Jumble Room (Grasmere)
- Fellpack (Keswick)
- Lingholm Kitchen (Keswick)
Eating Pub
- Crafty Baa (Windermere & Keswick)
- Great North Pie (Ambleside)
- The Dog & Gun (Keswick)
- Pheasant Inn (Keswick)
- Kirkstile Inn (Buttermere)
So there you have it… here is our preliminary itinerary for Days 10, 11, and 12:
Day 10
- Drive from Conwy to Keswick, taking our time driving past Lake Windermere and Ambleside to Wordsworth Grasmere for a tour at 2:30 PM. Leisurely drive north in the late afternoon to hit the Castlerigg Stone Circle before sunset before checking into the Burleigh Mead B&B before dinner at the Dog and Gun.
Day 11
- Time for a nice day of touring the southern valley’s – making our way over Kirkstone Pass to Ullswater. Get the hiking shoes ready for Lanty’s Tarn and Keldas Hill. Return for dinner at the Fish Inn for some nice Pub fare.
Day 12
- Depending on the weather, we’ll take a boat ride on Lake Berwentwater and perhaps (only perhaps) take on Catbells High Ridge Hike. For certain take a drive thru the Newlands Valley over Hornister Pass before heading to Buttermere for a stroll around the lake and perhaps dinner at the Kirkstile Inn.
I hope you have found this helpful. Next up – into Scotland by way of Oban for Day 13.