Exploring the Lake District 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The Lake District National Park in Cumbria is the largest of 13 National Parks in England and is brimming with wildlife and an abundance of natural beauty. It’s also the most popular, and not hard to see why.

We English like nothing more than a weekend getaway – somewhere we can switch our phones off (or at least put them on silent) and forget about work for a while. Where better to do this than the Lake District with its mountains, lakes (obviously) and winding paths that go on for miles…..

Ambleside

If you love walking, dog-walking, fell-running or climbing, Ambleside is the spot for you! This is where the outdoorsy folk head to first. As such, be prepared for more outdoor walking shops than any other place on earth (at least, that’s what it feels like).

Aside the ‘Mountain Warehouses’ and ‘Go Oudoors’, Ambleside has lots of little shops selling all manner of handcrafted goods, two chocolatiers and a number of galleries. Pubs and cafes are plentiful too, providing a haven for a cold beer or an ice cream in the summer – or a warming hot drink during the cold winter. Try The Apple Pie Bakery for delicious cakes – but be prepared for big queues!

Given the clientele, it’s little wonder that Ambleside is packed full of hostels, B&B’s and AirBNB’s, all of which welcome muddy boots and muddy dogs!

Bowness-on-Windermere

Whilst the Lake District National Park, as a whole, is an all-year holiday destination for walkers and wildlife enthusiasts, Bowness-on-Windermere is the most visited town in this super-sized park.

Although there’s plenty of walking to be had here, it’s focus is more on the cute cobbled streets with independent shops, the host of cosy pubs and restaurants and attractions such as ‘The World of Beatrix Potter’ museum, where you can meet Peter Rabbit! Not forgetting, of course, Windermere’s most prized asset – the magnificent Lake Windermere itself!

Did you know? Lake Windermere is the largest lake in England and stretches a whopping 11 miles in length and a mile wide. With this comes the belief by some locals that a lake monster (similar to Loch Ness’ Nessie) lives in the lake. And what is it called? – ‘Bownessie’! What else?

You can’t really come to Bowness-on-Windermere without going out on the lake, so why not jump aboard a scenic lake cruise? These run frequently each day between Bowness and Ambleside, where you can jump off and catch your return anytime during the day. The boat trips take around 40 minutes one way, which will set you back £17.50 for a return ticket. This is great if you want to spend the afternoon in Ambleside, without the hassle of trying to find a car parking space.

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can also rent your own power boat from Bowness Bay Marina, starting from £42 per hour for 2 people (£60 for two hours). This is great fun if you get good weather!

Bowness-on-Windermere is the town I head to first when I come to the Lake District because it seems to offer the most for me. I’d class myself more of a food-lover than a walking-lover and Bowness has some great eateries. Our staple is Villa Positano, a lovely Italian that does tasty food in a traditional setting. On my recent trip, I found Porto – a fusion restaurant that hit all the right notes.

A trip to Bowness-on-Windermere makes it easy to feel far removed from the stresses and strains of normal life and it’s easier to get to than you’d think, serviced by its own train station that is reached easily from anywhere else in the UK.

Cockermouth

Cockermouth is considered the gateway to the western side of the Lake District and is located at the junction of the Derwent and Cocker Rivers, hence the name. It’s a cute Georgian market town, with plenty of shops, eateries and – of course – a market.

If you’re keen on trying the local ‘produce’ of the Lake District, then look no further than the Lakes Distillery just outside Cockermouth, where you can take a tour and see how they make their gin, vodka and whisky.

After taking the tour, try the ‘obligatory’ tasting and if you like what you sample, then purchase a souvenir. I couldn’t resist the salted caramel vodka (drink this neat with a single ice cube for a cheeky tipple). In fact, I have discovered another fine vodka that you can only find in the Lake District – Kins Toffee Vodka – which can be purchased from Booths (a Lake District supermarket). Long walks in the Lakes build up liquid appetites!

Grasmere

Many people visit the Lakes for the literacy connections as well as the scenery – and Grasmere is one such connection. It is best known as the home of William Wordsworth, and where he described it as “the most loveliest spot a man hath found”. His birthplace was actually Cockermouth.

Grasmere has many places open to visit that are dedicated to him, such as the Wordsworth House and Garden where you can visit the childhood home where he grew his love of nature. The riverside garden is also full of flowers and fruit trees in the spring and summer months. You can also visit Dove Cottage – the place where Wordsworth wrote many of his poems – and find your own inspiration!

Grasmere is also famous for possibly the tiniest gingerbread shop in the country, often with queues down the street – the devine smells wafting in the air!

The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop is reportedly the only place in the entire world that makes and sells the gingerbread made to the recipe of Victorian cook Sarah Nelson – and it has been going since 1854. Although the gingerbread is heavenly, the shop has also expanded to sell award-winning rum butter, toffee and fudge too.

The gingerbread is uber-delish and you can buy it as one piece or a bag load. I’d opt for the latter! Don’t let the long queues worry you too much as the tiny shop only permits 2 or 3 people in it at once, so the queues go down quickly enough!

Keswick (and Derwentwater)

Derwentwater is known locally as The Queen of Lakes and the scenery around the woodland and Skiddaw Mountains is pretty spectacular! It’s ideal for a good walk (10 miles long) – but be aware, you’ll need a good pair of trainers or walking boots as it can be a bit rocky in parts.

The walk will start or end in Keswick, depending on your start point! Although not a huge town, Keswick is a lovely little market town. It has all of the shops a keen walker or mountain climber would want, plus the famous ‘Herdy’ gift shop (named after the local Herdwick sheep) and plenty of watering holes and eateries. It also – rather unusually – has a ‘Pencil Museum’. I kid you not. This is one of those places on the school trip list where you can learn about the ‘journey of pencil and graphite’. Perhaps more interesting- at least to walkers and climbers – is that Keswick is the nearest town to Scarfell Pike, the highest mountain in the Lake District.

You can also catch the Keswick Launch ferry if you want to see Derwentwater from the water as opposed the shoreline. It’s a 50 minute trip with hop on, hop off offered.

Where to stay

I can offer some recommendations based upon the best places we have stayed over the years.

If a Bed & Breakfast fits the bill….

I’m going to recommend my friend’s lovely B&B in Portinscale – Dalegarth House – which is the perfect base for exploring Keswick! It is owned by a fab couple (Craig and Clare) who will welcome you warmly, possibly with some freshly brewed coffee and homemade flapjack! Portinscale is perhaps one of the lesser known beauty spots of the Lakes, a hidden gem nestled just a 15 minute walk from Keswick. We were lucky enough to have brilliant views from our bedroom window out to Derwentwater lake too – which is a great setting for a long walk in nature.

We have also stayed in a great B&B in Windermere called Rum Doodle, which is within 10 minutes walk of the shops, pubs and restaurants (as well as the lake). We booked the attic room at the top, which comes with a separate seating area to the bedroom – ideal if you’re stopping more than a night or two.

If you’re in the Lakes for longer, AirBNB’s can offer more space and a ‘home from home’….

I can’t recommend Pottery Gate in Bowness-on-Windermere more highly! This was the perfect accommodation for four of us and was spick and span throughout! It had some lovely touches such as a wood burning fire, Sky TV (my partner was happy!) and a huge bath with a television! We really appreciated the welcome hamper and car parking too!

Not only was the accommodation fabulous, but it was a mere 5 minute walk to the centre of Bowness and all of the great restaurants, where we ate each evening (despite Pottery Gate having everything we’d need to self-cater).

If you prefer a luxurious hotel over a traditional inn….

The Victorian Langdale Chase hotel is a real treat for your Ambleside stay. Found nestled off the road between Ambleside and Windermere, the hotel dates back to 1890 and is steeped in history. We stayed in December one year and the hotel is decorated from floor to ceiling with a huge Christmas Tree that stands proudly in the hallway. Even Christmas carols are piped from the old beams. When it’s cold outside, there really is no better place to warm up, relax and enjoy a cheeky tipple by the fireside.

It would be remiss of me not to mention just how amazing the food is at the Langdale Chase as well. Whether you choose to stay there, or just visit for a nice meal, be sure to book into the restaurant to save disappointment. They also do a fabulous afternoon tea – perfect for relaxing, unwinding and eating copious amount of cake whilst enjoying views of Lake Windermere.

As I explore more of what the Lake District National Park has to offer, I’ll update this blog. Thanks for reading and be sure to drop your comments below 👇🏻