The Lake District is England at its most romantic: fells rising out of still water, slate villages and tea rooms for when the rain comes in, which it will. It is England’s largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has inspired poets, painters and walkers for more than two hundred years.
Here is a weekend that works for walkers and non walkers alike. It is built around the southern and central lakes, with the classic sights, and a few quieter corners. You could spend the first day around Windermere and Grasmere, and the second around Keswick and Buttermere.
1. Windermere and Bowness
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England, around ten and a half miles long, stretching from Ambleside in the north to Lakeside in the south. The town of Bowness-on-Windermere, on its eastern shore, is the busiest place in the Lake District. It is a lively base, with shops, cafés and boat trips.
The easiest way to see the lake is on a lake cruise from Bowness, with boats running north to Ambleside and south to Lakeside. At Lakeside, you can connect with the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, a heritage steam railway. You can also hire rowing boats and motor boats.
The World of Beatrix Potter, in Bowness, brings the characters of her books to life, and it is popular with young children. Windermere Jetty Museum has a collection of historic boats, some of which you can take a trip on. The lake shore has lovely walks.
For a view over the lake, climb Orrest Head, a short walk from Windermere town, with a panoramic view of the lake and the fells. The famous fell walker Alfred Wainwright said it was his first view of the Lake District, and it made him fall in love with it. It takes about twenty minutes to reach the top.
2. Hill Top, Near Sawrey
Hill Top, in the village of Near Sawrey on the western side of Windermere, was the home of Beatrix Potter, the author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She bought the farmhouse in 1905 with money from her first books. She wrote and illustrated many of her stories here.
The house has been kept as she left it, with her furniture, pictures and belongings. Many of the rooms and the garden appear in the illustrations of her books, and fans love spotting them. It is a charming, small house.
Beatrix Potter was also a farmer and a conservationist, and when she died she left thousands of acres of land and farms to the National Trust, helping to protect the landscape of the Lake District. Her story is told at the house. The Beatrix Potter Gallery, in nearby Hawkshead, shows her original drawings.
Entry to Hill Top is by timed ticket, and it is very popular, so book ahead. You can reach Near Sawrey by the car ferry across Windermere from Bowness. Hawkshead, a pretty village nearby, is where Wordsworth went to school.
3. Grasmere
Grasmere is one of the prettiest villages in the Lake District, beside a small lake surrounded by fells. It is closely linked with the poet William Wordsworth, who lived here with his sister Dorothy from 1799. He called it the loveliest spot that man hath ever found.
Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth wrote much of his best poetry, is open to visitors, together with the Wordsworth Museum next door. The cottage is small and full of atmosphere. Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s Church in the village.
Grasmere is also famous for its gingerbread, which has been baked in a tiny shop beside the church to the same secret recipe since 1854. There is often a queue, and the smell is wonderful. The gingerbread is chewy and spicy, unlike any other.
Rydal Mount, where Wordsworth lived later in his life, is a short distance away, with a lovely garden. A walk around Grasmere and Rydal Water is one of the easiest and most beautiful in the Lake District. The village has cafés, shops and hotels.
4. Keswick and Derwentwater
Keswick, a market town in the north of the Lake District, sits beside Derwentwater, one of the most beautiful lakes. It is surrounded by fells, including Skiddaw and Catbells. It is one of the best bases for walking.
A short walk from the town centre leads to Friar’s Crag, a rocky viewpoint on the lake shore, with a classic view down the lake to the mountains of Borrowdale. The writer John Ruskin said it was one of his earliest memories. It is especially lovely at sunset.
The Keswick Launch runs around the lake, stopping at jetties where you can hop off for a walk and catch a later boat back. Catbells, a small fell above the western shore, is one of the most popular family walks in the Lake District, with wonderful views. Ashness Bridge, a stone bridge with a view of the lake, is one of the most photographed spots in the area.
Keswick has a market on Saturdays, the Theatre by the Lake and the Derwent Pencil Museum, which tells the story of the pencils once made from graphite found nearby. There are plenty of pubs and outdoor shops. It is a lively town all year round.
5. Buttermere
Buttermere, in a quiet valley west of Keswick, is one of the prettiest lakes in the Lake District. It is surrounded by high fells, which are reflected in its still waters on a calm day. It feels much more remote than the busy southern lakes.
A flat path runs all the way around the lake, about four and a half miles long, making it one of the best walks for almost anyone. Along the way, the path passes through a short tunnel cut into the rock. It takes about two hours at a gentle pace.
The small village of Buttermere has two pubs and a café. Crummock Water, the next lake along, is just as beautiful and even quieter. The fells above the valley offer more challenging walks.
The road to Buttermere from Borrowdale crosses Honister Pass, where a slate mine offers tours underground and a via ferrata, a climbing route with fixed cables. The road is steep and narrow. Parking in Buttermere is limited, so arrive early.
6. Castlerigg Stone Circle
Castlerigg Stone Circle, just outside Keswick, is one of the most dramatically sited stone circles in Britain. It was built around five thousand years ago, and it is one of the earliest stone circles in the country. It stands on a low hill, surrounded by a ring of mountains.
The circle is made up of around forty stones, some of them taller than a person. Nobody knows exactly why it was built, but it may have been a meeting place or a site for ceremonies. The views from the circle to Blencathra, Skiddaw and Helvellyn are breathtaking.
The circle is free to visit and open at all times. It is looked after by English Heritage. It is especially atmospheric at sunrise and sunset, or when mist hangs in the valleys.
Castlerigg is a short drive or a walk of about half an hour from Keswick. It is a peaceful place to end a day in the Lake District. Please do not climb on the stones.
When it rains
It rains a lot in the Lake District, which is why it is so green. On a wet day, visit Hill Top, Dove Cottage, the Pencil Museum or the Windermere Jetty Museum, or take a lake cruise, which is lovely even in the rain. A long lunch in a pub by a fire is a Lake District tradition.
Getting there from Manchester
Windermere is about eighty five miles from Manchester, around an hour and a half by road without traffic. Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons are the busiest times on the M6, so leave a little earlier if you can. Trains run from Manchester to Windermere, some direct and some with a change at Oxenholme.
Once you are there, parking in the most popular villages is scarce in summer. A car and driver for the weekend, or for the journey there and back, takes care of it all.
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