The Lake District
England's mountain country of glittering lakes, rugged fells and stone villages that inspired Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter.
- Best time to go
- May to September for long days on the fells; October for autumn colour
- Local time
- –
- Currency
- British Pound (GBP)
- Reading time
- 4 min
- Language
- English
The Lake District, in Cumbria in north-west England, is a compact landscape of glacial lakes, rugged mountains called fells, green valleys dotted with stone farmhouses and drystone walls, and England's highest peak, Scafell Pike. Its beauty inspired the Romantic poets, above all William Wordsworth, and later the children's author Beatrix Potter, who used her wealth to buy farms and protect the landscape. It's a national park and a World Heritage Site, recognised as a cultural landscape shaped by centuries of hill farming.
It's one of Britain's best-loved holiday areas, perfect for walking, boating, cosy pubs and literary pilgrimages. The central lakes can be busy in summer, but the western valleys are wilder and quieter.
The top 9 in The Lake District
- 1
Windermere and Bowness
Photo: Nigel Swales, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
England's largest natural lake, more than eighteen kilometres long, with steamers and launches cruising between Lakeside, Bowness and Ambleside. Bowness is the busy lakeside resort; Windermere town, above it, has the railway station.
TipTake a lake cruise to Ambleside and walk back along the quieter western shore paths.
- 2
Grasmere and Dove Cottage
Photo: User:Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A pretty village beside a small lake, where William Wordsworth lived at Dove Cottage from 1799 to 1808 with his sister Dorothy, now a museum of his life and work. Wordsworth is buried in St Oswald's churchyard, and the village is famous for its gingerbread, sold from a tiny shop since 1854.
- 3
Keswick and Derwentwater
Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A lively market town on the shores of Derwentwater, often called the "Queen of the Lakes", ringed by fells and dotted with islands. Launches circle the lake, stopping at jetties for walks, and the Castlerigg Stone Circle, from around 3000 BC, sits on a hill above the town with a mountain backdrop.
- 4
Ullswater
Photo: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A long, winding lake in the eastern fells, where Wordsworth saw the daffodils that inspired his poem. Historic steamers link Glenridding and Pooley Bridge, and the Ullswater Way walk circles the lake. Aira Force, a waterfall in a wooded gorge, is nearby.
- 5
Scafell Pike and Wasdale
Photo: Chris Gorringe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
England's highest mountain, at 978 metres, rises above Wasdale, a remote valley with Wast Water, the deepest lake in England, its screes plunging straight into the water. The climb from Wasdale Head is the shortest route but steep and rocky.
TipOnly attempt the summit with proper boots, waterproofs, a map and a good weather forecast; cloud can descend quickly.
- 6
Hill Top
Photo: Fiktube, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Beatrix Potter's seventeenth-century farmhouse in the village of Near Sawrey, kept as she left it, with many details recognisable from the illustrations in her books. It's small and very popular; entry is by timed ticket.
- 7
Buttermere
Photo: Julian Herzog (Website), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A small lake in a valley of high fells, with a level path of around seven kilometres right around it, including a short tunnel through the rock, one of the most beautiful easy walks in the region.
- 8
Tarn Hows
Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A picturesque tarn surrounded by woods and fells, near Coniston, with an easy circular path, especially lovely in autumn. It was given to the National Trust partly through Beatrix Potter.
- 9
Coniston and Brantwood
Photo: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A village below the Old Man of Coniston, a popular fell walk, beside Coniston Water. Brantwood, the home of the Victorian writer and art critic John Ruskin, has gardens and views over the lake. The restored steam yacht Gondola cruises the water.
When to go
Summer brings long days and the best weather for the fells, but also the most visitors and traffic. Late spring, with lambs in the fields and wildflowers, and autumn, with golden bracken and russet woods, are especially beautiful and quieter. Winter is cold and wet, with snow on the tops and shorter days, but cosy pubs make it appealing. Rain is possible at any time; this is one of the wettest parts of England.
Getting around
Trains run to Windermere, Penrith and Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line from London and Glasgow. Buses link the main villages, and lake steamers double as transport. Driving lets you reach remote valleys, but roads are narrow and parking scarce in summer; mountain passes such as Hardknott and Wrynose are very steep and winding.
Local tips
- Pack waterproofs, layers and proper footwear at any time of year.
- Check the Lake District fell-top weather forecast before high walks.
- Arrive early in popular villages, or use buses and boats instead of the car.
- Leave gates as you find them and keep dogs on leads near sheep.
- Book Hill Top and popular accommodation well ahead in summer.
- Mobile signal is patchy in the valleys; carry a paper map.
- Many car parks are pay-and-display; carry coins or a parking app.
Eat and drink
Try Cumberland sausage, a long coiled pork sausage; Herdwick lamb from the hardy local sheep; sticky toffee pudding, said to have been popularised in Cartmel; Grasmere gingerbread; and Kendal mint cake, an energy bar of sugar and peppermint carried by mountaineers. Traditional inns serve local ales by open fires, and the area has several Michelin-starred restaurants.
Where to stay
Ambleside and Keswick make the best all-round bases, with shops, restaurants and walks from the door. Grasmere is quieter, Windermere and Bowness have the most hotels, and the western valleys such as Wasdale, Borrowdale and Buttermere offer remote inns, farm stays and campsites for walkers.
Walking in the fells
Alfred Wainwright's hand-drawn guidebooks describe 214 Lakeland fells, and "bagging the Wainwrights" is a popular challenge. Good first walks include Catbells, above Derwentwater, a short but rewarding climb; Loughrigg Fell, near Ambleside; and Helvellyn via the airy ridge of Striding Edge for experienced walkers. The Coast to Coast path, which crosses England, begins at St Bees on the Cumbrian coast.