The Lake District National Park, in Northwest England, is one of my favorite places in the entire country. I only visited this place for the first time in April 2017, but I have fallen in love fast. This is one of the most spectacular places in the UK, and also one of the highlights for visiting tourists!

I wanted to put together a full guide for visiting the Lake District, to hopefully answer a lot of questions people have about the best way to travel here and visit this amazing place! Here is my Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to England’s Lake District.

Lake District Facts

What is the Lake District exactly? Where is it? The Lake District National Park is the official name, but is typically shortened to the Lake District, or just the Lakes or Lakeland. It is located in Northwest England, north of Manchester, Liverpool, and Blackpool, and south of Carlisle.

The Lake District became a National Park in 1951. In 2017, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is roughly 900 square miles in area, and sees about 18 million visitors per year. The Lake District is home to England’s largest natural lake, Windermere, and the highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

Accommodation in the Lake District

Hotels: There are all sorts of different accommodation options in the Lake District. There are lots of luxury hotels, particularly in the main tourist towns and villages. There are lots of nicer hotels, and plenty of B&Bs. Rooms above pubs are also very common (there are lots of pubs!). I definitely recommend booking your accommodation well in advance—especially if you’re visiting on a weekend or in the summer months. You might find that where you’ve decided to stay is fully booked if you just show up!

Hostels: If you’re looking to stay in hostels, there are plenty in the Lake District! Most are operated by YHA, which is a huge brand across England. YHA hostels aren’t necessarily cheap, and can sometimes be quite remote (requiring a car). Keep in mind that YHA generally has only single-sex dorm rooms, so if you’re traveling with a partner of the opposite sex, you won’t be able to stay in the same dorm room. If you plan on staying in YHA hostels, I really recommend becoming a YHA member! You’ll save a few pounds a night, which can really add up if you’re staying at YHAs frequently. Make sure to check the exact location when booking—for example, YHA Coniston Coppermines is 2 miles outside the village of Coniston (requiring a car).

Airbnb: My top choice of accommodation in the Lakes is Airbnb. I’ve stayed in two Airbnbs in the Lake District: this one in Grange, and this one in Drigg (just outside the national park). Both of my visits meant that I stayed somewhere new, and discovered a different part of the area than I was intending. Airbnbs sometimes include breakfast in the price—this is a HUGE bonus when traveling, and particularly when hiking! I loved stocking up on a full English breakfast in the morning before a long day of walking. My hosts at these Airbnbs were both absolutely wonderful, and both made me feel so at home. The properties both had stunning views as well. Sign up for Airbnb here and get £25 or US Dollars equivalent off your stay!

Camping: Camping is a popular option in the national park. There are campsites all over—sometimes they may be run by an organization, like the National Trust. Nearly all campsites will cost you some money. Popular campsites can cost as much as £20 per night—which is nearly half the price of my Airbnbs that had real beds, clean showers and bathrooms, and big breakfasts! Some campsites require reservations in advance—popular ones may be full by the time you arrive. If you’re visiting during the summer or on a weekend, I’d recommend making a reservation. As always with camping, make sure you bring proper gear!

Wild Camping: It is possible and legal to go wild camping in the Lake District! General camping rules apply: leave no trace, bring out everything you bring in, camp far away from towns/villages, and be as unobtrusive of wildlife as possible. Only stay one night, don’t light fires, and only camp above the highest wall of a fell. There are no bathrooms out there—but make sure to do your business 30 meters/100 feet away from water. For more information on wild camping, visit the official Lake District website here.

Transportation in the Lake District

Car: Car is by far the best way to get around. As with most rural areas, having your own transportation is the best in the Lakes. It also gives you the freedom to pull over and take pictures every five seconds because the scenery is so spectacular! It’s one thing to say “car is best” in the Lake District, it’s an entire other thing to actually drive. Here are my best tips for driving in the Lakes.

First of all, drive on the left in the Lakes as you do in the rest of Britain. Roads in the Lake District can often be very narrow “two-way” roads, but barely have space for one car!! Drive slowly and carefully, particularly around corners. Don’t pass other cars unless it’s absolutely necessary and safe. Watch out for passing points (widened parts of the road)—this is where you’ll need to pull over to get past another car. When driving, remember you may need to reverse back into one of these in order to pass!

Always thank drivers with a short wave when you go past, particularly if they have waited/moved to allow you to pass. Not doing so is exceptionally rude. Sat navs/GPS/Google Maps might not necessarily work best on the tiny, winding, country lanes, so I always recommend having an atlas (see below for more tips on what to bring!).

There aren’t very many gas stations, as it is a national park. Make sure to top up at major villages or tourist spots when needed—it’s much better to pay a bit more for “expensive” gas, then to run out of gas in an extremely rural area! Parking lots (particularly in the busy, popular towns) can fill up fast. Parking in a lot (or car park, as the Brits say) will nearly always have a charge (and you should always pay it). Some parking lots will take credit cards, but these tend to be Chip-and-Pin cards only. Bring plenty of coins with you.

Train: The Lake District is easy enough to get to by train, although trains don’t really run through the Lakes (besides the Ravenglass and Eskdale tourist railway). Kendal and Windermere are the two most popular towns that are accessible by train, and are the only main train access inside the park. Penrith, near Keswick, has a direct train to/from London Euston—the journey takes about 4 hours. There are also direct trains from London Euston to Oxenholme, just outside the Lake District, where you can switch for trains to Kendal and Windermere. There are no actual train lines in the Lake District (besides Oxenholme to Windermere) as it is a National Park.

Bus: The best way to get around the Lakes without a car is by bus. The Lakes have a fantastic bus system, with many routes passing through major tourist attractions and at the start of lots of walking trails. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was to get around Windermere, Coniston, and Ambleside by bus!

You can buy a variety of different tickets based on your journey. While it’s not necessarily cheap, it is an excellent way of getting around: you won’t have to pay for parking, you won’t have to stress over the narrow roads, and you can sit back and enjoy the scenery! You can buy one-way tickets, return tickets, and day tickets. Depending on the route, day tickets cost around £8-12. Always check the time of the last bus! For more information on buses in the Lakes and all the routes, visit the official website here.

Air: Arriving by air? Small Carlisle Airport is set to start flights from London, Dublin, and locations in Scotland in September. Manchester and Liverpool airports are the closest airports and will be your best bet for getting to the Lakes by air. Manchester Airport is particularly well connected for international, non-European flights. Glasgow Airport in Scotland is slightly further from the Lakes than Manchester but still an option. Otherwise, the Lakes are connected to London by train if you fly into London.

Eating and Food in the Lake District

Eating Out: Pubs reign supreme in the Lake District as the main choice for filling up hungry hikers. You’ll never be too far from a pub anywhere in the Lakes! In my experience, it’s typical English pub grub: burgers, pies, fish and chips, etc. While prices may vary, all pub menus will be roughly the same price. One of the best pubs I’ve eaten at in the Lakes has been the Woolpack Inn in Eskdale—they had loads of menu selections and the food was terrific!

Besides pubs, most hotels will have attached restaurants that may accommodate diners who aren’t staying there (depending on their capacity). Hotels will generally be a more expensive choice for food, particularly as the Lake District is home to some very fancy luxury hotels! In villages and towns, you can’t move for restaurants, takeaways (Chinese and Indian takeaways are popular everywhere), cafes, coffee shops, tea rooms, etc. offering a quick bite or a basic, filling, meal. You could probably spend an entire trip to the Lakes just working your way through the cafes! Towns and villages tend to be made up of food establishments and outdoor shops—so you’ll be in good hands if you’re hungry.

Buying Food: As the Lake District is a National Park, you won’t find ubiquitous corner stores, gas stations, grocery stores every five seconds down the road. If you’re camping, you’ll probably be buying your food before you leave home, and bringing your own food. If you want to cook your own meals, I recommend stocking up in towns and villages. Every major town or village will have a small grocery store or gas station where you can buy snacks, some hot pastries, drinks, and the classic sandwich meal deal (in nearly every store in the UK, you can buy a sandwich, a snack like chips, and a small soft drink for £3-4). There will generally be a branch of one of the popular supermarket chains (like Sainsbury’s, Tesco, or the Co-Op) in any town or village.

Activities in the Lake District

Hiking: The Lake District is an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Hiking and walking (or rambling, as they say in England) is by far the top activity in the Lakes. There are 214 “Wainwrights” (fells/mountains/hills detailed in Alfred Wainwright’s popular book on Lake District fells) that you can hike up. The opportunities for hiking are just limitless. Whatever your level and whatever scenery you prefer, there will be a walk for you! Bicycling is very popular, as is backpacking and camping. Rock climbing (or bouldering) is also popular.

Water: It isn’t called the Lakes for nothing—if you want to do something on the water, somewhere in the area will offer it. Canoeing, kayaking, and swimming (if it’s warm enough!) are all very popular activities. Check in advance for rental and pricing options. Boat tours (including steam boats) are particularly popular on the large lakes, such as Windermere, Ullswater, and Coniston.

Culture: Nearly everyone who goes to the Lake District goes in order to be outside, and enjoy nature. That said, there are plenty of historical and cultural activities to enjoy in the Lakes. These are (generally) clustered around Bowness-on-Windermere, Ambleside, Rydal, and Grasmere. Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, and John Ruskin are just a few of the renowned authors to make the Lake District famous. There are castles, museums, manor houses, gardens, literary attractions, and more. There are also lots of quaint, charming towns and villages to wander. And don’t worry, there are plenty of pubs for when you need sustenance!

Best Walks in the Lake District

I’ve only been to the Lake District three times, so there’s no way that I can tell you the absolute, ultimate, list of walks in the Lake District! But to get you started, here are a few walks: listed as either Easy, Moderate, or Difficult.

• Easy

  • Buttermere—walking around the lake, flat and easy (~4 miles, 1-2 hours)
  • Keswick to Castlerigg Stone Circle—from the town up to the stones (~1.5 miles one way, 30-60 minutes)

• Moderate

  • Loughrigg Fell—stunning views of several lakes at only 335 meters (~2-3 miles, 1.5-2 hours)
  • Orrest Head—fantastic views over Windermere at 239 meters (~0.5 miles one way, 20-30 minutes)

• Difficult

  • Old Man of Coniston—very popular hike from the village of Coniston, 803 meters (~6 miles, 5-6 hours)
  • Helvellyn—voted one of the best walks in Britain, 949 meters (~8.5-9 miles, 5-6 hours)
  • Scafell Pike—the highest mountain in England, 978 meters (6 miles, 4-5 hours)

Major Hotspots and My Favorite Places in the Lake District

There are lots of popular places to go in the Lake District. The only problem is that other people will probably be there too. But if you’re wanting to know where people like to go, here are a few places to get you started: Kendal, Keswick and Derwentwater, Windermere (mainly Bowness-on-Windermere), Ambleside, Coniston, Buttermere, and Ullswater.

My favorite places in the Lakes? Not necessarily where all the people are. So far, my favorite places have been Coniston, Helvellyn, Buttermere, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Hardknott Roman Fort and Eskdale, and Loughrigg Fell. Again, this is just a small selection as I’ve only been on three trips to the Lake District. But I wanted to share my favorites! My next trip to the Lake District will almost certainly be exploring around Ullswater!

I go to the Lake District to be outside. So on my weekend trips, I usually plan on doing one big, long hike on the first day. Then on the second day (when I’ll generally be leaving in the evening), I like to explore the towns and villages, maybe go on a shorter walk. If you don’t have a car, I recommend basing yourself in a village and staying in one place for a few nights. You can then get the bus out to the starting point for longer hikes.

Here are a few ideas for itineraries (for short weekend trips), roughly based on what I’ve done:

• Staying near Windermere. Hiking up the Old Man of Coniston on Day 1, exploring Ambleside and Bowness-on-Windermere (and Orrest Head) on Day 2. OR exploring Ambleside, Grasmere, and Rydal Water and hiking up Loughrigg Fell on Day 2.

• Staying near Derwentwater or Keswick. Hiking up Helvellyn on Day 1, exploring Keswick and Castlerigg Stone Circle on Day 2, then driving the B5289 around Derwentwater to Honister Pass, Buttermere, and Crummockwater.

• Staying near Wasdale. Hiking up Scafell Pike on Day 1, exploring Eskdale, Blea Tarn, and Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass on Day 2.

What to Pack for the Lake District

In general, you should be able to get away with packing any of your usual gear for an outdoor trip to a rural area. If you’re planning to camp, you’ll probably know what you need already. Here are a few things I recommend packing particularly for a trip to the Lake District:

• Sturdy hiking boots
• Rain jacket and appropriate layers
• Extra water bottles (2-3 750ml bottles per person)
• OS Maps (there are 4 for the entire Lake District)
• Road atlas for driving
• Flashlight

Remember that the weather can change very fast in the Lakes—especially if you’re high up a mountain. Always pack warm, extra layers, as well as way more water than you think you’ll need. Make sure to bring plenty of snacks with you just in case (I love taking flapjack with me for long hikes). Physical maps (don’t rely on your phone!!!) are vital. Having a waterproof backpack or daypack is also essential. It never hurts to carry a flashlight on you, in case you get stuck out in the dark.

The Lake District is one of my favorite places in the country and is home to some of the most spectacular scenery you can find on this tiny island. It is not necessarily the easiest place to visit as a tourist (proper gear takes up lots of room in a suitcase, and driving down those narrow roads can be scary!), but it is well worth it. I’ve tried to cover all sorts of travel aspects in the post. But if you have any questions about the Lakes, feel free to pop them in the comments!

Check out my Lake District posts:

30 Incredible Places to Visit in the Lake District

Why You Should Visit the Lake District This Year

Hiking The Old Man Of Coniston In The Lake District

Hiking Up Helvellyn In The Lake District

The Lake District: Keswick And Beyond

Have you ever been to the Lake District? What have your experiences been like? Any questions or tips to share?!

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