The Lake District
England's highest ground, and the 214 fells Wainwright described.
High point: Scafell Pike, 978 m
Where to base yourself
Windermere
End of the line from Oxenholme, and a first view three minutes out.
Station: Windermere
1186 to stay
Coniston
Slate, copper, and the Old Man rising straight from the village.
Station: Windermere
1122 to stay
Ambleside
Windermere's head, and the easiest Lakeland base without a car.
Station: Windermere
1116 to stay
Staveley
A branch-line village at the mouth of Kentmere.
Station: Staveley
931 to stay
Grasmere
Wordsworth's village, with Helm Crag and Loughrigg at the door.
Station: Windermere
871 to stay
Great Langdale
Pikes at the door; Ambleside for the shopping.
Station: Windermere
753 to stay
Newby Bridge
The foot of Windermere, for low fells and a boat north.
Station: Newby Bridge
599 to stay
Braithwaite
Coledale's village, under Grisedale Pike and the Whinlatter road.
Station: Penrith
529 to stay
Threlkeld
Blencathra at the back door, four miles east of Keswick.
Station: Penrith
528 to stay
Keswick
Derwentwater, Skiddaw, and buses into four valleys.
Station: Penrith
521 to stay
Buttermere
Two lakes, one village, and Honister at the top of the pass.
Station: Workington
429 to stay
Glenridding
Ullswater's steamer pier, and Helvellyn straight up the valley.
Station: Penrith
296 to stay
Cockermouth
Wordsworth's birthplace, on the quiet edge of the northern fells.
Station: Maryport
185 to stay
Pooley Bridge
Ullswater's quiet end, a boat or bus ride from the fells.
Station: Penrith
175 to stay
Broughton-in-Furness
Cumbria's smallest town, a market square beside the Duddon.
Station: Foxfield
152 to stay
Eskdale
Mainline train to Ravenglass, then narrow gauge up the valley.
Station: Ravenglass
97 to stay
Wasdale
Highest summit, deepest lake, and barely a bus.
Station: Seascale
82 to stay
Caldbeck
Back o' Skiddaw, with High Pike from the car park.
Station: Wigton
75 to stay
Ennerdale Bridge
The quiet western door to Ennerdale, with no bus and few hills.
Station: Whitehaven
72 to stay
Hot tubs in the Lake District
Booking through these links earns a commission. The price is the same.
Backbarrow, near Newby Bridge, Cumbria
Robin's Nest - Backbarrow
Sleeps 6 · 3 beds
- Hot tub
- Wood burner
- Dogs
from £644 / week
Check dates for Robin's Nest - Backbarrow (opens the booking site in a new tab)Checked 5 Oct
Boot
Eskdale Retreat
Sleeps 16 · 8 beds
- Hot tub
- Wood burner
- Dogs
from £6,903 / week
Check dates for Eskdale Retreat (opens the booking site in a new tab)Checked 8 Oct
Little Langdale, near Ambleside, Cumbria
Slaters Cottage
Sleeps 4 · 3 beds
- Hot tub
- Wood burner
- Dogs
from £856 / week
Check dates for Slaters Cottage (opens the booking site in a new tab)Checked 5 Oct
Rydal
Hart Head Barn
Sleeps 6 · 3 beds
- Hot tub
- No dogs
from £1,200 / week
Check dates for Hart Head Barn (opens the booking site in a new tab)Checked 7 Oct
Cockermouth, Cumbria
All Saints Manor
Sleeps 20 · 8 beds
- Hot tub
- No dogs
from £10,962 / week
Check dates for All Saints Manor (opens the booking site in a new tab)Checked 5 Oct
All 2629 stays in the Lake District All 257 with hot tubs The 1504 that take dogs
Walks
Aira Force and Gowbarrow
A National Trust waterfall walk above Ullswater, with a longer trail onto Gowbarrow Fell, near the shore of Wordsworth's daffodils.
- 7.2 km
- Moderate
Black Combe from Whicham
A 600m outlier four miles from the Irish Sea, climbed from Whicham church by a broad path, for a view Wordsworth ranked among Britain's amplest.
- 13.7 km
- 610 m up
- 4 hr
- Moderate
Blencathra from Threlkeld via Blease Fell
A steep, non-technical ascent of Blencathra's broad southern shoulder from Threlkeld, the plain way up beside the mountain's two famous scrambles.
- 7.4 km
- 635 m up
- 4 hr
- Hard
Bowfell from Great Langdale
A hard circuit of the fell that closes Great Langdale, climbing past Whorneyside Force and the Great Slab to a boulder summit at 902m.
- 13.6 km
- 861 m up
- 4 hr 10 min moving
- Hard
Buttermere Lake Circuit
A level 7.2km path around Buttermere's shore, through a short rock tunnel, with almost no climbing.
- 7.2 km
- 30 m up
- 2 hr 10 min moving
- Easy
Carrock Fell from Mosedale
A steep climb to a scheduled hillfort on the Northern Fells' one gabbro summit, looped back past old mine workings.
- 11.4 km
- 530 m up
- 5 hr moving
- Moderate
Views without the walk
Castlerigg Stone Circle
A Neolithic stone circle on a hilltop plateau near Keswick, with a 360-degree view of surrounding fells reached in a couple of minutes on foot.
- Drive to it
- Step-free
- 2 min from the car
- View all round
Gummer's How
A 321m fell at the south end of Windermere, climbed in about 25 minutes from a free car park high on Fell Foot Brow.
- Drive to it
- 25 min from the car
- View all round
Hardknott Roman Fort
A ruined Roman fort on a spur above Eskdale, free to visit, with parking beside the site and panoramic valley views.
- Drive to it
- View all round
Orrest Head
A 238m wooded knoll above Windermere town, the first fell Wainwright climbed, reached from the station on a Miles Without Stiles path.
- Step-free
- View all round
Stock Ghyll Force
A wooded waterfall dropping around 21 metres in two stages, a short, stepped walk from Ambleside's main street.
- 15 min from the car
Tarn Hows
A National Trust tarn with an accessible path from the car park and views to the Coniston fells and Langdale Pikes.
- Drive to it
- Step-free
- 5 min from the car
- View all round
Adventure
Coniston Water Watersports
Kayak, canoe and rowing boat hire on Coniston Water from a National Park-run centre a few minutes from the village.
- watersports
- Coniston Boating Centre
Honister Slate Mine Via Ferrata
A fixed-cable route up a working slate mine's quarry face at the top of Honister Pass, run by the mine.
- via ferrata
- Honister Slate Mine
Whinlatter Forest Bike Park
Forestry England mountain bike trails northwest of Keswick, graded blue and red, free to ride with paid parking only.
- bike park
- Forestry England