This article outlines the top 5 best things to do in the Lake District.
The Lake District is England’s largest National Park and offers deep valleys, rugged mountainshttps://www.luxurytraveldiary.com/2017/01/top-5-best-things-lake-district/, glittering lakes and whitewashed inns. Natural beauty in England doesn’t get better than the Lake District. For centuries, travellers have flocked here in search of inspiration and escape. Market towns such as Kendal, Ambleside and Keswick on scenic Derwentwater are good bases for exploring the area and home to traditional inns, galleries and hotels.
Here is my pick of the top 5 best things to do in the Lake District to make the most of this beautiful region.
1. Lakes & Legends Lake District Tours
The Lake District has been a location for great people throughout history. You maybe surprised to know that King Arthur has many links to the Lake District, such as the stone monument near Penrith to the east of the lakes called King Arthur’s Round Table. Pendragon Castle is also located in the Lake District. According to legend, this castle was built by Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur, who is said to have unsuccessfully tried to divert the river to provide its moat. The Romans and Vikings were also prolific in this region and evidence of their presence can be found across the mountains and fells if you know where to look! You can follow the trail of King Arthur, the Romans and the Vikings along with the saints, poets and writers who have been inspired by this area with Lakes & Legends Lake District Tours.
2. Cruising on Lake Windermere
Take to the water to truly experience Windermere. Stretching for more than 10 miles, Windermere is not only the largest lake in the Lake District, it’s the largest lake anywhere in England. Take a boat trip from Bowness-on-Windermere. The many different options and tickets allow you to hop off, walk back or just sit back and watch the mountains, woodlands and islands unfold before you.
3. Visiting Beatrix Potter’s house at Hill Top
This farmhouse in Near Sawrey is where Beatrix Potter created some of her best-known stories. She bought the house in 1905 (funded largely by royalties from her first book, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny) and bequeathed it to the National Trust following her death in 1943. Potter scholars will spot many features from the author’s illustrations – including Mrs Tiggywinkle’s kitchen and Mr MacGregor’s cottage garden.
4. Hiking in Great Langdale
Great Langdale, usually referred to as just Langdale, is a walkers paradise. In the summer months it is hugely popular with walkers and climbers alike. The Great Langdale Valley is one of the most popular starting points for a hike up on to England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike. The summit is approximately 10km away (20 km round trip). Very fit hikers can get there and back in as little as 7 hours but allow 8 – 10 hours for a hike of this magnitude.
5. Visiting Wordworth’s house, Grasmere
In an enchanting location in the heart the mountains lies the whitewashed Dove cottage. This was the first home of the famous poet William Wordsworth. Here you can discover what life was like at the turn of the 19th Century. Now owned by the Wordsworth Trust, the cottage is full of memorabilia. At the back of the cottage is Wordsworth’s half-wild garden which, one muses, must be a haven for daffodils in the spring.
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils”
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