48 hours in . . . the Lake District, an insider guide to England’s muse

Scenic beauty for adventurers and romantics

The clue to the region’s allure is in the name. A dozen or more lakes – sinuous, pretty, forbidding – vie for attention. Throw in craggy fells, tumbling waterfalls, timeless villages of whitewashed cottages, and the pull is irresistible. Even when it’s damp – and it frequently is – the scenery merely acquires a layer of misty romanticism. Its compact size (around 30 by 40 miles), together with its easy access (20 minutes from the M6), makes it one of the best places in Britain to enjoy the great outdoors whether ticking off the fells (including England’s highest), strolling a lakeshore or taking to the water.

It’s not all high-energy stuff though. Writers were drawn and inspired by its beauty, so you can nose around the homes of children’s author Beatrix Potter or poet William Wordsworth. There are quirky museums (from steamboats to pencils), absurdly pretty villages (including Cartmel and Hawkshead) with Instagrammable views plus – the ultimate relaxation – lake cruises. Base yourself in a lakeside town if you want variety, or a valley village for the big outdoors.

Helen Pickles, our resident expert, offers her top tips on the hottest places to stay and eat this season.

Stay

The latest addition to the Askham Collection – the Lowther-family-owned micro-group of foodie-centred places to stay in the lesser-visited north-east Lakes – is The Queen’s Head (Askham; 01931 712225). The snug, 17th-century village inn has been subtly modernised without losing its pubby credentials: comfortable country-house bedrooms and robust food plus real fires, copper-topped bar and local ales.

• The best hotels in the Lake District

Grasmere, in the central Lakes, is very pretty and very well-located – but also very busy. Newcomer The Yan at Broadrayne (Grasmere; 015394 35055), a brisk 15-minute walk outside the village, not only avoids the crowds but all its seven boutique-smart rooms (converted outbuildings of a 17th-century farm) have fell views.  

• The best things to do in the Lake District

Eat

Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan – farm-to-fork and foraging pioneer – has expanded his mini-empire to include the restaurant, Henrock, at smart country-house hotel Linthwaite House (Crook Road; 015394 88600), overlooking Windermere. The menu of small plates and sharing plates follows his knack for tastebud-popping sensations with many ingredients from his huge kitchen garden near Cartmel in the southern Lakes.

• The best restaurants in the Lake District

Helping expand the Lake District’s Michelin-star total to seven is The Cottage in the Wood (Magic Hill; 017687 78409), recently awarded a coveted star and prettily tucked away on forested Whinlatter Pass overlooking Lake Bassenthwaite. Enjoy fuss-free, skilful dishes while glimpsing the fells of the Skiddaw range through the dining-room’s vast picture windows.

Day one

MORNING

If you’ve not visited before, or want a good all-round base, you should opt to stay near Windermere Lake. Beatrix Potter’s house, Hill Top (Near Sawrey; 01539 436269), is close to the western shore; take the ferry across from Bowness and visit early to avoid the crowds. Most fun is had by spotting the places that pop up in her books, such as the grandfather clock from The Tale of Samuel Whiskers.

Back in Bowness, board one of the cruise boats (01539 443360) for a stately tour around Windermere; if you like, hop off at The Windermere Jetty Museum (Rayrigg Road, Windermere; 01539 637940) to wander its impressive collection of vintage steam launches, speed boats and rowing boats. Look out for the sexy red number, Jane.

A mile south of Bowness is Blackwell (01539 446139), a magnificent example of an Arts and Crafts mansion (built as a holiday home for a wealthy Lancashire brewer), and missed by many Lake District visitors (their loss). Check out the details – such as the intricate window-latches – and leave time to rest on the window-seat and enjoy the views from the White Drawing Room. The café offers a short menu but with good, homemade choices including Cumbrian cheddar rarebit with bacon – leave room for their chocolate brownie.

AFTERNOON

Take the lakeside road from Bowness eight miles north to Grasmere to poet William Wordsworth’s tiny whitewashed home, Dove Cottage (01539 435544). It was here he wrote many of his famous works, dictating to his wife or sister; you can see the wooden chair in which he sat.

Now, you have a choice: either take the two-mile ‘Coffin Trail’ walk to Rydal Mount (Ambleside; 01539 433002), Wordsworth’s last home, and enjoy its romantic gardens, or browse pretty Grasmere’s shops before a stroll on the shores of Grasmere lake. Whichever, end the afternoon with a slice of gingerbread, made to Victorian cook Sarah Nelson’s recipe, from the Grasmere Gingerbread (01539 435428) shop beside the church. Just follow your nose.

LATE

As you’re in Grasmere, try one of the ten or so real ales at Tweedies Bar (Red Bank Road; 015394 35300); hopefully, it’s warm enough to sit in the large, south-facing beer garden. You have a couple of options for dinner, depending whether you want to splash out and have a food adventure or go casual and a bit noisier.

For the former, Michelin-starred Forest Side (Grasmere; 015394 35250) offers delicately balanced dishes in its taster menu, often using foraged ingredients (many from its kitchen garden, and sometimes little-known, like the cuckoo flower). Alternatively, Lucy’s on a Plate (Church Street, Ambleside; 015394 32288) is a long-established, colourful joint with a daily-changing global-style menu.

• The best restaurants in the Lake District 

Day two

MORNING

Today, you’re heading north to Keswick and (relatively) less-crowded lakes and valleys. If it’s Thursday or Saturday, browse Keswick’s jolly market; nothing fancy but always good-humoured and a good place to pick up home-baked breads, woolly hats and practical bags. From the Market Square, it’s a 10-minute walk to Derwentwater where the old-fashioned launches make this the best lake for a relaxing cruise.

Hop off at Hawse End landing-stage for an easy lakeside stroll to Lingholm Estate (01768 774238), where Beatrix Potter spent several holidays and whose kitchen garden inspired Mr McGregor’s garden in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. After a potter around the new walled garden, it would be a mistake to miss a coffee and cake in the café, the latter made in the next-door bakery.

Either catch the launch back to Keswick, or take the easy 35-minute walk through Portinscale and around the bottom of the lake, and then you’re heading north, again, up the quiet east side of Bassenthwaite Lake for a ‘wee dram’. The Lakes Distillery (Setmurthy; 01768 776916) produces gin and vodka as well as whisky, and a behind-the-scenes-tour lets you not only watch, but taste a tot of all three. The Distillery’s bistro, with its mix of small and big plates, is a handy spot for lunch.

AFTERNOON

Take a leisurely drive along Derwentwater and up what is, arguably, the Lake District’s most picturesque valley: Borrowdale. Stop at Grange, a couple of miles beyond the lake-head, and either take a walk across fields to the lake with stunning views down the lake to Cat Bells and Skiddaw, or stroll along the wooded riverside path.

Then hold on to your seat, as you navigate the one-in-four Honister Pass at the head of the valley to Honister Slate Mine (017687 77230), a still-working 18th-century mine. Apart from its shop, options include a mine tour or, if you’ve a head for heights, a thrilling via ferrata climb – routes with fixed cables and ladders – that lets you scale vertical rock faces in safety, despite dizzying drops beneath.

Recover with afternoon tea on the terrace at the Lodore Falls (017687 77285), a landmark hotel overlooking the lake, and looking swanky after a £12m refurbishment.

LATE

You will have booked ahead for seats at Keswick’s picturesquely set Theatre by the Lake (Lakeside; 017687 74411) and can opt to eat before or after at The Square Orange (20 St John’s Street; 017687 73888), a friendly, funky café-bar with a simple menu of tapas and stone-baked pizzas.

If the theatre is between-shows, book a table at the just out-of-town, but off-the-tourist-radar, The Cottage in the Wood (Braithwaite; 017687 78409) whose modern British dishes offer intriguing combinations.

• The best nightlife in the Lake District 

Luxury Living

For a combination of standout views, lovely bedrooms and serious cooking – wrapped in low-key luxury and a calming atmosphere – it’s hard to beat The Samling. Many rooms are ultra-private, deer roam the grounds, and you can be as lazy or active as you like. There’s space to relax indoors or outdoors with a sitting room and snug ‘library’, paved terraces, gardens and a hot tub.

Double rooms from £230. Ambleside Road; 01539 431922

Boutique Beauty

The Drunken Duck is a much-loved Lake District pub with a quirky, contemporary-country style that feels smart yet relaxed and with a real sense of place. Food is serious but not pretentious and the bar, with own-brew beer, is still a locals’ favourite. Make sure to take advantage of the lovely walking nearby – it’s only 15 minutes’ on foot to low-level strolls around the lake.

Double rooms from £125. Barngates; 015394 36347

Budget Bolthole

A country pub-with-rooms, in a spectacular setting high in the hills above Windermere. The Mortal Man is aimed at lovers of the outdoors, and offers simple comforts, cosy rooms, good beers, filling food and a very friendly welcome. It also has a beer garden with an excellent view that stretches all the way down to the lake.

Double rooms from £60. Troutbeck; 015394 33193

• A complete guide to the best hotels in the Lake District 

Honister slate (017687 77230). Beautifully smooth and distinctively dark greeny-grey, you can find homewares, from door knobs to cheese boards, plus garden benches and ornaments, or order a custom-made house-name or number.

There are dozens of Lakeland artists – some good, many bad – but the Heaton Cooper family (now in the third generation) have produced some of the finest iconic and arresting images with landscape prints starting from around £8. Purchase from Heaton Cooper Studio (Grasmere; 015394 35280).

The worst of the rainfall is usually reserved for the beginning and end of winter, but heavy showers can strike in the Lake District at practically any time of year. Heavy snow is common in midwinter, especially between November and February, when some rural roads become impassable.

The busiest season is between June and August, when prices rocket, car parks are packed and traffic jams are frequent. Better to visit in the shoulder months: in April and May, when the weather is generally settled and sunny, or in September and October, when the woodlands blaze with autumnal colour.

Essential Information

Tourist Information

The main Lake District Visitor Centre (015394 46601, brockhole.co.uk) is at Brockhole, on the banks of Windermere. There are also tourist offices in local towns including Windermere, Ambleside and Coniston.

Emergency Services

Ambulance/Police/Fire/Mountain Rescue 999

Visitor Passes

National Trust membership is very useful here, as it permits you free entry to all NT properties and also allows you to park in NT car parks.

Etiquette

If you’re planning on hiking on the fells, essential items include proper boots, good waterproofs (ideally Gore-Tex or equivalent), plenty of food and water and a detailed walking map; a compass is very useful, but only if you actually know how to use it. Take a mobile phone in case of emergencies, but don’t rely on being able to get a signal. Check the weather forecast before you leave.

Stick to the trails on the fells to avoid erosion, and don’t litter.

Author Bio 

Helen Pickles is Telegraph Travel’s Lake District expert. An upbringing of wet caravanning holidays to climb its fells and shriek at the coldness of lake-paddling started a curious love affair. She can still be left breathless by its beauty – and not just the uphill slogs.

Telegraph Travel’s best hotels and holidays in the Lake District, tried, tested and recommended by our Lake District experts.