Lake District England

Lake District: England’s Most Visited National Park

The Lake District National Park covers 2,362 square kilometres in Cumbria, northwest England, and contains 16 lakes, the highest point in England (Scafell Pike, 978m), and about 15 million visitors per year. The popularity creates two problems: summer weekend parking is a genuine ordeal in the central valleys around Windermere and Grasmere, and accommodation costs significantly more than the surrounding non-park area.

Both problems dissolve when you move off the tourist main circuit. The western lakes - Wastwater, Ennerdale Water, Buttermere - have a fraction of the visitor density of Windermere, better walking, and more immediate mountain scenery.

Walking

The Wainwright guide series, covering 214 fells across seven volumes, was written between 1952 and 1966 by Alfred Wainwright, a Blackburn borough treasurer who spent weekends and holidays in Cumbria. The books describe each fell as a hand-drawn route guide with meticulous detail. Completing all 214 - the Wainwright Fells - is a common goal for regular visitors. The best single fell for a first-timer who wants serious views is Helvellyn (950m): the Striding Edge approach from Patterdale gives a narrow ridge walk above a 300m drop on each side, technically straightforward in dry weather but not trivial.

Scafell Pike is popular as England’s highest point but the summit is often crowded and the approach from Wasdale Head is the most interesting (3.5 hours return) rather than the Borrowdale route that most people take.

The lakes

Windermere is 17km long and the largest natural lake in England. The Windermere lake cruises (Windermere Lake Cruises Ltd) run north-south along the lake and connect Bowness, Ambleside, and Lakeside. A day rover ticket (about GBP 20) allows unlimited boarding. It is the easiest way to move between the central settlements without driving the narrow roads. Ullswater is less crowded and arguably more attractive; the Ullswater Steamer service runs from Glenridding to Pooley Bridge.

Food and drink

L’Enclume in Cartmel (one of Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred restaurants, GBP 235 per person for the tasting menu, 2024 pricing) is the most lauded restaurant in the north of England. Book months ahead for weekends. The Drunken Duck Inn on Barngates is a farmhouse pub serving food made with local fell-farmed lamb and Cumbrian beef; less formal and less expensive (GBP 20-30 per main course), but booking still needed for dinner.

For a less expensive lunch on the fell, Fellpack in Keswick does a Herdwick lamb roll for around GBP 7 that is worth timing a Keswick visit around.

Staying

Keswick, at the northern end of the park on Derwentwater, is the best base for accessing the northern fells and the west. It is less crowded than Ambleside in summer. The Inn on the Square is competent and central (GBP 80-120 per night). Ambleside suits walkers focusing on the central fells around Langdale. YHA hostels in Grasmere, Langdale, and Wasdale Head are the practical option for solo and budget travellers and allow direct access to the best walking terrain.

Arrive by train to Windermere station (trains from Manchester, about 2 hours; from London Oxenholme change, about 3.5 hours) and use the Cumbria Connect bus network to reach further destinations. Weekend trains during school holidays are very full; pre-booking is advisable.