Alice9

We've been to many places in the UK, but never the Lake District. As we're getting older, we're less inclined to stay 2 nights here, and 2 nights there, but would prefer to find central locations and make day trips for 4-5 nights before moving on. Do you have any suggestions for good, central locations in the Lake District, which would serve such a purpose? I see all sorts of accommodations, but I'd like to settle on where we'd like to locate ourselves first.
Thanks so much for your help (as always).

Alice

ChgoGal

I'll let others weigh in as I've only been to the Lake District once and I didn't love the landscapes as much as I thought I would, and the hiking wasn't as moving as Derbyshire or the Cotswolds or the West Yorkshire moors for me, but someone has recently posted about best places to visit in Cumbria so you may get ideas from that posting from people more familiar/enamored with the area.

I stayed in Keswick, which was a lovely market town, and visited the Castlerigg Stone Circle, and travelled to visit Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount, and they were all just fine. This sounds obvious, but I think you may really need to enjoy being on the lake, or hiking around the shore of the lake, or watching the sun set over the lake..? The hiking was a bit more arduous to get those views of the lakes, and once I was up there, I was a little underwhelmed as the hikes weren't as pretty as I expected them to be on the way up. Good luck with your planning!

janisj

Here is the thread ChgoGal referred to: Best place to visit in Cumbria, UK

Somewhere around Windermere/Amble side would be good if you wanted to stay put a few days. A very important question is . . . WHEN is the trip? Scenic spots in the Lake District are very popular and can get crazy busy mid July through the end of August, any Bank Holiday weekend, and school term breaks. Not only lots of people but bad traffic.

Trophywife007

We stayed near Ambleside; our hotel was right on the lake and there seemed to be several trails for hiking. We hiked to Grasmere the first day. The second day my mom and I want to the town of Ambleside for lunch instead of whatever hike my BiL lead. I'd love to spend a week or more there, someday. We found it to be lovely.

Fra_Diavolo

Spent a few lovely days at Sharrow Bay Country House on Ullswater, but I understand the hotel has closed. Pity.

Alice9

Time-wise, we always try to avoid July/August. So maybe June and maybe September. There's other traveling we have to think about, it's always a puzzle until it's not.
Thanks very much for the thread, I will definitely take a look at that.
ChgoGal, I'm very interested in the fact that it wasn't really your favorite place, and you suggest other areas to explore. We've been to the Cotswolds, but not Derbyshire or the West Yorkshire moors. Maybe I need to expand my exploration.

Thanks all, very helpful.
Alice

bilboburgler

I live on the border between North and West Yorkshire and spent a happy year working in Masham and had to drive through this region on a daily basis. I've never really liked driving to work but these were some of the most beautiful drives of my life. High points I guess are Bolton Abbey, Fountains Abbey and Ripon but in between is some interesting countryside and of course most of it criss-crossed with Englands enormous public footpath system. Harrogate is a Mecca for the older tourist, while Leeds and York both offer somethings for the medievel and Victorian city lovers.

With the cities you will find the train more than adequate but to visit the country you will need a car. Mancester Airport or Leeds/Bradford are the obvious routes in if you can get them.

North Yorkshire has other National Parks

https://www.visitleeds.co.uk/
https://www.visityork.org/
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vis...l-water-garden
https://www.visitmasham.com/
https://www.visitharrogate.co.uk/
https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/
https://footpathmap.co.uk/

ChgoGal

Alice9 I really didn't mean to dissuade you. The Lake District is popular and loved, and I had 4 short days there. What I was trying to convey is that it struck me as a place that people who can relax and soak in scenery enjoy more than a traveller like me who travels solo, and enjoys museums and history, and doesn't seek out relaxation on my vacations so much as exploration/education. 5 minutes looking at scenery is about my limit, and then I get restless to see what's around the bend. I'm sure you'll find gems wherever you decide to go. Have fun planning!

Alice9

bilboburgler, this is SO helpful. I did NOT know that Harrogate is a Mecca for older tourists (like us), and I've always wanted to go to York as well. We assumed we'd need a car, so getting around won't be a problem.

Your links are so helpful, I may rearrange this trip. I will likely include a few days in London (well, maybe more than a few), even though I was just there in May - one of my favorite places to visit, and I'm a theatre junkie.

Clearly, I have a lot of work to do!

Thanks, Alice

Alice9

ChgoGal, I like to combine scenery and hiking (although I can't hike as long/far as I used to) with museums and history as well. My husband is more the scenery/hiking sort, so we generally do a mix, wherever we are. I am NOT dissuaded, but I see there are multiple options, all of which are enticing. I have some homework to do, which always happens when I post on this site, and is one of the reasons I love it and consider a top resource.

Alice

bilboburgler

Mecca (sorry mecca). Both York and Harrogate have Betty Tea rooms. SInce I'm older too I doubt I would want to spend time there (I don't) but if you like a certain, cake, coffee, wine, hotel ambiance with traditional shopping then it is for you. A spa town without a spa. Leeds has much better shopping and architecture but then it is a city. York is about out on a limb geographically but the old centre is a great visit.

When you've done more research come back.

Getting around without a car outside the cities of York and Leeds and towns like Harrogate, Ilkley is easy, but further into the Dales it gets harder. Luckily, in the summer especially it gets a bit easier https://www.dalesbus.org/ and of course there is always https://www.traveline.info/

janisj

The Lakes are iconically beautiful and one of the most popular regions for Brits to holiday. The Dales are completely different -- I personally prefer the Dales. My most recent stay was in 2012 (My GOODNESS time flies - seems just a couple of years ago) here is my trip report. It is VERY long - to spare you a lot of Scotland and Northumberland, the Dales bits start with post #77

Saddest, weirdest, 'funnest', trip ever

janisj

Oh -- and the B&B I stayed in was taken over by new owners in 2014 and no more purple nor patriotic music

Looks lovely -- i might need to visit again https://www.stowhouse.co.uk

(I asked the moderators to fix whatever is causing all the bold text in the TR if they can - it definitely wasn't that way when first posted?? )

Alice9

bilboburgler, CLEARLY I have a lot more research to do!
Alice

Alice9

janisj, I will definitely read your trip report, I've done some long ones in my time as well! Thanks so much.
Alice

AnselmAdorne

Alice9, my wife and I walked the Cumbria Way this spring, passing south to north through the Lake District, and I can say that in addition to that particular route, there are multitude of walking possibilities, from easy to arduous, with many accessible by local bus or taxi. The area is interesting geologically, and the scenery is beautiful, inspiring a litany of English poets and novelists.

You can take a look at our trip report; the Lake District starts around post number 11: Better Lost Than Duffers: Walking Offa's Dyke Path and the Cumbria Way

If you by chance you do end up in Keswick, I heartily recommend the Hillcrest22 B&B. It was comfortable, warmly hospitable, and easily the best accommodation of our entire trip.

I take to heart the other recommendations of the Cotswolds and Yorkshire. Our very brief exposure to the latter, on the rail journey from Carlisle to Settle, was stunning. We are now looking at another long-distance walk next May, and the short list is a choice between the Cotswold Way and the Cleveland Way; the latter runs from Helmsley, in North Yorkshire, east to the North Sea, with a dog-leg south along the coast.

Alice9

AnselmAdorne, I can see this is going to be a multi-year travel project! I will surely look at your trip report, thanks so much for posting the link.

I'd be interested to know WHEN you recommend - I like the long days in June, but sometimes the weather is better in September (actually, the weather never pays attention to what it's supposed to do, in my experience).

Thanks so much!
Alice

AnselmAdorne

Alice9, sadly, I haven't spent enough time in the UK to make any recommendations about weather. Our visit to Wales and the Lake District was in May of this year, and the conditions were nothing like what we expected. We anticipated rapidly changeable conditions with plenty of rain. What we experienced were mixtures of sun and cloud, with only one day with any precipitation, and that was a single shower lasting about ten minutes. Daytime temperatures were mild to warm, so we cycled between light fleeces and long pants to tee-shirts and shorts.

Sorry I can't help any more than that, except to say that we actually prefer cooler conditions when we hike, so May and late September would instinctively be the months that we would choose for our visits, recognizing that there are no certainties.

bilboburgler

last year the UK had near drought conditiions this year August was the wettest ever on record. Climate Change makes planning impossible, right now the leaves are still on the trees and we have flowering plants.

maitaitom

We loved both Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden, along with Ripon Cathedral. Below is my report on the day we visited both on our way from York to Durham (lots of photos). Happy planning!

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...-on-to-durham/

Fountains Abbey



Ripon Cathedral