Hiring a car in London ,we have booked 2 nights in Windermere.
It will be in early October,will we be too late for autumn colours? Any tips on good drives
ending at a pub/cafes with yummy food? Any suggestions for the prettiest route from London. Any especially scenic spots for photography that you can recommend,as I understand it`s all rather gorgeous.I`m hoping to drive some sort of loop in order to not backtrack too much.Scenery,architecture ,food,wine then maybe museum type stuff is the order of preference.
Looking forward to your insights.

We had two nights there in 1998. We rented a tiny boat on the lake, toured Wordsworth's house, ambled around Ambleside, and near (I believe it is Keswick) don't have my map, there is a stone circle. It is a stone circle on top of a hill and you can walk among the stones. Note, they are not tall like Stonehenge, but the view is amazing.

Be sure to go into some of the very old pubs.

Don't know where you are booked for a hotel but an excellent dinner can be had at Miller Howe Hotel. The food is only surpassed by the view overlooking Wndermere from the dining room

http://www.millerhowe.com/

Thanks for the tips,any suggestions for the drive from London ,or is straight up the freeway the best?
We are not necessarily looking for fine dining,rather, good local food in lovely settings,& good pub food.The stone circle sounds like just the sort of place we hope to visit.
Any galleries about? Particular crafts the area is noted for?
I just love this forum,it`s fabulous to help organize trips like this. We will be coming From Australia via the USA ,so all hints are good .

What should we expect weather wise?
Cool on doubt,really cold ,windy?

depending on where in London you are starting from -- just the straight drive on the motorway will be 5.5+ hours -- more if you hit congestion anywhere. Taking detours or a scenic route will add hours to the drive.

We have an apartment near Waterloo,but thought to take the tube to the north side of London,any suggestions?

I think a better option would be to head out to LHR, pick up a car there, take the M40, and then the M6 from Birmingham. Just about every rental agency is at LHR

Going somewhere on the north side of London would 1) give you less options for car rentals and 2) put you on the M1.

There is a nice Gallery in Grasmere the Heaton-Cooper and be sure to tour the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead.

Thank you janisj, what a brilliant suggestion,we will do that!LilSisTX,we will put those galleries on the list,ta.

Going up the M1 would give you the option of going through the Yorkshire Dales on route to the Lakes - I can suggest a route if required - but would negate a detour into North Wales. Of course, you could go up one way and down the other. How long have you set aside for the journey up and down?

The Stone Circle mentioned above is Castlerigg Stone Circle, a really beautiful place with all round views. Usually you find sheep grazing amongst the stones. There's car parking on the road by the stones, and I'd especially recommend a visit early evening as the light is going.
www.visitcumbria.com/kes/casstone.htm
It's a bit of a drive from Windermere (not that far as the crow flies but it's not an area you can get anywhere that quickly due to the narow, twisting roads).
Early October is a lovely time to visit, out of season so much quieter than the summer months (which I always avoid, I live not far from the area but never go during the busy period).
The weather could be anything at all so be prepared for everything, including rain, but you ARE likely to get autumn colours.
A really nice place to eat is the Punchbowl Inn at Crosthwaite, a very pretty pub in scenic surroundings.
www.the-punchbowl.co.uk

"<i>Going up the M1 would give you the option of going through the Yorkshire Dales on route to the Lakes -</i>"

That's true -- but I assumed you were doing the drive in one day -- no time for detours IMO.

But if you ARE planning on a couple of days to drive up and a couple more to drive back to London -- then we can give other suggestions.

We are planning to do the drive in 1day ,so in reality we only have 1 full day to have a look around,not much I know, but thats what it is.
the Castlerigg Stone Circle looks amazing.
I love Fodors,it is invaluable in shaping my travel plans .
Keep the suggestions coming.
Thank you all so much.
Sue.