Help - Easter Weekend in the Lake District
 

From my other thread that I couldn't seem to get a response to:


Now that I have our FF tickets for our trip from IAH to MAN, I noticed that our first weekend falls on Easter (12 April).

Based on my current itinerary we will be in the Lake District around Keswick.

So what can we expect in the way of crowds and closings? Assume most closing will be on Sunday only?

Can anybody help me with this?

I can't think of anything that affects a tourist will be closed in the Lake District over Easter. All shops over 3000 sq ft have to stay closed on Easter Sunday, but you're unlikely to be looking for beds or new TVs, and virtually all tourist-oriented shops are 2999 sq ft or less to avoid opening hour restrictions. For paid-for attractions, like Dove Cottage, Easter Sunday's just about the busiest day of the year.

This is an extremely busy period throughout the Lakes (even the golden daffodils come in crowds around then) and the only way you can really avoid crowds of humans is if it's raining a lot. The area gets a lot of day trippers from the nearby big cities, and if it's very wet they stay at home.

Serious walking's one way: it's a very, very, popular area with walkers, but the "crowds" at the top of even a popular hill are a great deal smaller than at a lakeside.

Otherwise, re-route. With a week or two in Northern England, there's absolutely no point being in the Lakes from Good Friday to Easter Monday if you can choose some other time.

Thanks, flanner. When I made our airline reservations, I wasn't even aware of the Easter holiday. Duh!

From Keswick, we planned to go up into Scotland for 10 days or so before making our way back down into England. I guess we could do the Lake District before heading back to Manchester to fly home.

I'll have to play around with our itinerary a bit and see what I can come up with.

I'm really at a loss how to rework my itinerary due to Easter Weekend and could use some help.

Instead of stopping in Keswick, we could go to Thirsk instead but isn't that likely to be just as crowded as the Lake District?

Or, we could drive from Conwy up to Melrose, although it's a bit further than I wanted to drive in one day. But, again, won't it also be crowded on Easter Weekend?

Here's my previous itinerary which I had already "tweaked" a little:

8-10 April (3 NIGHTS) - Manchester Airport to Conwy, Wales (138 km - 1½ hrs)

11-13 April (3 NIGHTS) – Conwy to Keswick (240 km – 3+ hrs) Note: Easter Sunday on 12 April.

14-16 April (3 NIGHTS)- Keswick to Callander (260 km – 3½ hrs)

17-18 April (2 NIGHTS) – Callander to Ballater (250 km – 3+ hrs)

19 April (1 NIGHT) - Ballater to Elgin area (100 km – 2+ hrs)

20-22 April (3 NIGHTS) - Elgin to Kyle of Lochalsh (190 km – 3 hrs)

23 April (1 NIGHT) – Kyle of Lochalsh to Luss on Loch Lomond (245 km - 3½ hrs)

24-25 April (2 NIGHTS) - Luss to Melrose – (190 km - 2½ hrs)

26-27 April (2 NIGHTS) – Melrose to Haltwhistle (115 km - 2 hrs)

28-29 April (2 NIGHTS) - Haltwhistle to Thirsk (165 km - 2 hrs)

30 April (1 NIGHT) - Thirsk to Manchester via Fountains Abbey and Bolton Abbey (155 km - 2½ hrs)

1 May – Depart Manchester 10:30 AM

ttt

Can somebody tell me if this would be better.

From Manchester, we'll drive to Shrewsbury and spend 8-9 April there.

On 10 April (Friday), we'll drive up to Conwy and spend the Easter Weekend in Wales.

Then on Monday, 13 April, we'll continue on up to Keswick for 3 days.

I'll have to lose 2 days somewhere else to make up for the time in Shrewsbury. I may have to leave out the 2 nights in Thirsk towards the end of the trip.

Does this sound like a better alternative than spending Easter Weekend in the Lake District?

Hi betty,

the simplest solution would be to go to the lakes first as you leave Manchester - the week before easter is never as crowded as the week before - this is the UK, not Rome.

you would then be heading out if the lakes on easter sat [which is the right directions!] and I'm sure that Thirsk will not be half or even a quarter as busy as Keswick.

then do Conway on the way back.

I really would not want my only experience of the lakes to be an easter weekend, though if it has to be, I suggest making for Bassenthwaite [just north of Keswick] and concentrating on that area, rather than the southern lakes which will be really crowded.

hope this helps,

regards, ann

Thanks so much, Ann. We've actually been to the Windermere area in 2004, so had planned to just concentrate on the upper lakes this time.

However, maybe it would make more sense to visit the lakes at the end of our trip.

In researching Shrewsbury, it sure looks neat. I'm now wondering if I'd rather do a couple of days there and cut a few days somewhere else.

I know. It's a huge country and I know there is no way to see everything!

Sorry, I should have said maybe it makes more sense to visit the Lakes at the beginning of our trip and Wales at the end.

&quot;<i> . . . . Thirsk instead but isn't that likely to be just as crowded as the Lake District?</i>&quot;

Not EVEN close. The main tourist areas that get overrun over Easter are places like Cornwall, The Lake District, the Cotswolds - not places like Thirsk, or the Borders, or - well just about anywhere else.

OK, janis, that helps me alot. Now I have to decide whether to do Shrewsbury and lose a couple of days somewhere else.

Thanks!