We are visiting England to walk the towns of ancestors during late August.

We are planning 5 nights in the Peak and Lake Districts after 3 days in the Melton Mowbray Region.

We are used to driving long distances here in Australia to obtain changes of scenery. So England is very compact by comparison and we are quite happy to spend a half a day driving and a half a day walking to see as much as we can.

The Lake District is clearly a small but beautiful region that we are very much looking forward to visiting. We read that the roads in the main towns are likely to be somewhat congested and so we will try to avoid gridlock and the traps of tourism where possible.

Early research points to the Drunken Duck at Hawkshead and The Pheasant near Keswick as possible options that interest, us although we do read some disturbing comments on Tripadvisor of the former.

Where should we stay for three nights in the Lake District ? We are equally happy in a hotel or B&B provided that there is a king size bed available

Thank you for any thoughts or advice.

"We are used to driving long distances here in Australia to obtain changes of scenery. So England is very compact by comparison and we are quite happy to spend a half a day driving and a half a day walking to see as much as we can."

Most visitors from abroad (especially Australia and America) base the time taken to drive to places on what it would take to drive the same distance in their own country, driving in England(a small island)with over 30 million vehicles on the road, can be a lot different.

Thank you Hooameye.

We dont have 5 lane freeways like some major cities in the USA. Our country roads in particular are more like UK than USA.

Here in Sydney, a small town heading to a population of 5 million our commuter roads have become clogged and moreso than London based on our observations. Your motorways are totally superior to ours. We have driven on them a few times before and our observations are that they are probably tested out by changing weather conditions more so than here.

And so, taken in the full context of what I say above, I have been looking for a base in the Lake District to travel from by road and also to park and walk the best trails/tracks we can find.

My leaning is now toward the Ullswater area where the Elm Guest House and other small establishments are located. Maybe we could stay an extra day or so and travel to the Yorkshire Dales from there too.

Late August is a very busy time in the Lakes (there's a Bank Holiday weekend then too) I'm afraid that wherever you stay you will come across a lot of traffic. That's because of the amount of cars in a small space and a limited amount of through routes.
I'd get booked up as quickly as possible - you'll already find many places fully booked.
I've eaten at the Drunken Duck but not stayed there - it was very good. Somewhere you could look at is the Punchbowl in Croisthwaite. Beautiful rural location and terrific food.
http://www.the-punchbowl.co.uk/
We also love the George and Dragon, Clifton near Penrith - well worth investigating.
http://www.georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/
As mentioned, you could travel to the Dales (where I live) for a day trip but there's a danger of you trying to do too much in too short a space of time. There's plenty to see and investigate in the Lake District for a few days.

We enjoyed our stay at the Edwardene Hotel (Guest House) in Keswick

http://www.edwardenehotel.com/

We prefer staying in a town/village to be able to walk to multiple dining options. Others prefer more rural.

Blog trip report w/ photos:

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05...t-weekend.html

I've got quite a few blog entries for the Peak District as well if you poke around on the blog (I've not grouped them unfortunately).