Places to Explore In The Lake District

Discover the best places to explore in The Lake District with curated recommendations from our travel experts.

Ambleside

Unlike Kendal and Windermere, Ambleside seems almost part of the hills and fells. Its buildings, mainly of local stone and many built in the traditional...

  • 7 Restaurants
  • 7 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Bassenthwaite Lake

Bassenthwaite is the only body of water officially called a lake in the Lake District; the others are known as "meres" or "waters." Bird-watchers know...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Borrowdale

South of Keswick and its lake lies the valley of Borrowdale, whose varied landscape of green valley floor and surrounding crags has long been considered...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 3 Things To Do

Cartmel

The village of Cartmel is the southern Lakeland area's most attractive, set in a gentler Cumbrian landscape of hills and fields beyond the trees of...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 5 Things To Do

Cockermouth

This small but bustling town, at the confluence of the rivers Derwent and Cocker, has colorful buildings, history, and narrow streets that are a delight...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Coniston

This small lake resort and boating center attracts climbers to the steep peak of the Old Man of Coniston (2,635 feet), which towers above the...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 7 Things To Do

Elterwater and the Langdales

The delightful village of Elterwater, at the eastern end of the Great Langdale Valley on B5343, is a good stop for hikers. It's barely more...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 0 Things To Do

Grasmere

Lovely Grasmere, on a tiny, wood-fringed lake, is made up of crooked lanes in which Westmorland slate–built cottages hold shops and galleries. The village is...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 4 Hotels
  • 4 Things To Do

Hawkshead

In the Vale of Esthwaite, this small market town is a pleasing hodgepodge of tiny squares, cobbled lanes, and whitewashed houses. There's a good deal...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Kendal

The southern gateway to the Lake District is the "Auld Gray Town" of Kendal, outside the national park and less touristy than the towns to...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 7 Things To Do

Keswick

The great mountains of Skiddaw and Blencathra brood over the gray slate houses of Keswick (pronounced kezz-ick), on the scenic shores of Derwentwater. The town...

  • 4 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 10 Things To Do

Penrith

The red-sandstone town of Penrith was the capital of old Cumbria, part of the Scottish kingdom of Strathclyde in the 9th and 10th centuries. It...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 10 Things To Do

Rydal

The village of Rydal, on the small glacial lake called Rydal Water, is rich with Wordsworthian associations...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Ullswater

Hemmed in by towering hills, Ullswater, the region's second-largest lake, is one of the least developed, drawing people for its calm waters and good access...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 3 Things To Do

Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere

For a natural touring base for the southern half of the Lake District, you don't need to look much farther than Windermere, though it does...

  • 6 Restaurants
  • 7 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Explore The Lake District

Sights 49

Shopping 19

Performing Arts 3

Restaurants 39

Hotels 40
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The Region That Inspired Some of England’s Greatest Writers Was Also an Early Tourist Attraction
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