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103 activities
An iconic, easy-access circuit offering some of the most beautiful views in the Lake District.
A 500-year-old coaching inn serving local ales and hearty Cumbrian dishes by the fire.
Low-speed boating and fly fishing on the most tranquil water in the south Lakes.
Wander through ancient forest to find hidden works of stone, wood and steel.
Where William Wordsworth learnt his Latin — desks carved with his initials still survive.
Wood-fired pizza by the lakeshore, rowing boats and trout fishing minutes from the village.
Beamed 17th-century inn on the square — pints by the fire, Cumbrian classics on the plate.
Hawkshead's neighbourhood bistro — short menu, local sourcing, candlelit and warm.
Hand-made gelato and Cumbrian dairy ice cream a few steps from the square.
Heritage wool throws and cushions, woven in Cumbria from native Herdwick fleece.
Farmhouse cheese, chutney and damson gin gift boxes posted across the UK.
High-speed zip lines and aerial obstacles through the Lake District canopy.
A short but perfectly proportioned hill with a 360° view over Esthwaite Water and the south Lakeland fells.
A tiny, Potter-themed bookshop in Hawkshead, run by the National Trust.
Handmade chocolates, truffles and fudge in the heart of Hawkshead village.
Natural, unscented skincare made in the Lake District from plant-based ingredients.
Hand-carved spoons, bowls and willow craft workshops in the southern Lake District.
Award-winning chutneys, relishes and sauces made in the heart of Hawkshead village.
Outdoor adventure park on the Graythwaite Estate with high ropes, zip lines, archery and bushcraft sessions for all ages.
Straight from the door — a wooded ridge walk with the finest view of Windermere anywhere.
A lakeside café at the Esthwaite Water fishery — bacon rolls, cake and heron-spotting over the water.
A destination gastropub high on Barngates with its own Barngates Brewery and staggering views.
A traditional Robinson's country inn a mile from Hawkshead — jazz nights, fireside pints and no fuss.
Step into the world of Beatrix Potter at her beloved farmhouse, kept exactly as she left it.
Beatrix Potter's secret tarn — a gentle uphill walk to a quiet swim and a perfect picnic spot.
The 17th-century Near Sawrey inn immortalised in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.
A gentle climb from Near Sawrey to Beatrix Potter's own fishing tarn — water lilies and a still surface.
A classic Lakeland ascent with copper-mine ruins and a summit view across the western fells.
A gothic-revival folly on the western shore of Windermere, with lawns built for picnics.
A 5km lakeside walk to a National Trust café with cakes and a castle lawn for lounging.
Beatrix Potter's working hill farm — Herdwick sheep, a tearoom and a slice of farming history.
An atmospheric walk up Coniston's old mining valley — waterfalls, ruins and big quiet skies.
Ruskin's lakeside home above Coniston Water, with terraced gardens and a fine café.
Hire rowing boats, motor boats, kayaks, canoes and paddleboards on Coniston Water.
Glide silently across Coniston Water aboard a restored Victorian steam yacht.
Catch the bus out, brunch by the river at Chester's, then walk a riverside path home.
Wood-fired pizza on the riverside, plus a short walk to Ambleside's hidden waterfall.
Independent shops worth the trip — favourites include The Bath House, Detail and The Rock Shop.
An 18-hole mini-golf course in the park — perfect for an hour with the children.
Art-house cinema and vegetarian Italian restaurant rolled into one Ambleside institution.
Small-batch botanicals from Coniston — juniper, meadowsweet and Lakeland water.
Slate-fired stoneware mugs, bowls and jugs, thrown by hand in a Coniston studio.
A steep, satisfying pull up the long ridge above Coniston, with wide views over the Yew Tree valley.
Slide, climb and jump your way up a Lake District mountain stream with a guided session.
Leap from the Coniston jetty and swim out to Peel Island, the real-life inspiration for Wild Cat Island.
Bring a takeaway pizza to the Coniston lakeshore and eat it with your feet in the water.
A gentle lakeside estate with a rare Victorian arboretum and historic connections to Beatrix Potter.
A level park on the banks of Windermere with a playground, picnic spots and fish-and-chip suppers.
A classic low fell with superb views over Grasmere, Rydal Water and Windermere.
A modern brewery and taproom in Ambleside pouring pales, IPAs and seasonal small-batch beers.
Hand-poured candles and home fragrance inspired by the fells, lakes and woodlands of Cumbria.
A classic horseshoe ridge walk above Ambleside with panoramic views over Windermere, Rydal Water and the surrounding fells.
Lakeside spa on Windermere with rooftop infinity pool, thermal suite and themed sessions including Ibiza-style poolside takeovers.
Ambleside's little museum with Beatrix Potter's fungi watercolours and a Kurt Schwitters room.
A quiet moorland tarn on the Blawith Fells — swimming, silence and a wide-open view of the Old Man.
A near-flat riverside stroll from Elterwater village to Skelwith Bridge, ending with cake at Chesters.
A 500-year-old Langdale inn overlooking the village green — real ales, slate floors and log fires.
A relaxed, refurbished Langdale inn with a wood-fired kitchen and rooms above.
A short Little Langdale loop through slate quarries, a vast cavern and over a 17th-century packhorse bridge.
A circular from Rydal taking in the slate caverns known locally as the Cathedral Caves.
Classic steamers up and down England's largest lake. Say hi to Robert — he often pilots The Swift.
The Lake District National Park Authority visitor centre on the shores of Windermere with gardens, adventure activities and lakeside cafés.
A striking lakeside museum of historic steam launches, sailing yachts and record-breakers.
Baillie Scott's 1900 masterpiece above Windermere — the finest surviving Arts & Crafts interior in England.
Windermere's specialty coffee bar — flat whites, brunch and the best sourdough in the south Lakes.
Wordsworth's village: bookshops, gingerbread, a 13th-century church and a clutch of fine cafés.
A classic Lakeland walk up to a tarn beneath the crags, finished with cake at Lancrigg.
Helm Crag's iconic summit, named for the rock outcrop that looks like a lion guarding a lamb.
Handmade soaps, candles and skincare inspired by the Lake District and made in Grasmere.
The legendary Grasmere gingerbread — crisp, chewy and spiced, baked to a 160-year-old recipe.
The tiny Grasmere cottage where Wordsworth wrote his greatest poems — and Dorothy her journals.
A relaxed, fire-warmed National Trust house above Grasmere with sofas, art materials and huge views.
Four generations of Lakeland landscape painters in the family gallery on Grasmere green.
Otters, divers and a tunnel beneath a freshwater tank — a brilliant rainy-day fallback.
A National Trust park at the southern tip of Windermere with a beach, splash zone and lake access.
Riverside spa at The Swan Hotel with hydrotherapy pool, thermal experiences, sound baths and themed pamper events.
A 3.5-mile heritage steam line linking the south end of Windermere to the Leven valley.
30,000 exhibits from Bluebird replicas to Bakelite radios — a rainy-day rabbit hole.
An English Heritage working Victorian bobbin mill on the shore of Windermere — a rare survival.
A pretty country racecourse with picnic enclosures — a Lake District summer ritual.
Simon Roger's two-Michelin-star restaurant in Cartmel — one of the finest meals in the country.
Home of the famous sticky toffee pudding and other Cartmel-made treats.
Cavendish family stately home on the Cartmel peninsula — extraordinary gardens and food hall.
Take the launch from Keswick to Hawes End, walk up Catbells, then ice cream from the lakeside van.
A guided white-water run on a Lake District river — the wettest, wildest hour you'll have all week.
Cocktail-ready gin and whisky from the Lake District's first distillery, near Bassenthwaite.
Art prints, maps and gifts celebrating the Lake District National Park.
Hire a bike at the community café and ride the restored Keswick–Threlkeld railway path.
High-wire Treetop Adventure through the forest canopy, plus café and shops on site.
Hire a mountain bike and tackle the forest's purpose-built trails through ancient woodland.
A dark-sky observatory in the heart of Grizedale Forest — public stargazing nights through winter.
A tucked-away reservoir above Finsthwaite, perfect for a quiet swim, picnic and easy woodland loop.
Handwoven Harris Tweed accessories, homewares and gifts inspired by the Lake District.
A country inn with workshops, local dining and a farm shop in the south Lakes.
The original energy bar — buy the classic Cumbrian mint cake direct from the baker.
Antiques, lifestyle shopping and The Glass Barn café under one rambling roof near Newby Bridge.
Gothic revival mansion and Buddhist temple set in woodland and gardens on the shores of Morecambe Bay.
Restored lowland raised bog managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust — famous for its nesting ospreys, adders and dragonflies.
A mosaic of rough fell, wetland and woodland near Crosthwaite — a Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve rich in dragonflies and butterflies.
Limestone woodland above Grange-over-Sands with spectacular spring flowers and long views over the Kent estuary.
Independent shops, Laurel & Hardy, a Thursday market and a lantern-lit sense of humour.
A medieval pele tower still lived in by the Strickland family — with a wild-flower limestone garden.
The world's oldest topiary garden — 300-year-old yew shapes around an Elizabethan house.
