hiking access in the Lake Country

I don't know the answer to your specific question, but you might want to check out the hiking and walking holidays at the country houses of HF Holidays. https://www.hfholidays.co.uk

I haven't been to their country houses in the Lake District, but am spending a week at the one in the Cotswolds in April. They look lovely and offer guided and self-guided walking holidays of various lengths.

Where are you planning to stay?

Pam, I haven't made a reservation yet. The person who posted about how easy transportation is said that it didn't matter that much because transportation is so easy. I suspect I will end up in Keswick or Windermere as it seems I'll have good options for places to stay and eat. I am open to suggestions.

Hi Lauri -

The Lake District is covered by hundred of miles of footpaths, so if you are near your objective, usually you can pretty much walk out of the door. For instance if you are staying in Keswick and want to climb Skiddaw you can literally walk from wherever you are staying. Conversely if you want to climb the Sca Fells or Great Gable from Wasdale it’s almost impossible to access unless you happen to be staying the valley.

Perhaps we can be more specific if you give us an indication of your targets/objectives and where you plan (if only as an initial thought) to stay?

It’s very easy to access the footpaths, but for the most part it’s better to think of them as a network rather than individual hiking trails, with a defined beginning and end. Not even the famous Coast to Coast, soon to actually be a national trail, which crosses the Lakes, is an Appalachian Trail style trail - it just makes use of existing footpaths and rights of way.

I’m sure you’ll have a great time in the Lakes - if you like to get out and explore on foot it’s hard not to!

Ian

Since you are interested in hiking, I am going to “second” the recommendation by smy for the HF Holidays guided hiking 3-4 night holidays, and show you the Keswick option. We have stayed with them at this lovely hotel right on the lakefront and we’re very impressed with the accommodations, the quality of the meals, and the selection of guided hikes offered each day. Transportation to and from the trailhead is included.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/locations/derwent-bank

For the Keswick house, you take the train to Penrith. They provide you with the name and booking info for a shared shuttle that picks you up there and takes you directly to the house, which is a mile or so outside of Keswick itself. It is an easy walk if you care to explore the village when you aren’t hiking.

HF Hols is a member-owned cooperative ( not a for-profit tour company), and non-members are welcome on their holidays with a small supplemental fee. We have enjoyed the people (other guests as well as volunteer hike leaders) and the camaraderie on the hikes and at the evening social hour and meals.

They vary the hikes from week to week, but there is always a choice of three each day, with different levels of effort. The hikes are all listed in the trip brochure for the date you choose. Here is an example of what is offered on a 3-night program such as we did.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/3-night-northern-lake-district-guided-walking-holiday?format=pdf&vid=1396

My husband chose the tough Scarfell Pike option one day ( the highest point in England but not in the UK) and loved it. I chose a moderate hike that day and was very happy with that.

Here is an example of the 4-night hiking program:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/4-night-northern-lake-district-guided-walking-holiday?format=pdf&vid=960

They have another Lake District country house further south, closer to Windermere, as well. We were booked there in 2020 but of course we had to cancel.

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/locations/coniston-lake-district-south

I know it may look pricy, but if you consider that you are getting high quality lodging, all meals (with choices and good options at each meal, including vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.), guided hiking, and transportation to and from the trailhead, it looks very reasonable to us. Plus if you are traveling and hiking solo, as it appears from your use of the singular pronoun, there is the added benefit of the safety factor. You won’t get lost on the hikes, and if you turn an ankle there is help.

Thanks to all who have replied. This is in response to Ian. Ian, I love to hike. I always enjoy a European trip more if I have some hiking days in addition to some art/architecture/culture days as I find the experience is more memorable. I just made my plane reservation today for 18 days in England, flying to and from London so I am just beginning. I am thinking I would like to stay for 4 to 7 days in the Lake District. It sounds like it could rain so I like to have enough days that if several are rainy, I have a few more where hopefully the weather will be sunny. I would like longer hikes, say 6 to 9 miles. Knowing that Skiddaw is so convenient to Keswick is a big draw. Your comments that it more like a network of footpaths is helpful. I have yet to get a guidebook to the area but things can fill up quickly so I figured I should get a start on accommodations. At this point I am thinking five days in London, followed by 4 to 7 in the Lake District, and then figure out the remaining six days, maybe go to Glasgow. I really appreciate your information and welcome any suggestions. I am not on a strict budget but I do consider costs and using public transportation can really help. I travel solo.

I'll look into the HF Holidays. That might work really well for me. A recommendation is so helpful.

Yes, it would be useful to have some more specifics of your thoughts.

But the short answer is yes.

The HF (stands for Holiday Fellowship) houses-
Derwent Bank at Portinscale- has a nearly hourly circular bus from Easter to October-the 77/77a (goes both ways round the circle)- stops all but outside the door, which takes you to superb walking around Whinlatter, Buttermere, Honister, Borrowdale etc. Outside the villages that stops anywhere you flag it down or ask to be set down. Easily a week's walks just off the 77/77a.
Or it's less than half an hour's walk into Keswick for main line connections, the east/west route across the County which will take you straight to many of the main mountains is just 5 minutes walk away in 2 different directions.
Keswick has a theatre and a bijou museum, and all the towns have independent movie houses.
Monk Coniston is on the hourly 505 bus route Ambleside (for main road connections) to Coniston and Hawkshead route (just ask the driver to stop outside the door)- but you won't be going far as you there are many superb walks (from easy to challenging) outside the front door, and easily accessible attractions like Hill Top (Beatrix Potter) and Coniston (water boat trips and the museum for Donald Campbell's world speed records) easily accessible for any non walking days.
With HF it's a fully catered holiday anyway, so it doesn't much matter that you are out in the Country.
All the towns have lots of little 'Mom and Pop' guest houses/bed and breakfasts to stay in, and all have lots of places to eat. We have a surprising number of Michelin starred places as well.
The Visit Cumbria website will guide you to whatever accommodation you like or Visit Keswick specifically for that area.
It's all about what's your budget and your aims/likes.
Land at Manchester Airport and there's either a direct or a one change (same platform) train to Windermere (the railhead for the Central Lakes) every hour, or an hourly direct train to Penrith (for the northern lakes). Bus connections at each place leave from outside the station door.
It's the same from Glasgow or Edinburgh- both airports have excellent transit into the city, then direct train to Penrith or Oxenholme (change for Windermere). From London it's a direct train from London Euston taking 3 hours or less (same platform change at Oxenholme for Windermere).
Wasdale is awkward without a car as the valley goes out to the west coast of the County, so it's a long way round by public transport back into the Central Lakes (even by car it'll be well over an hour to Keswick). That said last year there was a free bus service up the valley on Summer weekends from Ravenglass station (due to massive parking problems and the narrow road). Wasdale is very sparsely populated, there are basically two hotels- one half way up the valley, the other at the head of the valley, also various camping grounds.
If you wanted to do the Coast to Coast there are several companies who will move your luggage every day, so you just walk with a day pack. You start the C2C at St Bees which has a rail station again with good connections from the airports- hourly, one change. Lots of places to stay in St Bees.

I’ve been to some National Parks in the US where there are specific hiking trails marked out that you follow. It’s very different here. There are loads of footpaths or permitted routes and so you can choose a huge number of different potential routes.

There are many books of Lake District walks that you can buy. The Ordnance Survey Pathfinder books will give you instructions and maps for circular walks of various lengths.

What a wealth of information I have now. Thank you so much. The HF Holiday house sounds great, but it isn't geared towards a solo traveler. Also, the dates of hikes seem to be limited and to not easily match my time frame. It does sound like it would be a wonderful hiking community though so I am sorry it doesn't work for me. Nonetheless, it sounds like I will have easy opportunities to find hiking options. I made a reservation for a B & B in Keswick and the website says the owners can help guests with navigating the area as well. I really appreciate knowing the train options for getting to the area from various places. I can easily get myself all stressed trying to figure the transportation out but with all the specifics I have now, I should be just fine.

Hi Lauri -

Pleased to be of help! As regards to guide books, I’m still using my seven* volume ‘Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells’ by the late, great Alfred Wainwight. He divided the Lake District into several areas and each volume covers every route up (and thus down) every fell in the area. Each book is a little work of art, every page (in the original books) being totally hand drawn and hand written. The books are small enough to fit into large pocket or into your rucksack. They have, although it was never AW’s intention, been updated relatively recently. Wainwright gets a bit of a bad rap these days but I think we are judging a man who grew up in the early part of the 1900’s by today’s standards which is neither possible nor fair, and also his obsessive dedication to producing the guides would today surely put him on the autistic spectrum. One thing is certain - nobody has improved on his guides to date. So I recommend one or two of them for the area(s) you’ll be visiting. I also recommend the large scale Ordnance Survey maps of the area. Staggeringly detailed, they are roughly two and a half inches to the mile and a massive necessity (assumes you can read them!) for everybody getting out into the hills.
*Eight if you count the ‘Outlying Fells’ book!

Weather will be what it is I’m afraid. Most of us will only be able to give an accurate forecast by being in situ and looking out of a window on the day! Thus, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The Lake District looks beautiful in bright sunshine and blue skies and I’ve had plenty of them in my time. Suggest full waterproof cover though - a good waterproof jacket and a pair of waterproof overtrousers. I know many USA visitors favour a poncho. I have experimented with a poncho many, many years ago. It didn’t work out as the wind caught it, ripped it to shreds, whisked it over my head and the last I saw of it, it was heading down a valley, high in the air, towards the sea. Fortunately I was also carrying my waterproof jacket, given the poncho’s ‘experimental’ nature! I still have a couple of ponchos but have learnt they are far from suitable for British hillwalking. On your feet I recommend boots as the paths can be rocky and sometimes wet and the type of ‘one up from a running shoe’ that I see many AT thru-hikers using (for instance) will likely make your feet hurt one way or another, not to mention get wet easily. As a reference - everybody is different, so this is merely my personal preference - I wear a pair of three season suede/cordura/goretex Italian (AKU - other brands are available) boots, a size bigger than my street shoes. I wear a coolmax liner sock with a merino ‘hiker’ thicker sock over that. This is what works for me but I’m sure there are as many other opinions on what is best/better as there are stars in the sky. Also a big ‘yes’ to hiking poles, but I am getting on, have an extensively repaired knee from a bad tumble in the Alps, an arthritic hip and a brand new ceramic hip on the other side, so I’m a fan as I need all the help I can get!

Ian

P.S. Rick is right about using Keswick as a base. There are several walks you can do from Keswick, either from the door or by catching a bus for a short journey. As you appear to have plumped for Keswick I can detail some walks I’ve done from there - probably best by DM - if you would like.

In the UK they are about, 140,000 miles if footpath let alone open country to go where whim takes you
That excellent post with the bus times covers it well
A few minutes walk from Keswick gets you to Derwent water and there's a hop on - off boat to 7 ? start points too.
Honister quarry has various attractions and the short but stuff climb on an unmissible track gets you up to Warnscale bothy and a killer view down to Buttermere

One of the easier walks you can do from Keswick is Catbells. The first launch of the day goes to Hawse (or Hawes, spellings vary!) from where it's an unmissable path, then hourly or more frequent in high summer launch back, or the 77 Honister Rambler circular bus from the base of the fell.
A nice little walk on the day you arrive at Keswick is to catch the X4/X5 Penrith bus the 4 miles to Threlkeld, then walk back along the converted Railway path. It's clearly not a fell walk but is just a delightful ramble, with the river alongside.I
It's also a fully accessible walk for families and those in wheelchairs. I've seen red squirrels several times on the walk, along with much other wildlife.
The walk ends at the old Keswick station in the heart of town.
On marked trails there is the Cumbria Way, North to South through the County. We also now have a long section of England's Coast Path open from Carlisle to Silecroft, along the coast, on the edge of the Lakes. One day that path will go round the entire coast of England. Several of our sections have opened in the last 18 months.
The Cumbria Way is a week of walking, and the Coast Path 4 or 5 days depending on what other sightseeing on its route you do.
The first day of the Coast Path from Carlisle to Bowness on Solway is also the start of end of the Hadrians Wall trail.