We are planning on visiting (by car) the Lake District for several days in September with good friends. Would you please give me a couple suggestions for villages to use as our home base. Planning on getting and AirB&B if possible. I hope it is not too late to book something.
Thanks very much.
Terry
Where do your friends live?
Or which part of the Lake District would you like to visit?
Are you looking for something out of the way or somewhere close to a town?
Looking for hiking or car touring to visitor attractions?
There are really dozens of possibilities, I'm from the Lake District and just trying to tailor this to your needs.
It's a pretty compact area and by car almost nowhere is more than about an hour from anywhere else.
We stayed at Keswick and enjoyed it. We did a Bed and Breakfast near the town center.
Where do your friends live?
Our friends live in the US in NC.
Or which part of the Lake District would you like to visit?
Not sure, where would you suggest? We'd like to see the beautiful area by car, and may do a little hiking. We won't be able to do hours of hiking though.
Are you looking for something out of the way or somewhere close to a town?
Are the towns some distance from each other? We'd like to be in a small town or village
Looking for hiking or car touring to visitor attractions?
According to the Lonely Planet's "Great Britain's Best Trips", they recommend for a 5 day/162 mile trip:
Bowness on Windemere, Ambleside, Hadrian's Wall, Great Langdale, Grasmere, Keswick, Borrowdale & Buttermere, Coniston, Hawkshead, and Ullswater. Not sure if that is too ambitious a drive. Which of these sites should we DEFINITELY see?
There are really dozens of possibilities, I'm from the Lake District and just trying to tailor this to your needs.
It's a pretty compact area and by car almost nowhere is more than about an hour from anywhere else.
Not sure if we should go to North York Moors and coast. If it's as bleak as some of Scotland's areas, I probably would not want to go.
The Lonely Planet route is not too ambitious a drive as such, it just feels like you aren't spending very long anywhere, flitting from place to place. Hadrian's wall you'd usually recommend spending 2 or 3 days there. If you do that as a day trip you're going to see the wall (and you don't really do that properly from the road but not really be able to get to grips with it).
You're wanting to spend quality time with friends. I would suggest leaving that to another visit to Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. But if you really wanted to do that you'd want to be at the north end of the lakes, around Keswick.
The towns are only a few miles apart from each other but the roads (even in September) can get traffic clogged so you need to be sensible in your timings.
I notice you are also going to Herriot Country. That means you will probably be coming over from Hawes through Sedbergh to Kendal on the A684, so entering the Lakes from the south end at Kendal.
Given that you will have wanted to stop for lunch at the dales (but technically Cumbrian) town of Sedbergh I would argue you want to be at the south end of the Lake District. The towns all suffer from parking problems so if you have a car I would suggest a large village like Coniston or Hawkshead. They are both delightful villages only about 6 miles from Ambleside, but out of the fray. Hawkshead Grammar School features Wordsworth among it's old boys and Coniston had it's copper mines and Donald Campbell.
You can get there coming up from Kendal to Ambleside then turn left, but on arrival day I would suggest the Lyth valley route to Bowness direct then across the lake on the Car Ferry, then just a couple of miles up the road.
Hawkshead you must do Hill Top even if not mad Beatrix Potter fans, and go up to Grizedale Forest Park about 3 miles away. There are lots of easy short rambles and the amazing Sculpture Park there and a very nice cafe.
Coniston there is the museum, and boat trips (either on the launch) or on the Steam Yacht Gondola. Lots of nice lakeside walks there, easily a day on it's own.
Great Langdale is a nice drive up to the end of the road at Dungeon Ghyll and worth doing (have a look at Elterwater village)- while there is level walking there (like the riverside walk to Skelwith Bridge) that's a serious walkers valley in the main. Then go up (ideally over the mountain road from Elterwater) to Grasmere for Dove Cottage and Grasmere Gingerbread (a local delicacy). Come back down the main road stopping off at Rydal (more Wordsworth) and 2 lakes to walk around, time in Ambleside- that's another great day.
Another full day is over to Ullswater (another lake with 'steamers', for lake trips. See the old mining village of Glenridding, the Aira Force Waterfalls ( a lovely walk, from the launch there are various pier to pier walks), turn left at Aira Force to the A66, left to Keswick stopping in at Threlkeld, then back down to Ambleside for home.
Another full day would be back to Keswick, drive down Borrowdale stopping where the mood takes you, then over Honister Pass (for the slate quarry) and back down the other side to Buttermere (don't miss the farm ice cream parlour. Continue on down Buttermere lake to Lorton, then over the Whinlatter pass to Braithwaite and Keswick, not forgetting to stop at Whinlatter Forest Park, then home. That is a really good day and could easily be split into two. That's all your wish list all of which are musts, just the start of mine, and just a taster. Everywhere you have walking of every grade as you like.
Each of these days is modest driving times (hardly ever more than 45 minutes at a time) with lots of possible stops so enjoy things, and go with the flow. This isn't by any means definitive but you and your friends will enjoy it hugely.
I am out of space now.
You trail doing the North York Moors instead which feels a more natural partner with Herriot Country. I will let one of the 'Tykes' on here debate that one with you.
"Not sure if we should go to North York Moors and coast. If it's as bleak as some of Scotland's areas, I probably would not want to go. "
Don't worry, the North York Moors isn't bleak . Most of it is fertile farmland, with attractive Dales, although the tops of the moors are more open moorland. In September they will be purple with heather. The coast is super - think Whitby with its Dracula connections, Robin Hood's Bay with its smuggling links, Scarborough with its castle, Staithes an old fishing port with links to Captain Cook, Sandsend with its sandy beach... It is definitely worth visiting and has the advantage of now being as busy as the Lakes or Yorkshire Dales.
It has ruined castles (Helmsley, Pickering and Scarborough), Ruined Abbeys (Rievaulx, Mount Grace, Bylands and Whitby) A preserved Steam Railway between Pickering and Whitby, attractive villages (Helmsely, Thornton le Dale and Hutton le Hole are worthy of anywhere in the Cotswolds.) There are a lot of attractive small churches - do have a look at the wall paintings in Pickering Church. If you like real ale, there is Cropton Brewery, Ryedale Brewing Company and Helmesley Brewing Company are well, recommended.
Thanks to everyone who replied and gave me such great info on the Lake District, Yorkshire, N. Yorkshire Moors.
Question: Where would be a good home base for the N. Yorkshire Moors? Thanks
For the N York moors I would stay in Pickering. All the places mentioned by wasleys above and more will be within easy reach by car or public transport and there are enough shops, pubs and restaurants in the town to keep you fed and watered.
In Pickering, I can recommend Cappleman's Fish and Chipos and also Russells' Cafe and Traditional Bakers Their double chocolate slice is to die for and the other cakes are just as good! This is the place to stock up for a picnic lunch...
We stayed a night in Pickering before going over the Moors, it was good.
