Edinburgh to Windermere - best driving route

Depending where you are collecting your car in Edinburgh there are many routes out of the city, but basically (if you want to get there by the most direct route) you want to pick up the M74 heading south, which turns into the M6 when it crosses the (invisible apart from a sign) border into England. Keep heading south until you reach junction 39 (edited!) of the M6 where you can exit and then take the A6 south towards Kendal. You skirt the edge of Kendal and pick up the A591 to Windermere. The journey should take about 3.5 hours. If you wanted to break the journey you could stop at Carlisle or Penrith for a wander around. There are castles in both places and pleasant places to shop and eat.

Windermere itself is very busy all year round. I was there just a couple of weeks ago. We had a lovely afternoon tea here. Although a busy park and visitor centre, the restaurant was an oasis of calm. If you book ahead you also get a reserved car parking space and don't have to pay for parking. The tea was really good value, the waiting staff were very friendly and the whole experience was just great.

If I had all day to do the journey I wouldn't touch the motorway.

There are two basic routes I would think about- each with many variations-

1- Take the A7 for Galashiels and the towns of either Selkirk (Sir Walter Scott and all that) or Melrose (Abbotsford House and Melrose Abbey or Dryburgh Abbey) then the A68 through Jedburgh (Abbey and Mary Queen of Scots) thence over the Carter Bar nearly to Corbridge. We are now in Hadrian's Wall Country. So then take the B6318 along the wall for the important sites like Chesters, Houseteads and Vindolanda, then the A69 to Carlisle and the A6 to Penrith then the A592 over the Kirkstone Pass to Windermere.

If you just wanted a brief Roman excursion Corbridge will give you that, then the A69 to Haydon Bridge, then the A686 up to Alston (England's highest market town) and on over the Hartside Pass to Penrith then the A592 as above.

2- The A701 out of Edinburgh past Rosslyn Chapel, maybe visit the John Buchan Centre at Broughton and past the Devil's Beef Tub (a dramatic decline in the hills) (don't miss the Covenanters Memorial here) and down to the former spa town of Moffat for a break then the B7020 to the town of Lochmaben thence Lockerbie. Down to Carlisle then the A6/A592 as above.

@Wasley's explains these road trips better than I can ever do, so I will let her expand more fully on the above.

PS- Skyegirl meant Junction 39 of the M6 (above), junction 29 is south of Preston in Lancashire!!

isn31c is correct about junction 39! Sorry for the typo.

I also like the suggestion of avoiding the motorway if you want to make a day of it. Some great suggestions there. My route is probably the fastest, but by no means the most interesting.

If you do want a day out, then you could also consider New Lanark, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and fascinating for those with an interest in industrial history.

Thank you everybody for your suggestions. I really appreciate the feedback.