27 Best things to see & do in Lake District

The lofty hills and glacial valleys of the Lakes lured walkers long before Alfred Wainwright published his seminal walking guides in the 1950s. Wainwright’s books opened up the region to a much wider audience, and his 214 ‘official fells’ represent the ultimate challenge for hikers and serious walkers.

But there are plenty of easier options; gentle strolls, family trails and networks of pub walks that offer the chance to pair an outdoor activity with great places for lunch.

You really couldn’t come to the Lakes and not get out on the water at least once. Thankfully, there’s plenty of opportunity to do so, with four of the major lakes – Windermere, Coniston, Ullswater and Derwentwater – all offering scheduled boat trips, along with the chance to hire your own rowboat, motorboat or sailboat if you prefer to travel under your own steam.

This 4.5-mile circular walk around Lake Buttermere, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, starts and ends in pretty Buttermere village, and takes in wonderful views of the craggy peaks of Littledale Edge, Dale’s Head and Mellbreak, skirting the shores of beautiful Lake Buttermere. Ideal if you want to be surrounded by mountain scenery without actually having to do any climbing.

Halfway around at the southern tip, you’ll pass the ‘Sentinels’, the Lake District’s most photographed trees. Also look out for the ‘lone tree’, another highly-photographable feature.

First opened in 1875, this 7-mile line from Ravenglass to Dalegarth chugs along a scenic valley, and was originally built to ferry iron ore from the mines out to the coast.

Affectionately known as La’al Ratty, the miniature trains puff up to the high point at Miterdale for spectacular views of the Scafell range.

Some of the trains are steam-powered, but others have diesel engines – so check the timetable if you’re particularly keen on steam.

If this spectacular site proves anything, it’s that ancient builders certainly knew how to pick out a location.

Situated on a grassy hilltop just outside Keswick, this 3,000-year-old monument commands a panoramic view over the surrounding fells, stretching all the way to Helvellyn and High Seat. It was built during the Neolithic period and consists of 38 standing stones, although it’s thought there were originally 42.

Scholars are divided on its purpose – but it is most likely to have been used as a meeting place or ceremonial site.

This is the big one: the highest point in England at 978m, and the one everyone wants to tick off on their bucket list. Granted, compared to some of the world’s great mountains, it’s a tiddler, but don’t underestimate the challenge of Scafell Pike: it feels high, exposed and extremely windswept, and it requires a steep, tiring slog to reach the top. But on a clear day in good weather, there’s no finer feeling than to stand on England’s rooftop.

There are a number of different ways to the summit, including an excellent trail across from Borrowdale, but the classic (and shortest) route starts in Wasdale Head, at the head of the deep, dark lake of Wastwater. From here, it ascends up Lingmell Gill, climbs past Brown Tongue and Hollow Stones, then turns at Lingmell Col for the final steep, tiring push to the summit.

Alongside William Wordsworth, the Lake District’s other literary luminary is, of course, Beatrix Potter – celebrated for her charming anthropomorphic tales of rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs and piglets, but also a hugely talented botanical painter and, later in her life, a passionate (and very knowledgeable) hill farmer.

Hill Top was the first house she bought in the Lake District, in 1905, largely financed with the proceeds from her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She lived happily here until 1913 before buying a larger house at nearby Castle Farm.

The house is littered with her belongings and furniture; true fans might also recognise a few scenes from her books, including The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Tale of Samuel Whiskers.

After her death in 1943, Beatrix Potter left the cottage – along with huge tracts of land, and numerous hill farms across the Lake District – to the National Trust.

Though Dove Cottage is the most famous of Wordsworth’s Lakeland homes, Rydal Mount is the one where he spent the most time – 37 years, to be precise, from 1813 until his death in 1850.

It makes an interesting companion piece to nearby Dove Cottage; altogether grander in scale, and surrounded by fine gardens, it’s a clear sign of Wordsworth’s increasing fame, wealth and poetic prestige.

Most of the house’s rooms are open to the public, from the family bedrooms to the grand drawing room and the poet’s own attic study. It’s full of interesting details for Wordsworth scholars: portraits of the poet, and possessions including his favourite walking stick, his picnic box, and the well-thumbed family bible.

Outside are the landscaped gardens which William apparently laid out to his own design (he was a passionate gardener).

The Lake District is indelibly linked with the ‘Romantic Movement’, the generation of 18th-century poets who drew inspiration from nature and the world around them.

Chief among them was William Wordsworth, who was born in the Lake District and spent much of his childhood and adult life here.

Several sites associated with the poet can be visited, including three of his former homes and his childhood school, as well as his last resting place in the peaceful churchyard of St Oswald’s in Grasmere.

For a general overview of Wordsworth and the Romantic Movement, head for the Wordsworth Museum, next to Dove Cottage.

Of all the Wordsworth sites dotted around the Lake District, Dove Cottage is arguably the most atmospheric. Once an inn called the Dove & Olive, this little whitewashed cottage was Wordsworth’s first home in the Lakes after returning from London; he moved here in 1799 with his sister Dorothy, wife Mary and his small family, and remained here till 1808.

Informative guided tours delve into the secrets of the house and its history. The house is packed with fascinating possessions, from a pair of his spectacles and his passport to a portrait of his favourite dog, Pepper, given to him by Sir Walter Scott. Look out for the bedroom plastered with newspaper – a makeshift form of insulation necessitated by the Wordsworth’s impecunious circumstances.

At the back of the cottage is a charmingly wild garden, which Wordsworth called his ‘domestic slip of mountain’ – he tended to it himself, and often composed poetry out here too.

The region’s most picturesque and charming village. Grasmere is set on the shores of its eponymous lake and cradled by green fields and fells. William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s – you can see the poet’s tombstone.

Boat-lovers and history buffs should head to Lake Windermere’s excellent new boat museum dedicated to the history of boating on the lakes. It’s home to a collection of historical boats, and they run trips out onto Lake Windermere on one of two heritage vessels, MV Penelope II and SL Osprey.

For several centuries, the mines around Honister were known for producing distinctive, grey-green Borrowdale slate, which was widely used for building and decorative architecture across Britain.

Slate is still mined here, but these days most of the shafts are silent, and can be explored on evocative underground tours that explore the area’s mining history, and give a unique insight into the weird, dark world the miners inhabited. The guided tours delve deep into the maze of murky caverns and tunnels beneath Fleetwith Pike.

This traditional stone and slate farmhouse was home to local famers the Browne family for over 400 years. The house and family’s possessions have been preserved, showcasing rural life in the Lakes over the past centuries.

Arguably the most atmospheric of all the Lakeland cruises, this fleet of period vessels mostly dates from the 19th century, and offers incredible vistas over Ullswater and the Helvellyn range. Tours run all year round; a one-way trip across the lake from Glenridding Pier to Pooley Bridge Pier takes an hour.

Cruise Lake Coniston in serious style on a 19th century steam yacht, complete with saloons, leather sofas and a viewing deck. A full lake cruise takes 1 hour 40 minutes, or there are shortert cruises around the north or south sections of the lake.

This mock-Gothic castle, complete with turrets and crenellations, was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Lonsdale. The present castle dates from 1812, but after decades of mismanagement, fell into ruin during the 20th century; a multi-million pound project is underway to restore it and the gardens to their former glory.

Via Ferrata is a form of mountain climbing that traverses the rock face, using a system of iron rungs and supports. Fortunately, you don’t need to be an experienced mountaineer to have a go; you are guided along the entire route by professionals and are secured to the mountain by a steel cable.

Honister Via Ferrata offers the chance to experience all the thrills of mountain climbing, even to complete beginners. There are two routes (Classic and Extreme) which partly follow old miners’ paths along the fell sides around Fleetwith Pike.

There’s also a heart-pumpingly high Infinity Bridge, which hovers 1000m above the valley floor – it’s the longest bridge of its kind in Europe and, without a doubt, the biggest thrill in the Lake District.

The best-known of some fantastic craft breweries in the region. It has a brilliant beer hall at its main site in Staveley, where you can also take a guided tour to learn more about the brewing process.

This castle near the Cumbrian coast belongs to the Pennington family, who have owned it for more than 800 years. It’s notoriously haunted, including by a playful spook though to be the original Tom Fool. It also has a hawk and owl centre that stages flying displays.

Wordsworth’s childhood home in Cockermouth is now owned by the National Trust, and offers an absorbing glimpse of the poet’s early life, with costumed guides on hand to help illustrate the story.

Surrounded by acres of gardens, deer park and woodlands, this impressive stately home is home to Lord and Lady Cavendish. It is worth visiting for its ornate architecture and antiques, including original Chippendale furniture, as well as for its extensive grounds. There is also an excellent farm shop and restaurant.

Explore the shores of Derwentwater – Beatrix Potter’s favourite lake – with a hop-on, hop-off Walkers’ Ticket, or just sit back and enjoy the views of the fells. Complete tours of the Lake take 50 minutes, or you can disembark at one of the eight jetties en-route.

One of the only distilleries in England that makes its own whisky, this boutique spirits maker also produces its own gin and vodka. Tours explore the alchemical art of distilling and offer the chance to taste the latest batches.

Situated between Windermere and Coniston Water, this pine and broadleaf forest is a great place to explore on foot or two wheels. Ten marked walking trails and nine mountain-bike trails wind around the forest, ranging from easy to advanced.

On your way round the forest, look out for sculptures hidden away amongst the trees – there are more than sixty works, commissioned by international artists.

There’s also the Go Ape treetop assault course, involving swings, canopy boardwalks, climbing ladders and other dastardly challenges – great fun for all the family.

This small gallery in Hawkshead is located in the old office of Beatrix Potter’s husband, solicitor William Heelis. It holds regular exhibitions of her work, including her beautiful botanical paintings.

Sarah Nelson’s gingerbread is an institution in Grasmere: it’s been made to the same recipe since 1854. It’s wonderfully quaint – the frilly outfits worn by the shop staff are something from a bygone age.