Setting off for the Lake District

The English Lake District, home to—potentially—the most beautiful places in Great Britain. It’s no secret that this region of England has a certain alluring charm, every year tourists make the migration north to get a taste of the wild side of England. Whether that be hiking the innumerable mountain paths, taking up water-based activities on the many lakes, or just having a nice relaxing get-away in one of the uniquely Cumbrian villages. The area caters very well to tourists.

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a good portion of my life in the Lake District, as I spent every childhood holiday there: building dens, playing football with my mates till way past sundown, and being forced on what seemed like never ending walks. I have to admit now, I had it good. 

But as I grew up, trips to the Lakes became less and less frequent, until it reached a point to where I’d hadn’t visited in six years. But fortunately for me over the last two years that’s changed for the better and I’ve been able to visit twice. On these two occasions I had a different view of the whole experience as I was getting to share this special area with someone who hadn’t seen it before. A unique experience for me, which only grew my love for the Lake District further. 

The itineraries that I’d chosen as a makeshift tour guide for these two trips—I think—were perfect, and if going to the Lake District for the day, I’d highly recommend them.

Lake Windermere & Ambleside in summer:

In the summer of 2023 I’d just passed my driving test and was excited to hit the open road, and what better way to crown my little, bright red Hyundai i10 than a trip to the Lakes in the height of summer.

As a vastly inexperienced driver, the 1 hour and 20 minute drive to Lake Windermere was interesting to say the least. What I failed to take into consideration was the fact that everyone else also wanted to enjoy a (rare) day in the Lake District sun, and therefore the roads were rather busy. The on-and-off hill starts which made my engine scream didn’t fill me or my passenger with much confidence in terms of my driving, but somehow we arrived safely to Lake Windermere. 

Parking at The Viewpoint Carpark was a great plan, and one I’d highly recommend. From there it’s about a 10 minute walk to the banks of Lake Windermere, where you can walk out onto a small jetty which gives you an impressive panoramic view of the lake, or you can head down to Hodge Howe watersports centre and rent a kayak like we did. 

Before this, the only kayaking experience I’d had was in Argentina, on lake Nahuel Huapi, and it’s safe to say that was an eye-opening experience (we nearly capsized many times due to strong winds). But Lake Windermere was a complete contrast to this hair-raising expedition; we kayaked around with little to no issues, enjoying the rays of sun, calm waters, and those perfect Windermere peaks surrounding the lake. It’s something I’d highly recommend—but only if the weather is right. 

After splashing around in Lake Windermere until boredom, we headed off to one of my favourite towns in the Lake District: Ambleside. The reason it’s one of my favourites is kind of odd though, it’s not because of its beautiful stone cottages, or its quaint cafes. No. It’s because of the Gaynor Sports store.

This outdoor mega-store is five-floors of everything you could possibly need in the Lake District: coats, jumpers, boots, hats, scarves, T-shirts, backpacks, sleeping bags, camping equipment. There’s everything. It’s my version of Hamleys in London, and it’s well worth a visit. 

Coniston & Grasmere in winter:

Visiting the Lake District in winter throws up its own challenges, the summertime tourist boom has long gone, the roads are very icy and quite dangerous in places, and only the hardiest of visitors are left to take on the mountainous hikes.

It’s perfect. 

We drove up from Lancashire directly to Coniston—in much easier fashion than the previous summer. I hadn’t been to Coniston in about ten years at this point and didn’t particularly know how to make the best of the small but quintessentially Cumbrian village—especially in the winter snow. So, we took in the sights of Coniston Old Man (the local mountain), had a bite to eat at Herdwicks cafe, took a perilous walk up a ridiculously icy and steep hill to The Sun Hotel—only to find out we can’t do anything there. Steepd in defeat, we hiked back down to the car and set off for my ‘showstopper’ of a village: Grasmere. 

The village should be a quiet, picturesque, unassuming place tucked away between the evergreen hills of the Lake District, not attracting much attention. A place with a selection of cafes, a few shops, and a pub or two. However, this is far from the case. In reality, Grasmere is a tourist hotspot within the Lake District, with one distinguishing feature which adds to its charming atmosphere. 

The Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread shop.

Situated in a wonderfully classic cumbrian cottage which has been converted into a tiny shop, Grasmere Gingerbread has been zapping the tastebuds of locals and tourists since 1854. When founder, Sarah Nelson, started to bake her—now world famous—sweet treat. 

If I had to describe the gingerbread to someone who’d never had the pleasure of tasting it before, I would say it’s somewhere between a cake and a biscuit. It’s not hard like most gingerbread is, but it’s definitely not soft and spongy enough to be classed as a cake. It is completely unique, and that’s what makes it so popular, so sought after, and why so many  people travel from all over the world to try it—including Tom Cruise. 

Also, one plus side of visiting in winter is that you don’t have to queue outside in the rain. 

As a whole, Grasmere is a lovely village which embodies what the Lake District is all about: nice cafes, beautiful scenery, unique Cumbrian architecture, and cold, wet weather. 

The perfect mix of the English countryside, and a very special place.