By rail
Windermere, via Oxenholme, ~3.5 h from London
United Kingdom
Lake District, United Kingdom
Lakes, fells and poets' cottages
Getting there
By air
Manchester (MAN), ~1.5 h
Best time to visit
May to September — the long days
Don't miss
Windermere
Derwentwater
Scafell Pike
Dove Cottage
Things to do
Hiking the fells
Boating on Windermere
Wordsworth's Dove Cottage
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Waterproofs, walking boots
A quieter corner
Buttermere's lakeside loop
Questions travellers ask
Which months are best for the Lake District?
May to September, for the long days on the fells. Waterproofs and walking boots are essential.
What is there to do in the Lake District?
Hike the fells, Scafell Pike included, go boating on Windermere, visit Derwentwater and see Wordsworth's Dove Cottage.
Can I reach the Lake District by train?
Yes — trains run to Windermere via Oxenholme, about 3.5 h from London. Flying in, Manchester (MAN) is about 1.5 h away.
Is there a quieter walk in the Lake District?
Try Buttermere's lakeside loop, then refuel with Cumberland sausage and sticky toffee pudding.
About Lake District
- Lakeside
- Mountains
Where it is
The Lake District is a mountainous region and national park in Cumbria, in north-west England, where glacial valleys hold lakes such as Windermere, Ullswater and Derwentwater beneath fells including Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain.
History
Norse settlers farmed the valleys in the early Middle Ages and left words such as fell and tarn in the local dialect. From the late 18th century the Lake Poets, above all William Wordsworth, made the landscape famous, and Beatrix Potter later bought farms here to protect it; the area became a national park in 1951 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
People
People in the Lake District speak English with a Cumbrian dialect, and hill farming of the hardy Herdwick sheep has shaped the fells for centuries. Local traditions include Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and fell running at summer shows.
Known for
- Windermere, England's largest lake
- Fell walking on Scafell Pike and Helvellyn
- Wordsworth's Dove Cottage
- Beatrix Potter's Hill Top farm
- Kendal mint cake and Cumberland sausage
Did you know?
When Beatrix Potter died in 1943 she left nearly all her property to the National Trust, including more than 4,000 acres of Lake District land, farms and flocks of Herdwick sheep.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.