Lake District

[Tabou]

I have spent ages (literally like, 14 minutes) looking at cottages/log cabins in the Lake District for October 11th-15th.

There are literally so many to choose from, but that's the problem!

Does anyone have any recommendations? Somewhere nice, bonus if it is right on the lake, with lots of walking/biking nearby?

Thanks in advance!

[Finnegan]

Keswick has the best sandwich shop in history, you can rent a boat to get on the lake from the town itself and Skidaw is in spitting distance. Just avoid the pencil museum.

[stripeyfox]

I have spent ages (literally like, 14 minutes) looking at cottages/log cabins in the Lake District for October 11th-15th.

There are literally so many to choose from, but that's the problem!

Does anyone have any recommendations? Somewhere nice, bonus if it is right on the lake, with lots of walking/biking nearby?

Thanks in advance!

I've been loads of times, always (generally) stayed in a different cottage and always had good accomodation. www.cumbrian-cottages.co.uk usually have a good selection and if you're going at short notice you'll get a good price. The villages of Glenridding, Patterdale and Pooley Bridge are all close to Ullswater and are beautiful places. The Western Lakes arguarbly have the most dramatic landscape but the drive from the M6 can be a bit of bast. One thing there is no shortage of is walking, wherever you stop. Main thing to weigh up is how near / far from shops/pubs do you want to be. We used to always go for a remote cottage (like High Winder at www.lakesandvalleys.co.uk) but since having kids, tend to favour somewhere "in town" like Keswick or Ambleside.

You won't regret it, I go as often as I can afford and it is a lovely place to go on holiday. Just don't expect to get a suntan!

Edit: Coniston is nice as well; small village - just enough ameneties and a few pubs and a local museum. Nice lung busting walk up Coniston Old Man followed by a pie and pint of Bluebird Ale in front of the open fire in the Black Bull.

Edited 29 September 2010 by stripeyfox

[Wymsey]

Please do not mention the lake district again. When i went about 9 years ago i slip and damaged my tendon of my left hand which was a KILLER pain!!

[Trav Le Bleu]

Have just come back from the Lake District where I spent a week or two in a remote cottage in Whinlatter Pass and I'll be spending a weekend up the weekend before you Tabou. The place we stayed in was superb and cheap (Slept 7 in 3 rooms, only £350 for the week) and as I said, nice and remote (the next nearest house was approx 3 miles away (though this was not good when the car wouldn't start one morning )), but I know that it's booked that week. Here's a link to it anyhow - 1 Swinside Cottage

Things to do:

Bowness and Ambleside - both on Windermere - probably have the most "lakeside" properties. Keswick is next to Derwent Water, but the town buildings are seperated from the lake by a park, which I think is kind of nice.

Boat rides - Windermere, Coniston and Derwent Water all have boat rides, some which you can take out yourself or piloted boats. However, the cheapest way to get out on the water is to take the car ferry from Bowness to Hawkshead, think it was about £4 for a whole car last time I used it and if you were planning on going to the other side of Windermere (and Hawkshead is very nice!) then it would probably cost you that much in petrol to drive around the lake, plus take much longer.

Driving - if you like to drive twisty challenging roads with spectacular scenery then drive through Hardknott Pass, as twisty, windy and steep a road as you will find in Britain. There's also the loop to the South West of Keswick that takes in Whinlatter Pass (great viewpoint of Bassenthwaite Lake from up there) and Honister Pass, taking you past Crummock Water, through Buttermere, which is a nice little village, past Buttermere itself and up to the Honister Slate mines.

Ambleside has the famous bridgehouse which is worth seeing and decent access to Windermere too. However Keswick is probably my favourite Lakes Town. As I've mentioned, it has a lovely park down to the lakeside, a lakeside theatre and Castlerigg Stone Circle, which is easy to get to, free and gives a good view of the town.

Lastly I'd like to mention Scafell Pike and Wast Water. Wast Water is a great lake which has moutnside scree literally dropping into the lake on steep slopes on one side and it's one of the more remote lakes. At the end of Wast Water is the Wasdale Hotel, which has some nice local beers, good food and some of the most dramatic scenery to enjoy them with! This is also probably the easiest starting point for a trip up Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain. Despite being smaller than many other mountains in Scotland and Wales, it's not the easiest of hikes (in my opinion, both Snowdon and Ben Nevis are easier) and the views, whilst certainly spectacular, can be beaten by most other mountain top vistas.

Hope there's something you can use there.

Oooh, one thing to add! When we stayed in the Lake District last year, this pub was only a couple of hundred yards from our cottage, despite being once again practically in the middle of nowehere. It's one of the best pubs I've ever visited! The Masons Arms

Edited 29 September 2010 by Trav Le Bleu

[Jackirius]

Please do not mention the lake district again. When i went about 9 years ago i slip and damaged my tendon of my left hand which was a KILLER pain!!

Is that really appropriate to the topic?

[ozleicester]

DO NOT! under any circumstances go to Vinegar Jones chippy!

The Lake dist was stunning, incredibly beautiful and esp during autumn, the only down point for us was VJ's... it looks a nice tidy chip shop... but the food was disgusting... half microwaved pastie, sodden chips and undercooked veggie burger, which consisted of a bun... a pattie... and nothing else.

Not to even mention the service which was beyond rude.

But the lake District is heaven on earth

[Unit]

DO NOT! under any circumstances go to Vinegar Jones chippy!

The Lake dist was stunning, incredibly beautiful and esp during autumn, the only down point for us was VJ's... it looks a nice tidy chip shop... but the food was disgusting... half microwaved pastie, sodden chips and undercooked veggie burger, which consisted of a bun... a pattie... and nothing else.

Not to even mention the service which was beyond rude.

But the lake District is heaven on earth

Is that meant to be a play on words with vinne jones? if so definately do not go, it's fooking awful.

However, if you're missing the LCFC match day catering, this could be the place for you!

[stripeyfox]

Although it rains a lot in the lakes, one advantage of this if you do get a wet week is to take a walk to one of the many waterfalls which are always more spectacular when in flood after a few days of rain. Aira force, near ullswater is probably the most visited. Most people do a short walk to the falls and back from the car park but it is worth continuing up stream to see more falls further up.

Also, if your a national trust member, or know someone who is, take their card which can save a small fortune on car park fees at many sites.

[Finnegan]

Is that really appropriate to the topic?

Sorry, Mr. "This Thread Is Really Boring."

[Durnerz]

Tabou would love a cottage

[Finnegan]

Gay joke, Durnerz, original.

[Durnerz]

Gay joke, Durnerz, original.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I personally enjoy guest houses, and go out for great walks, close at hand. Just love the Lakes

[Guest Mee-9]

Don't book it. It's boring.

Have the weekend in Gt Yarmouth.

[JamesJ]

Lake District Cottages - there are plenty of holiday cottages to choose from on this site. For other holidays you could try Lake District Holidays

[Webbo]

Lake District Cottages - there are plenty of holiday cottages to choose from on this site. For other holidays you could try Lake District Holidays

Could you recommend a a caravan in Chapel St Leonards?

[nuttytimmy]

As an aside, if you fancy the Lakes-ish but are, like me, fed up of the crowds in Ambleside and Bowness during the Summer or October break, head off to the Yorkshire Dales - virtually the same distance from Leicester and off the same junction of the M6 (turn left for Kendal, right for Kirkby Lonsdale). I stayed with the family at a wonderful converted chapel near Garsdale Head, with the train station in the hamlet lying on the very pretty Settle-Carlisle line via the Ribblehead Viaduct and well within reach of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Also worth taking a look at North Wales - perhaps closer than the Lakes or Dales unless you visit the Llyn Peninsular or Caernarfon at the far west - which offers more dramtic and industrial, slate-stained landscapes that are no less stunning. It's prettiest areas around Beddgelert are much quieter than the Lakes even in peak season (if you avoid Llanberis at least) and there are some stunning pubs too. A brewery tap at Warnfawr on the Welsh Highland Railway between Porthmadog and Caernarfon and Spooner's Bar at Porthmadog Harbour station to name but two absolute gems. The pub in Tremadog is well worth a look too.

Edited 20 November 2011 by nuttytimmy

[stripeyfox]

Thought I'd resurrect this topic. Despite having been to the Lakes numerous times and climbed Blencathra, Helvellyn, Skiddaw and others, I am planning to do Scafell Pike for the first time next month. Anyone done it? If so, which route? Kind of leaning towards the ascent from either Eskdale or Borrowdale. Trouble is, we are going on a Saturday in June and it's likely to be rammed which is a shame. Any idea which route might be quieter (away from "3 peakers")?

[stripeyfox]

Thought I'd resurrect this topic. Despite having been to the Lakes numerous times and climbed Blencathra, Helvellyn, Skiddaw and others, I am planning to do Scafell Pike for the first time next month. Anyone done it? If so, which route? Kind of leaning towards the ascent from either Eskdale or Borrowdale. Trouble is, we are going on a Saturday in June and it's likely to be rammed which is a shame. Any idea which route might be quieter (away from "3 peakers")?

[Finnegan]

I'll let you know how we get on, Stripey! We're doing Scafell as well as Helvellyn via Striding Edge in a few weeks (weekend of the 6th.)

Staying in a rented house/cottage actually in Keswick this time, was about the cheapest thing we could find.

[stripeyfox]

I'll let you know how we get on, Stripey! We're doing Scafell as well as Helvellyn via Striding Edge in a few weeks (weekend of the 6th.)

Staying in a rented house/cottage actually in Keswick this time, was about the cheapest thing we could find.

Did Striding Edge last October, and extended the walk to Dollywaggon and back to Patterdale by St Sunday Crag, arriving back at dusk. The "Edge" was a great experience (glad it wasn't wet), although I think Sharp Edge on Blencathra was scarier!

I usually go with the wife and kids once a year for a week and then try and squeeze in a couple of "one nighters" - we travel up from Melton around 6am on a Saturday, taking a pack up, which means we can start walking around 10am. A good 10 - 12 miles walk/climb gets us back down for teatime. A few beers, bite to eat and nattering with the locals rounds the day off and drive back Sunday morning.

Let me know how you get on with the Scafell!

[Tommy G]

The Langdale estate is the ONLY place to stay in the lakes. Expensive but quality

[Finnegan]

Each to their own really but, for me, staying in four star luxury defeats the point of going to the lakes.

Easy to say when I can't afford it, I suppose. Give me a cottage, a b&b or a tent any day.

[James.]

You can traverse Helvellyn going up Striding Edge and down Swirral Edge which is also fun. I did the route twice in a day when i was training for an Alps trip and had a great day out. Stayed in the youth hostel near Helvellyn.

 

Such a beautiful part of the world, wish I lived closer.