©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd The Lake District & Cumbria Includes ¨ Why Go? Windermere ‘No part of the country is more distinguished by its sub- & Around . 584 limity’, mused the grand old bard of the lakes, William Ambleside . 590 Wordsworth, and a couple of centuries on his words still ring Grasmere . 593 true. In terms of natural splendour, nowhere in England can Hawkshead . 595 compare to the Lake District. For centuries, poets, painters and perambulators alike have been flocking here in search Coniston . 597 of inspiration and escape, and it’s still the nation’s favourite Elterwater & place to revel in the majesty of the English landscape. Great Langdale . 599 The main draw here is undoubtedly the Lake District Na- Keswick . 604 tional Park – England’s largest, at 885 sq miles. Every bend Borrowdale . 607 in the road reveals more eye-popping views: deep valleys, Buttermere . 608 plunging passes, glittering lakes, whitewashed inns, barren Kendal . 611 hills. But it’s worth exploring beyond the national park’s boundaries too: the old towns of Carlisle, Kendal and Pen- Carlisle . 614 rith are full of historical interest and Cumbria’s coast has a windswept charm all of its own. Best Places to Eat When to Go ¨ Lake Road Kitchen (p593) ¨ The Lake District is the UK’s most popular national park; ¨ L’Enclume (p613) visit in early spring and late autumn for the smallest crowds. ¨ ¨ Old Stamp House (p593) The weather is also notoriously fickle – showers can strike at any time of year, so bring wet-weather gear just in case. ¨ Rogan & Company (p613) ¨ Cumbria’s largest mountain festival is held in Keswick ¨ Drunken Duck (p596) in mid-May, while the Beer Festival in June welcomes ale aficionados from across the globe. ¨ Ambleside’s traditional sports day on the last Saturday in Best Places to July features events such as hound trailing and Cumbrian Sleep wrestling; Grasmere’s annual sports day takes place on the ¨ Forest Side (p594) August Bank Holiday. ¨ Brimstone Hotel (p599) ¨ In November the world’s greatest liars congregate on Santon Bridge for their annual fibbing contest. ¨ Daffodil Hotel (p594) ¨ Augill Castle (p616) ¨ Wasdale Head Inn (p603) 581 History es and bookshops sell maps and guidebooks, Neolithic settlers arrived in the Lake District such as Collins’ Lakeland Fellranger and around 5000 BC. The region was subsequent- Ordnance Survey’s Pathfinder Guides. Pur- ly occupied by Celts, Angles, Vikings and Ro- ists prefer Alfred Wainwright’s seven-volume mans. During the Dark Ages it marked the Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells (1955– centre of the ancient kingdom of Rheged. 66) – part walking guides, part illustrated During the Middle Ages, Cumbria marked artworks, part philosophical memoirs – with the start of the ‘Debatable Lands’, the wild painstakingly hand-penned maps and text. frontier between England and Scotland. Maps are essential: the Ordnance Sur- Bands of raiders known as Border Reivers vey’s 1:25,000 Landranger maps are used by regularly plundered the area, prompting the most official bodies, while some hikers pre- construction of defensive pele towers and fer the Harvey Superwalker 1:25,000 maps. castles at Carlisle, Penrith and Kendal. Long-distance trails that pass through The area became a centre for the Ro- Cumbria include the 54-mile Allerdale Ram- mantic movement during the 19th century, ble from Seathwaite to the Solway Firth, the largely thanks to the Cumbrian-born poet 70-mile Cumbria Way from Ulverston to William Wordsworth, who also championed Carlisle and the 191-mile Coast to Coast the need to protect the Lake District’s land- from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay in York- scape from overdevelopment – a dream that shire. Door-to-door baggage services such (%017683- was achieved in 1951 when the Lake District as Coast to Coast Packhorse 71777; www c2cpackhorse. co. .uk) National Park was formed. or Sherpa Van (%0871-520 0124; www sherpavan. com). transport The present-day county of Cumbria was DIS LAKE THE LAKE DIS formed from the neighbouring districts of luggage from one destination to the next. Cumberland and Westmorland in 1974. Other Activities Cumbria is a haven for outdoor activities, 2 Activities including rock climbing, orienteering, horse Cycling riding, archery, fell (mountain) running and T Cycling is a great way to explore the Lake Dis- ghyll (waterfall) scrambling. Contact the T trict and Cumbria, as long as you don’t mind Outdoor Adventure Company (p611), Rookin RIC T the hills. For short mountain-bike rides, the House (p590) or Keswick Adventure Centre T & & trails of Grizedale Forest (p597) and Whinlat- (p605). & C ter Forest Park (p605) are very popular. C UMBRIA UMBRIA UMBRIA Long-distance touring routes include the 8 Getting There & Away 70-mile Cumbria Way between Ulverston, National Express coaches run direct from Keswick and Carlisle; the 140-mile Sea to London Victoria and Glasgow to Windermere, Sea Cycle Route (C2C, NCN 7; www c2c-guide. Carlisle and Kendal . A co .uk), which begins in Whitehaven and cuts C Carlisle is on the main West Coast train line TIVITI east across the northern Pennines to New- from London Euston to Manchester and Glasgow . castle; and the 173-mile Reivers Route (NCN To get to the Lake District, you need to change at 10; www .reivers-route co. .uk) from the River Oxenholme for Kendal and Windermere . The lines E S Tyne to Whitehaven. around the Cumbrian Coast and between Settle Several local buses (including bus 599 and Carlisle are particularly scenic . from Bowness to Grasmere, bus X33 from Ambleside to Ravenglass and the Cross Lakes 8 Getting Around Experience) have space for bikes. There’s also Traveline (% 0871-200 2233; www traveline. the new summer-only bus 800 along Win- northeast info). provides comprehensive travel dermere’s eastern shore, which can carry 12 information . bikes. It runs several times a day in July and There are round-the-lake ferry services on August, plus on weekends in May and June. Windermere, Coniston Water, Ullswater and You pay the standard bus fare plus £1.50 for Derwentwater . Windermere also has a ferry each bike. For more information see www. service (p589) . golakes.co.uk/travel/by-bus.aspx. Traffic can be heavy during peak season and holiday weekends . Many Cumbrian towns use Walking timed parking permits for on-street parking, For many people, hiking is the main reason which you can pick up free from local shops and for a visit to the Lake District. All tourist offic- tourist offices..