Best Towns in the Lake District
Best Towns in the Lake District
Best Towns in the Lake District: Home to stunning nature and natural beauty the Lake District is a popular place for hikers, backpackers and campers alike.
Every now and then it’s nice to stop in a local town in the Lake District for a top up of food and drink, comfy hotel for the night or a pub lunch.
We take a look at some of the best towns that are worth a stop at in the Lake District.
Towns within the Lake District
Ambleside, situated at the head of Windermere is a popular base for mountain biking, hiking and mountaineering.
It has a large number of guesthouses, pubs and restaurants as well as specialist, independent shops, so is one of the most frequented towns for people visiting overnight or for any length of time.
The old market cross still marks the town centre and the most famous landmark has to be the Old Bridge House, which has two rooms and an external staircase built atop a old pack horse bridge.
Originally thought to be a summer home the building is now run by the National Trust and houses the Tourist Information Centre.
Appleby, now Appleby-in-Westmorland is a traditional market town within a loop of the river Eden.
Overlooked by Appleby Castle, made up of the 12th Century Keep and stunning Mansion House, the town is best known for its Horse Fair held annually in early June which attracts over 30,00 visitors who travel the length and breadth of the country to attend the unique festival.
Grasmere, a small village overlooked by Helm Crag, takes its name from the adjacent lake and is one of the most photographed areas of the Lake District.
The home of William Wordsworth for over 14 years is famous for its Gingerbread, made to a secret recipe and sold throughout the village and surrounding areas.
Grasmere Sports is an annual tradition which has been running since 1852 and is the main event for the village who welcome participants from all across the district to compete in challenges such Cumberland Wrestling and fell running.
Kendal, the ‘Southern Gateway to the Lakes’ is most famous for its Mint Cake, the high-energy bars capable of helping you climb even the highest of mountains.
A popular destination for visitors, especially those entering The Lakes from the south and recognisable due to the majority of buildings being constructed from the local grey limestone.
It is home to two castles, neither of which would be very good at defending the town today, Kendal Castle dates back to the 12th Century but today is in ruins and Castle Howe, an even older castle, now just earthwork remains.
The town has rows of houses dating back as far as the 1600’s but unfortunately a lot of the other historic buildings have been knocked down over the years.
Keswick is located between Derwentwater and the Skiddaw hills and is the most popular destination in the North Lakes for holidaymakers and daytrippers.
Welcome visitors for its annual Film Festival and Beer Festival, during which you can taste over 200 real ales, or try to at least.
Visitor numbers for these however are tiny compared to the number of pilgrims who visit just to see the pencil museum, home of the world’s largest pencil.
Be sure to add this to your itinerary if you are in the area.
Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere, the latter being a district of the former, are commonly referred to interchangeably and although they still have two distinguishable town centres the actual settlements have expanded and overlapped creating one large tourist honeypot reaching down onto the banks of the lake.
The town is named after the railway which was introduced in 1847, before that it was known as Birthwaite.
The railway gives easy access to visitors with a direct line from Manchester and Manchester Airport.
Do you have a special part of the Lake District you love?
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