Described by Wordsworth as “The loveliest spot that man hath ever found’ the Lake District in North West of England seems to be something out of a fairy tale. Beautiful walks in the countryside, quaint little towns and of course the picturesque lakes provide an amazing and relaxing adventure for visitors to the area. We were visiting the UK over the summer in 2023 and had made Oxford our base, we drove up north to the Lake District to spend a few days there.
Since we wanted to take the fastest route we went by the motorway, which while efficient is not the most scenic, however we did get to see some of the English countryside on the way. We starting seeing the English countryside views with typical ‘rolling hills’ as soon as we got off the highway to the local two lane road. Passing through some very picturesque small towns we had to turn on a one lane road into the hills to get to our destination, it was a bit disconcerting as there was no other traffic and the road was seemingly taking us away from any traces of civilization. However we soon came to a few scattered farmhouses and cottages and got to our destination by and by, this was the Ring House Cottages in Broughton in Furness, a property with three cottages on site in addition to the owners own house. He was a cheerful fellow, we got a detailed tour of the property, and pointers on what to see over the next few days. If you are visiting the area I would really recommend staying here. We did a grocery run to the nearby town of Ulverston, had a leisurely dinner and called it a day.
One whole day during our stay was dedicated to exploring the area around the cottage. Our host detailed several walks one could do ranging from full day excursions to some that would take 2-3 hours. What was surprising is that you could walk through gated fields (something that would probably get you in trouble in the US), the only rule was that you close the gate behind you. The walk we decided upon, took us past the old St John Church in Woodland and into farmland, where sheep and cows were pasturing. We came across nice clear streams and perhaps got a bit lost on the way as well, but for some reason we felt perfectly safe despite coming across very few people. The walk was supposed to take us in a big circle ending back around the church area. About three very enjoyable hours later we were finally made it back, I would recommend at least two days exclusively dedicated to taking walks in the area when visiting Cumbria.
The most touristy thing we did was visiting Lake Windermere and the World of Beatrix Potter, this was about a 45 min drive from our cottage. Our host had warned us about the summer rush at Windermere and Grasmere the more touristy areas in Cumbria, we got a glimpse of things to come on the way, with huge tour buses on narrow country roads making driving very hard. Parking was also hard to find and we had to park about a 15 min walk form town. Despite being rather busy Beatrix Potter World was a wonderful experience, specially as Diya is a big Peter Rabbit fan. We also sat through a performance of ‘Peter Rabbit’s Birthday’ at the Old Laundry Theatre. The town itself is very picturesque, and would be a lot of fun to visit during the low tourist season. We explored the area a little, had a bite to eat by the lake and then headed back to our cottage.
There are around 16 major lakes in the Lake District; having seen the rush at Windermere, we decided to give the well known Grasmere a miss and decided instead to head to Coniston. The lake was as expected very scenic and we spent a few hours just lounging around at the beach, the water though is on the colder side and I would recommend a wet suit if one wants to swim. We later headed into town and had a late lunch at Enzo’s Cafe, which for a pub served some very good fare and at at reasonable price, I tried their fish and chips, they were pretty good, Amber’s sea bass and Diya’s pizza were a hit as well. The town I think is pretty representative of the many small towns in the area and is definitely worth a visit.
We had four days in which to explore the lake district, in hindsight I think at the very minimum one should spend a week there to really appreciate the history and the beauty of the area. We will be definitely be back and for a longer visit soon!
The Open Roads 