The Lake District - a must-see (Lake District)

Member Name: Onyx

Product:	Lake District
Date:	07/07/08 (246 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unspoilt; beautiful scenery; friendly locals; brilliant walks

Disadvantages: None that I can think of

The Lake District has some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in England. Below the craggy mountains are pretty towns and villages nestled in the valleys. The southern Lake District is quite gentle with some rolling hills but it gets more rugged to the north and west.

Windermere is the first town reached when entering the Lake District from the South. It is a small town and ideal for parents with children, with a wide range of accommodation and a lake where rowing boats can be hired.

Ambleside is the next town along the main road, and is small with a good range of shops. Ambleside is ideally situated to explore the Lake District, both by car and by foot.

Keswick is a large town though surprisingly compact, with a big choice of shops including a couple of supermarkets and lots of shops selling walking clothes. It is very much a natural town, with the locals being very friendly towards tourists and walkers but the town itself being completely unspoilt. The centre of town has an unusual building, the Moot Hall, which houses the Tourist Information Centre. There are lots of good walks accessible from near Keswick, such as the mountain of Skiddaw (931 metres), and above Bassenthwaite Lake, which is a couple of miles north of Keswick, there is an Osprey viewing station in the summer.

Other pleasant villages in which to stay include Grasmere, home of the famous gingerbread (http://www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk/), Hawkshead, and Coniston. The Cumbrian Tourist Board at http://www.golakes.co.uk/ has a big choice of accommodation and information about what to see and do.

The Lake District is excellent walking country. The paths are mostly rocky and pleasant at any time of year, though of course in winter snow and ice can be a risk and the mountain forecast is a necessity since conditions can be so much worse on the tops. Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England at 978 m, is well worth the challenge, as is Skiddaw and Coniston Old Man. Coniston Old Man is even walkable for children, as I did it when I was younger, though I think the children would have to be used to walking or they would find it too hard. Helvellyn and the ridge which leads to it, Striding Edge, is a good, challenging walk with excellent views but you either need a head for heights or an ability to ignore heights when on Striding Edge, because there is a sheer drop on both sides. I myself am not fond of heights and being on Striding Edge makes me nervous but the trick is just to not look, to look at the rock ahead and ignore the view seen from the corner of the eyes. I have been on Striding Edge a few times now and a couple of times I've seen people frozen with fear on the Edge, scared to move.

So, if you're thinking of visiting the Lake District, I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable whatever the weather, because it really is a place with fantastic scenery all year round, and with brilliant walks, great food and an excellent choice of accommodation, you couldn't really ask for much more.

Summary: The Lake District is one of the most beautiful areas in the British Isles and is unmissable