Lake District...what do you know about it?

Hi there,
could anybody give me details about the Lake District..what's the best period to visit it (surelly it will not coincide with the cheapest period!!) also the main attractions?

I actually had an enquiry from Italy, apparently, some Beatrix Potter fan...
Thank you in advance !!

 

Hi shiney and thank you for the answer. Lake District sounds a bit like Scotland and Ireland (vaguely Sweden..?). Open spaces,incontamined nature walks etc, I am pretty sure it must be a lovely place. So the weather in that case would have to be pretty good. Would one find reliable good weather only in the summer or also spring? And how is the weather during the year...?
Thank you again for the assistance!

 

IMO, the best time to visit is the autumn. if you go expecting rain then you wont be disapointed but the scenery makes up.

Always stayed near Great Langdale. In the summer youll find it very hot walking and spend ages stuck in traffic.

 

A good time is May/June or autumn for the autumn colours. Not Easter or summer holidays. Why? Because once the schools are on holiday the place is heaving. I think it is probably the most visited national park in the UK, but it is the most beautiful.
Just that too many tourists spoil it. At peak periods you even get lots of people on the mountain tops so they need to go off season.

 

Hi folks. Me and the mrs went to The Lakes this year (July) and it rained EVERY day (some days all day long). However, we`ve been before at that time of the year and it`s been good, it`s just one of those places that seems to have it`s own climate. I can`t say I agree entirely about the crowding issue. Of course, the towns get VERY congested, but on some of the walks we did we saw very few people. Actually, I quite like seeing people around when on walks in the Fells, it re-assures me that I`m on the right track ! As shiney has said, there`s plenty to do and see, but, a PENCIL MUSEUM !!! Might want to give that one a miss :D Cheers...freddy.

 

We have been up there in the Coppermines Valley in July time and have had it boiling hot,so hot in fact we had to go out walking early and then get back to base camp before the heat hit us.This year we went up there for two weeks and only had rain overnight one day,the rest of the time it was warm and sunny as my holiday thread photos show.

We were suppossed to go up there in July this year but had to move the holiday and we met a couple on one of our walks who said that July was a washout.You can never tell these days what the weather will do.Also we thought that in September there wouldn't be that many people around but it was packed in the shopping areas.

It all depends what people expectations are for them to have a real good holiday

 

Hi Kandyfloss, you`re right about expectations. One thing`s for sure, it`s the most beautiful place I`ve ever been to, simply stunning. As for the heat, I`d take that over wet weather ANY day If it`s solitude you want, there`s always the Pencil Museum :D Cheers...freddy.

 

The crowds tend to go to the well known places. The towns and villages such as Grasmere and Ambleside can look a bit like outside Old Trafford after a football match. Anywhere that is on a Wainwright walk will be busy and the associated car parks get full early in the day. Years ago I was up Great Gable and to get to and from Green Gable along the narrow edge you had to queue.
So now we tend to go in the off season if we can. if you don't have kids and are not a teacher then June is best. Its warm, the days are long and there is not quite as many people about.

 

Hi geoff. A few years back we went in june, turned out to be the wettest june on record I can`t say I`ve ever experienced any queues, but sure, it can be very busy. We did Scafell Pike one day, and generally there were a lot of people about but not so many as to spoil the experience. The thing about walking in the lakes is that you can always find somewhere great to walk. Being a `towny` myself, maybe I have a different perspective on it. Cheers...freddy.

 

Hi Geoff and Freddy, We have also done Scafell Pike and then two days later we did Coniston Old Man.We enjoyed both walks but found it quiet rough going where the paths have been eroded through all the people traffic up and down the Mountains.

I would hate to have to go somwhere where you had to queue up to walk along a path.

We did Ben Nevis and also Snowden and as well as the people traffic we were shocked at the amount of litter on the top of Ben Nevis.It is so silly that people will carry bottles and cans of drink which are full so add weight to their walk,but as soon as they get to the top and have drunk the drinks they just discarded the bottles and tins.It drove us mad to see it all :(

 

We have camped in the Lake District annually for years now, and visited at other times too. Absolutely love the area around Ambleside - though the town itself can be very busy as already mentioned.

Would have to recommend Grizedale Forest for those with a love of walking/art/sculpture, Tarn Hows for those that dont like walking, but love beautiful scenery, and Levens Hall for all us gardening fanatics!
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-5k2b6b
http://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/tarnhow.htm
http://www.levenshall.co.uk/

 

Hi Jarbax,thanks for the links.We love all areas of the Lake District because it reminds us so much of Scotland but on a smaller scale and the Lakes are an easy drive for us from where we live.We even spent our Honeymoon up there twenty seven years ago