The Perfect 5-day itinerary in the Lake District
I completely fell in love with the Lake District after my first trip in 2018. Since then, I’ve visited every year and would always recommend it as a UK staycation to anyone. Whether it’s your first trip, or you’re a regular, I’ve pulled together the perfect 5-day Lake District itinerary, accommodation options and restaurant recommendations all in one place.
If it’s your first time in the Lakes, I’d recommend staying in Windermere for the strong transport links, variety of food spots etc. so Day 1 and Day 5 of this itinerary are based on you staying there.
Day 1 - Arriving in the Lake District
I’ve always travelled from London so to avoid the long drive, I get the train for majority of the journey. It takes c.3.5 hours from London Euston to Kendal. From here, you can walk to Enterprise Kendal to pick up a rental car* and drive to Windermere. You can also explore Kendal while you wait to pick up - I’d recommend Farmhouse Kitchen for brunch. And then the drive from Kendal to Windermere is between 15-20 minutes.
Once you’ve arrived in Windermere, you can walk by the lake and take in the views. This is quite a touristy spot so I’d recommend walking to Cockshott Point instead which is tucked away from the crowds and just as beautiful (see photos below). If you have time, you can also head to nearby spots such as Ambleside and Grasmere. Or you can save these for the last day (see Day 5 below).
Head for dinner at Urban Food House before checking in to your hotel/airbnb for the night. Hotels in Windermere in peak-season can be really expensive and lots of them are SO overpriced with poor facilities so have a look at airbnb options too for a more affordable stay. The best hotel I’ve stayed at in Windermere is Hillthwaite Hotel.
*If you choose a rental car, I’d recommend choosing the latest pick-up time possible so you can also drop it off as late as possible on your return (without incurring an extra day of rental costs) e.g. if you pick it up at 1pm on Monday and want to drop it off at 4pm on Friday, you’ll be charged a whole day for those extra 3 hours on Friday.
HOTELS IN WINDERMERE
Day 2 - Easedale Tarn
After a good night’s sleep (hopefully), you’ll be ready to take on some beautiful walks. If you’re staying in Windermere, you HAVE to make the time to complete the Easedale Tarn walk (a helpful guide to the walk with photos). It’s a 20 min drive from Windermere to the starting point and the track is clearly signposted so it’s a good one for beginners. If you start the walk from Grasmere, you’ll also walk past a small waterfall and wild swimming spot (photo below) which makes the perfect treat if you’re walking on a hot day. Overall, I’d say it’s easy/moderate difficulty.
Day 3 - Buttermere
This is my favourite walk I’ve ever done and I would recommend it to everyone. It’s mostly flat so it’s definitely more of a relaxing walk rather than a challenging one. It’s the most scenic lakeshore walk in the Lake District with beautiful spots all along the route - a photographer’s dream. You can spend time wild swimming, reading or even extending the walk to nearby Crummock Water. I’d recommend taking a packed lunch with you so you can enjoy as much time as possible by the water.
It is best accessed by car and the best car park is the Buttermere National Trust car park but it gets full quite quickly and lots of cars end up parking along a steep, uphill road. If you drive far enough up this road, you’ll end up at Moss Force Waterfall which is also a really beautiful spot!
Day 4 - Derwentwater
This is another one of my favourite spots in the Lakes and one that I revisited after the first time. There’s a very popular walk here called Catbells - it’s relatively short and so rewarding once you’re at the top. I’ve linked a guide to how to best complete the route. The views are really beautiful (I know I’m saying that about every walk but they REALLY are) and we got really lucky with the weather. Alternatively, you can do another circular, flat walk around Derwentwater which is around 10 miles. Or you can go canoeing, have a picnic or jump on the Keswick Launch.
Day 5 - Ambleside, Grasmere and Rydal Water
To make the most of your last day in the Lakes, I’d recommend exploring spots much closer to Windermere (assuming that’s where you’re based for your trip).
Grasmere and Rydal are next to each other and you can easily complete both in a few hours. The walks around both Grasmere and Rydal are easy/mostly flat - another one to add to the list for picturesque views across the water. There are also a few parking spots near both. A couple of spots not to miss are the infamous Grasmere gingerbread shop (and lots of other local shops in the village) and Rydal Caves.
Ambleside is a small, but popular, town in the Lake District. You’ll find lots of local shops, restaurants, a cinema etc. A few restaurants in Ambleside that I’d recommend visiting are:
Zeffirellis - a veggie restaurant
Esquires Coffee - perfect place for a coffee pit stop or brunch
Sourdough Pizza Co - banging pizzas and unreal garlic dough balls
The Lake District is a really beautiful part of England and there is SO much to do. Writing up this post and looking through my old photos has me excited to go back already! To summarise, my suggested itinerary for the Lake District (if you’re staying in Windermere) is as follows:
Day 1 - Arrive in Windermere, walk to Bowness-on-Windermere and Cockshott Point
Day 2 - Easedale Tarn
Day 3 - Buttermere
Day 4 - Derwentwater
Day 5 - Ambleside, Grasmere and Rydal Water
Useful things to know before you go to the Lake District
Getting to and around the Lake District
Luckily, you can very easily get the train to the Lake District. For example, the train runs to many stops such as Windermere, Keswick, Penrith etc. Once you’re there, there’s a relatively good network of buses but I think you’ll really be able to make the most of your trip if you have access to a car. If you prefer not to do long drives (e.g. from London to the Lake District), I’d recommend getting the train to Kendal and hiring a rental car from Enterprise Kendal. If you do this, book your car as far as possible in advance for the best rates!
I’m also going to do a separate blog post on a Lake District itinerary by public transport only so watch this space.
Take appropriate walking shoes
The terrain on a lot of the walks can be rough and rocky so you need to make sure you have a decent pair of walking shoes. You can find lots of affordable options at Regatta or Decathlon or higher end options at John Lewis.
Be prepared for unpredictable weather
The weather in the UK is unpredictable but especially in the Lakes so you need to make sure you’re prepared for all types of weather i.e. pack a raincoat. As an example, on my first trips in winter/spring, I experienced sun, rain and even snow! And in September, it was mostly sunny with some cloudy, rainy days.
Download any driving or walking routes offline
There are a lot of remote spots in the Lakes where you might find yourself without signal or Wifi. So before any trip, it’s best to make sure you’ve downloaded everything you might need so you can access it offline e.g. driving routes, walking routes, bus timetables etc.
pack for your trip!
I hope you found this guide useful. I’ll be sharing another guide soon on how to make the most of the Lake District by public transport only.
T.
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