Cumbria

I've walked the Cumbria Way (south to north) and camped and caravanned in Ambleside, Keswick and Kendal.

The South-West Fells and Coniston

Industry edges into the southern area, as we set off, evident in its slate quarrying and copper mining heritage. There's also the commercial pine timberlands of Grizedale Forest. But the real attraction here is the five-mile stretch of Coniston Water, and the sharp, craggy silhouette of the Old Man of Coniston rising above the valley floor.

At five miles long and half a mile wide, Coniston Water is the third-largest body of water in the Lake District National Park. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, these waters were heavily fish farmed by the monks of Furness Abbey - mostly Arctic char. Arthur Ransome later made the lake, its islands, and the surrounding hillsides famous, as the setting for his classic 1930 children's novel, Swallows and Amazons. Peel Island, near the eastern shore, is the real-world blueprint for the fictional 'Wild Cat Island.'

During the 1960s, the straight surface of the water became a world-renowned venue for hazardous high-speed water speed record attempts. This is where Donald Campbell lost his life in 1967, while attempting to break the 300-mile-per-hour barrier in his jet-powered hydroplane, Bluebird K7. The shattered wreckage was recovered from the deep silt bed, alongside his body, in 2001.

Today, visitors can navigate the length of the lake using the Gondola, a unique steam-powered passenger yacht originally built by the Furness Railway company, in 1859. On the eastern shore, is Brantwood, the home of the prominent Victorian art critic John Ruskin. The western shore is linked directly to Coniston village, the main access hub for hikers. built entirely from local green slate.

Tarn Hows - Artificial Splendour

Tarn Hows is one of the most celebrated and visually spectacular viewpoints in the Lake District National Park. But this breath-taking, most photogenic of vistas, is actually an artificial lake. Originally a waterlogged common containing three disconnected glacial pools, the terrain was transformed, in the 1860s, when industrialist James Garth Marshall built stone dams to flood the hollow into a single, 37-acre reservoir.

Marshall ringed the basin with dense, geometric stands of dark-green spruce, larch, and Scots pine on the steep, rocky knolls, to screen the shoreline, and frame the water, seamlessly blending human engineering with dramatic mountain scenery. There's an unrivalled, clear sightline north, across the open water, toward the massive, craggy bulk of the Coniston fells and the jagged, sawtooth peaks of the Langdale Pikes.

Author Beatrix Potter bought the surrounding estate, in 1929, to block commercial development, transferring the basin to the National Trust for permanent preservation.

The Cumbria Way

• The Cumbria Way is a renowned long-distance footpath that stretches approximately 73 miles (117 kilometres) linearly through the absolute heart of the county.
• The route begins on the southern edge of Cumbria at the industrial town of Ulverston and finishes at the northern border in the historic city of Carlisle.
• It is traditionally walked from south to north over five to seven days, deliberately tracking through the low-level valleys and passes rather than traversing the highest mountain ridges.
• The trail cuts directly through the Lake District National Park, taking walkers past iconic bodies of water including Coniston Water and Derwentwater.
• It navigates several famous Cumbrian mountain passes, including the dramatic Stake Pass in Langdale and the desolate, high moorland terrain around Great Calva.
• The northern third of the route breaks away from the high peaks entirely to follow the gentle, peaceful course of the River Caldew through rural limestone country into Carlisle.
• Most of the path is clearly waymarked with a distinctive yellow and green footprint logo, making it an accessible route for intermediate long-distance backpackers

The Lake District - Central Heart and Windermere

The Central Heart of the Lake District pairs a dramatic, craggy glacial landscape with a network of bustling tourist towns. Geologically, the region radiates from the ancient Borrowdale Volcanic Group, a 450-million-year-old formation of exposed lava and ash which creates steep, U-shaped valleys and towering fells. They peak at High Raise (762 metres.)

Immediately south of this volcanic core sits Windermere, England’s longest natural ribbon lake, a sweeping, 10.mile-long glacial trough reaching depths of 64 metres, split into two distinct basins by a cluster of 18 wooded islands. Three distinct, interconnected settlements on its eastern edge. The landscape moves from crowded passenger boat piers to the steep glacial troughs of Great and Little Langdale, with their low level walking trails. This area forms the administrative and retail core of the park, where accessible paths, slate-built villages, and heavy concentrations of hospitality businesses sit close together.

At the northern apex lies Ambleside, a traditional slate-built hub, packed with cosy cafes and outdoor retailers. It's primary base camp for ambitious hikers aiming for the high fells and if you want hiking or climbing gear this is the place to come. Lake Road and Compston Road are home to the highest concentration of outdoor clothing, climbing, and leisure retailers in England, relative to its size.

One of the most notable of the many waterfalls in the area, Stock Ghyll Force links the wild, upland geography directly to a surprisingly industrial Ambleside. Fed by the high-elevation drainage of Red Screes, the rushing Stock Ghyll beck cuts a steep, ancient path through a damp, moss-covered woodland gorge just northeast of the town centre.

The main feature is a dramatic, 70-foot divided waterfall which tumbles sharply down a series of dark volcanic rock ledges, splitting into a distinctive Y-shape before plummeting into the deep ravine below. Historically nickname 'Rattle Ghyll,' this powerful, fast-flowing watercourse was heavily harnessed during the Victorian era to drive twelve mechanical watermills, turning out wooden bobbins, processed wool, and ground corn. Today, a waymarked, uphill loop trail navigates the exposed tree roots and slick stones of the gorge, leading to a series of sturdy wooden viewing platforms and an elevated footbridge that spans the very top of the churning cascades

Further south, Windermere Town operates as a vital inland transport junction, having expanded rapidly around its historic 1847 railway terminus. This urban zone extends down to the shoreline, at Bowness Bay. Bowness-on-Windermere is a high-traffic marine terminal which manages the lake's heavy boating infrastructure, commercial cruise jetties, and essential car ferry links to the quieter western shore.

Author Beatrix Potter's home, Hill Top, in the village of Near Sawrey, is a tourist must-see. She bought the seventeenth-century farmhouse, in 1905, with royalties from The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It features thick, lime-washed rubble walls, a traditional slate roof, and low-ceilinged rooms displaying her original oak furniture. This domestic interior ( farmhouse clock and staircase) and the surrounding cottage garden - planted with a dense mix of traditional flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables - were the real-world models for the illustrations in the subsequent The Tale of Tom Kitten, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck and The Tale of Samuel Whiskers.

Beyond the books, the property was the base for Potter’s work as a land conservationist and breeder of the indigenous, hardy Herdwick sheep. Upon her death, she bequeathed the house, alongside 4,000 acres of working upland farms to the National Trust, permanently securing the traditional farming infrastructure of the southern fells against commercial development.

Langdale: Walks and Waterfalls

The Langdale area, situated directly northwest of Windermere is a glacier-carved trough dominated by the jagged silhouettes of the Langdale Pikes and the towering mass of Bowfell. Stark, steep-sided fells and vibrant green valley floors, where traditional drystone walls slice through the ancient farming landscape. Fed by the high-rainfall plateau of the central fells, the valley’s steep rock faces create more spectacular, cascading watercourses. Chief among these is Dungeon Ghyll Force, a dramatic 60-foot waterfall that plunges down a narrow, shadowy ravine hidden beneath a natural rock bridge. Further down the valley, the fast-flowing waters of the Langstrath and Stickle Becks fuel smaller, churning forces and clear, deep rock pools which cut through the ancient volcanic stone before draining into the tranquil waters of Elterwater.

Wordsworth Country

Just a little further north is Wordsworth Country - the twin lakes of Grasmere and Rydal Water, where the sheer volcanic fells descend abruptly into quiet, reed-fringed basins. Grasmere, the larger of the two, is a shallow glacial lake, with a single, prominent green island at its centre. Its margins are dense with native oak woodland. Directly linked by the fast-flowing River Rothay, the smaller and more intimate Rydal Water sits tightly hemmed in by the slopes of Nab Scar and Loughrigg Fell. The shoreline is rocky and islet-strewn. Hand-hewn slate caverns pockmark the crags directly above its southern bank. Delightful and easy hiking paths circle each of the stretches of water - both a couple of hours long.

Grasmere and Rydal villages are built almost entirely from dark, local Borrowdale slate. Grasmere clusters tightly around the thirteenth-century, densely-walled St Oswald’s Church, narrow lanes, independent grit-and-mortar shops, and old stone cottages. Wordsworth lived at Dove Cottage, a cramped, former travellers' inn on the edge of town, with his sister Dorothy. It's now a museum (of course.) As his family grew, Wordsworth moved to Allan Bank - a large, prominent mansion overlooking Grasmere.

Just two miles down the valley, Rydal is a smaller, quieter hamlet focused around steep hillside estates and historic garden terraces which look out over the wetlands. Low-ceilinged eighteenth and nineteenth century farmhouses and multi-tiered, moss-blanketed garden walls blend directly into the rocky hillsides. William Wordsworth’s final home was at Rydal Mount, a sixteenth-century house perched on the steep slopes above Rydal Water.

The Eastern Valleys and Ullswater

Brothers Water is a tranquil, but small lake located in the Hartsop Valley at the northern end of the Kirkstone Pass, in the eastern Lake District National Park. It was originally called Broad Water, but the name changed in the nineteenth century after two brothers drowned here after falling through the ice.

The lake is a protected nature haven surrounded by fells like Dove Crag and pointy Hartsop Dodd, home to red squirrels, deer, herons, and kingfishers. Hartsop Village has seventeenth-century stone cottages complete with rare traditional 'spinning galleries' and external staircases, whilst Hartsop Hall is a sixteenth-century grade I listed building and working National Trust farm, just past the southern end of the lake.

Sweeping and open scale, the other eastern lakes centre around the zig zagging waters of Ullswater, framed by the high volcanic terrain of the Helvellyn range and its narrow Striding Edge ridge. Steep, exposed ridges before dropping down into the isolated catchments of Martindale and Kentmere. There's also the Haweswater Reservoir, a major engineering feat, which supplies water to the northwest urban areas.

The Rugged West and Wasdale

This isolated, imposing territory features the starkest scenery in the park, housing the deep, dark waters of Wastwater (a deep volcanic basin), the sheer scree slopes of Great Gable, and the formidable ascent of Scafell Pike. Cut off from the east by high vehicle passes like Hardknott and Wrynose, this is the place for exposed rock faces and stone-walled farming valleys. No large hotels and retail infrastructure here - it's proper technical climbing country.

Scafell Pike - England's Highest Peak

Scafell Pike is England’s highest mountain at 978 metres. It comes under the auspices of the National Trust and is famous as part of the UK National Three Peaks Challenge ( Along with Snowdon and Ben Nevis). Climbing to its boulder-strewn summit plateau is a physically demanding endurance test, rather than a technical rock climb, though it requires sturdy boots and careful navigation. There's plenty of loose scree to slip on, sudden mists, and rapid weather shifts. The shortest, steepest route from Wasdale Head takes three to five hours (six to eight hours for the gruelling trek from Langdale).

The Hardknott Pass

The Hardknott Pass, an 'interesting' navigation in a car, is the most notorious mountain pass in England, famous for its extreme 1-in-3 gradient, tight hairpin bends, and single-track road. It links the Duddon Valley to Eskdale and sits right alongside Wrynose Pass. A rewarding view wise, but nerve-wracking drive, which demands absolute confidence, low gears, and excellent brakes.

Beautiful Buttermere

Buttermere (both village and hamlet) is idyllic, widely celebrated as one of the national park's most picturesque and tranquil destinations. There's another easy circular two hour walk around the lake, which is also owned largely by the National Trust. From here, stunning, low-level views of towering fells like Haystacks and Red Pike.

The Northern Peaks and Keswick

Based around the market town of Keswick and the wide, island-dotted basin of Derwentwater, the northern lakes are dominated by the smooth shale bulk of Skiddaw and the slate ridge of Blencathra. Low-level agricultural land meets high-altitude walking trails (stupendous views - you really get a sense of wild up here), stretching from the ancient oak woodlands of Borrowdale, up to the empty, undulating northern fells which eventually flatten out toward the Solway plain and Carlisle.

Keswick: Northern Adventure Hub and Industrial Monopoly

Keswick sits on a flat valley floor between the smooth slopes of Skiddaw and the northern shores of Derwentwater. It's another dense network of narrow streets, lined with traditional grey slate buildings, all converging on a central pedestrianised square dominated by the nineteenth-century Moot Hall. As the primary tourism and commercial hub for the northern fells, this central grid is, of course, heavily populated with independent outdoor gear shops, cafes, traditional pubs, and hotels catering to visitors. There's a twice-weekly outdoor market and a Theatre by the Lake.

Borrowdale Graphite

The unique Derwent Pencil Museum sits directly on the site of the original 1832 Cumberland Pencil Company factory. A massive storm in the early 1550s uprooted trees in Seathwaite, in the Borrowdale valley exposing a pure, solid mass of black wad (graphite) that was initially mistaken for a form of lead. The world's only source of pure, solid graphite led to a global monopoly, transforming Keswick from a rural settlement into a globally significant industrial hub. The graphite was so valuable that the mines had to be guarded by armed security to prevent smuggling and theft. The museum documents the story and Derwent pencils are still world renowned.

Derwentwater - The Queen of the Lakes

Derwentwater is a three-mile-long lake just south of Keswick. It fills a wide glacial valley fed primarily by the River Derwent. Known locally as the 'Queen of the Lakes,' its three-quarter-mile-wide basin is flanked by the steep, wooded crags of Catbells to the west and the towering mass of Skiddaw to the north. The lake features several distinct, wooded islands - including Derwent Island, which houses an inhabited eighteenth-century mansion - and is traversed year-round by a regular passenger launch service. This lake has a longer, but flat, 10-mile walking circuit, which closely follows the shoreline, transitioning between rocky beaches, ancient oak woodlands, and marshy wetlands, at the southern end, near the jaws of the Borrowdale valley.

Skiddaw: The Accessible Giant

Skiddaw (pronounced Skidder by the locals), England’s sixth-highest mountain (931 metres) is an easier climb, via the popular Jenkin Hill tourist path, from Keswick. It's a wide, clear trail with smooth, rounded shale slopes (so there's less chance of skidding on Skidder). It's still steep at times and takes roughly four to six hours round-trip. I've done it a twice. It's definitely worth the effort for the views, great, even as you climb and the unobstructed panoramas from the summit, stretching across the Derwentwater valley, the rolling Northern Fells, and even across the Solway Firth to the hills of Scotland on a clear day. It's sublime.

Finishing the Cumbria Way

The northernmost stretch of the Cumbria Way leaves the high mountain terrain of Skiddaw behind, carving a narrow, rocky shelf path, high along the western flank of the rolling and desolate Glenderaterra Valley. This deep volcanic trench slices directly between the massive slate ridges of Skiddaw and Blencathra, with the fast-flowing Glenderaterra Beck running along its floor, way below. It's a stark landscape: heather and scree, interspersed with the abandoned lead and copper workings of the nineteenth-century Blencathra Mine.

Leaving this valley behind, the route drops into the isolated valley of Caldbeck, where the terrain shifts to open, wind-swept moorland, traditional stone walls, and quiet farming hamlets. Following the northward flow of the River Caldew, the path winds through a pastoral corridor of dense oak woodlands and deep sandstone gorges before flattening out into the vast Solway Plain, eventually entering the historic border city of Carlisle under the shadow of its red sandstone cathedral and medieval castle walls..

The Northern Pennines

The North Pennines form a vast, elevated barrier along Cumbria’s eastern border. This is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) characterized by stark, wind-swept moorlands and high gritstone plateaus. Dramatic limestone scars, cascading waterfalls like High Cup Nick, and the towering summit of Cross Fell, which at 893 metres is the highest point in England outside the Lake District. The region’s deep valleys, or dales, are dotted with traditional stone-built farming hamlets and heavily scarred by a rich industrial heritage of lead, silver, and zinc mining. Swept by the notorious Helm Wind - England's only named localized gale - the uplands feature vast expanses of peat bog and heather, which support rare arctic-alpine flora and significant populations of breeding wading birds.

Nenthead Adventures

Nenthead is one of England's highest villages, at around 438 metres. Built in the middle of the eighteenth century this was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages in Britain. This was a major centre for lead and zinc mining. The first smelt mill was built here, in 1737, by George Liddle, and subsequently expanded by the London Lead Company. By 1882, the smelt mill was capable of smelting 8,000 bings, i.e., 64,000 3,300 tons, of ore per annum.

By 1861, Nenthead village had a population of 2,000 people, mostly Methodist and employed by the Quaker-owned London Lead Company in the Nenthead Mines - some of the most productive in the country. The Quakers built housing, a school, a reading room, public baths and a wash-house for the miners and their families.

The mines closed in 1961, but a heritage centre displays their history. Today, Nenthead Mines exists as a vast, Scheduled Ancient Monument sprawling across a remote hillside southeast of Nenthead village, preserved as one of the UK’s most complete complexes of lead and zinc mining. The surface landscape remains open to the public year-round, allowing visitors to freely explore an open-air trail of stone smelting mill ruins, dressing floors, waste tips, and old watercourses.

And the local caving society still arranges underground trips. I was persuaded into going down, on a trip north, with the Reigate cavers. Access is managed by the Nenthead Mines Conservation Society, a volunteer charity that runs scheduled public open days between Easter and October. Carrs Mine is a 90-minute experience navigating authentic, rough-hewn tunnels equipped with provided helmets and lamps. I'm not wild about scrambling up and down ladders and wandering claustrophobic tunnels. but that was a picnic compared to the accommodation in the Nenthead Mines Bunkhouse: eight to 12 beds across two bunk rooms, a communal kitchen, showers, and a drying room. At least there was a pub close by.