Enter the Lake District in the UK

The Lakes are a playground for the mountain lover. The park is composed of literally hundreds of fells most of which can be accessed in a day from one of the many villages that dot the park. Some of the more notable mountains include; Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, Great Gable and Blencathra.

The Lake District is famous for it’s beauty but also for the notoriously fickle weather. Expect to see some form of precipitation on any day of the year. The Lake District is accessible via the M6 motorway. Major centers within the lake District include Windermere and Keswick. These are both very popular tourist towns which have their charms but which may put off the fell walker looking for solitude. Other towns of note to the mountainer include Ambleside, Grasmere, Buttermere and Ullswater. Keswick provides access to many of the peaks in the northern part of the Lake District. Keswick is located just off the A66. If driving on the M6, take junction 40 for the A66. Windermere is the main center for the southern portion of the Lakes. Windermere is accessible via the A591 which is located off of junction 36 on the M6. Keswick is the main center for climbs in the northern part of the Lakes.

There are many places to stay in the Keswick area including hotels, B&Bs, self-catering cottages, and camp-sites. Windermere and Ambleside offer similar amenities in the southern end of the park. There are a number of beautiful villages and towns scattered throughout the Lakes. Buttermere, Grasmere, Braithwaite, Ambleside, Keswick and Windermere are all well worth a visit. At the heart of each town is usually a good pub or two where you can find a hot meal and a nice local ale. For the ale aficionado there are a number of local breweries that offer a range of fantastic tasting beers. The Jennings brewery in Cockermouth is the most well known but don’t miss out on the other locals which include Coniston, Hesket Newmarket, Barngates and Yates. Other attractions include the National Mountaineering Exhibiton at Rheged, the Honister Slate Mine and lakes Windermere, Ullswater and Derwentwater.