Lake District

Best things to do in Lake District

1. 

   1

   1. Scafell Pike

   • A full day
   • No booking needed
   • Active

   England's highest mountain at 978 metres, part of the Scafell massif, an extinct volcano.

   A serious mountain walk; check the weather and your route before setting out.

   11,906 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Scafell Pike
   • Lake District National Park

2. 

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   2. Windermere

   • Half a day to a full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples

   England's largest lake by length, area and volume, in the Lake District.

   Boat and cruise operators set their own times and prices; check with them.

   6,561 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Windermere

3. 

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   3. Helvellyn

   • A full day
   • No booking needed
   • Active

   The highest point of the Helvellyn range, a north to south line of mountains between Thirlmere and Ullswater, north of Ambleside.

   A mountain walk; check the weather and your route before setting out.

   4,920 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Helvellyn

4. 

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   4. Ambleside

   • A few hours
   • No booking needed
   • No car needed
   • Families

   A town in the Lake District National Park at the head of Windermere, England's largest natural lake.

   Check bus and boat connections if you are not driving.

   3,581 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Ambleside

5. 

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   5. Keswick

   • A few hours or more
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Active

   A market town in the Lake District National Park, just north of Derwentwater and about 4 miles from Bassenthwaite Lake.

   Check bus options if you are not driving.

   3,545 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Keswick, Cumbria

6. 

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   6. Grasmere and Dove Cottage

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   A village at the centre of the Lake District, where William and Dorothy Wordsworth lived. Dove Cottage, on the village edge, was their home from 1799 to 1808.

   Check opening times and ticket needs for Dove Cottage before you go.

   2,975 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Grasmere (village)
   • Wikipedia, Dove Cottage

7. 

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   7. Muncaster Castle

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples

   A privately owned Grade I listed castle overlooking the River Esk, about a mile east of the coastal village of Ravenglass.

   Check opening times and any ticket needs on the official site before you go.

   2,130 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Muncaster Castle
   • Muncaster Castle

8. 

   8

   8. Ullswater

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Active

   A glacial lake about 7 miles long, the second largest in the Lake District after Windermere. Its maximum depth is 63 metres.

   Boat operators set their own times and prices; check with them.

   1,797 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Ullswater

9. 

   9

   9. Cat Bells

   • 2 to 3 hours
   • No booking needed
   • Active
   • Families

   A 451 metre fell on the western shore of Derwentwater, within three miles of Keswick. Alfred Wainwright called it a family fell that grandmothers and infants can climb.

   Check the weather and your route before setting out.

   1,640 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Cat Bells

10. 

    10

    10. Derwentwater

    • Half a day
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Families
    • Couples

    A lake immediately south of Keswick, in the Lake District.

    Boat operators set their own times and prices; check with them.

    1,599 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, Derwentwater

Just missed the list: Castlerigg Stone Circle (11th by readers; a stone circle on a hill east of Keswick); Coniston Water (12th by readers; the third largest lake by volume)