Visiting the Lake District? What to Know Before You Go

Small towns, quiet valleys, and passes that don’t go where you expect them to. In episode 221 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, Tracy is joined by Briony Wilson from Mountain Goat, a touring company based in Windermere, who has lived in the Lakes for more than twenty years. Between them, they cover how much time the area really needs, whether you can manage without a car, and where to base yourself for the trip you actually want.

This is the next in the Before You Go series, following Edinburgh and York, where we talk through what visitors most need to know before they arrive. The Lake District has been one of the most requested episodes. It is a region rather than a town or city, made up of small towns and villages, valleys, and passes that don’t always connect the way you would expect. Briony explains the scale problem that catches first-time visitors out, how the trains and buses genuinely work, and which walks suit people who would rather not take on a fell.

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What you’ll learn in this episode

• Where the Lake District actually sits, and how long it takes to reach from London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow
• Why the train to Oxenholme Lake District is Briony’s first recommendation, and which cities you can connect on to from there
• The scale problem that catches most first time visitors out, and why two places that look close on a map can take far longer to travel between
• Whether you can manage the Lakes without a car, including what the 555 and 599 bus routes do and do not cover
• Why parking is the part of a Lakes trip most people underestimate, and what responsible parking means on roads where emergency vehicles still need to get past
• How many nights Briony suggests as a minimum, and what changes when you stretch it to three or four
• Where to base yourself depending on the trip you want, from Windermere and Bowness to Ambleside and Keswick
• What to ask your accommodation before booking, since many Lakes guest houses sit in heritage buildings with steps and uneven ground
• The difference between a lake and a mere, and why Lake Windermere is not quite right
• How to get out on the water, from the Windermere cruises and the Ullswater steamers to hiring a rowing boat on Derwentwater
• The story behind Coniston, Donald Campbell and the Bluebird, and where to find out about the restoration
• Gentler walks worth knowing about, including Orrest Head, the two-mile Tarn Hows circuit on a firm path, and the National Park’s Miles Without Stiles routes
• How to build a literary trip around Wordsworth at Dove Cottage, Beatrix Potter at Hill Top and Arthur Ransome at Coniston
• Briony’s quick-fire answers on where to stay, what to eat, the one view worth the effort and the one thing to book before you go