"Lakes and Mountains " a Lake District National Park Travel Page by tvor

This part of England, in the north west, is a series of very craggy mountains, etched out by glaciers with cold clear lakes in the valleys. The buildings are mostly made of stone and slate instead of mortar and timber

You have to get off the highway to truly appreciate the Lake District National Park, in the northwest of England. Travel along the narrower winding secondary roads though picturesque villages and remote scenic routes. Yes, some of the villages will be filled with tourists, especially in the summer but there are also towns that have interesting even off beat things to do and see.

This is also Beatrix Potter country, and Wordsworth wrote many poems about this area as well.

The best known places are Lake Windemere and Grasmere where Wordsworth lived and wrote. Ambleside is a busy town and along the road you will see the smallest house! It's one room downstairs and one upstairs. And it's a gift shop naturally. Keswick is a busy town and very pretty, well worth a stop. (see tips section for some attractions here). Penrith, just outside the north eastern part of the area has a castle and a few potteries to explore. Go boating on Coniston, Derwent, Ullswater or Lake Windemere. There are lots of walking trails, both easy and challenging.

I've visited the Lake District several times, on short day trips and drove through it on the M6 one other time but you don't see too many of the Lakes from the motor way though the mountains and valleys are pretty impressive.

Take a boat out on a lake, hang glide from a mountain, hike the hills with the sheep, drink in the glorious scenery (and in some of the lovely pubs) and browse some of the pretty shops. We drove from Penrith to Ambleside on a winding small road that traveled alongside of one of the larger lakes, Ullswater and up through a mountain pass. The views were spectacular! That's the sort of Lake District experience that truly memorable rather than elbowing visitors out of the way on the sidewalks of Windemere.

Grasmere, Ambleside, Coniston and Windemere are the core towns but don't be afraid to veer off the beaten path. Windemere is, my opinion, not as nice and very commercial. Ambleside is geared towards outdoor life, lots of hiking shops and places to buy outdoor and sport gear. There's also a couple of really yummy chocolate and candy shops in Ambleside featuring locally made chocolates.

Here's a list of some other attractions elsewhere. http://www.lakes-online.co.uk/info/attractions/index.htm