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Days 9-10
Next stop: Inverness and Loch Ness Previous stop: North Wales Return to full itinerary »

A slice of northwest England that swells with walkers and hikers in the summer months, the Lake District has scads of natural beauty in a manageable space. Many poets and writers loved the mountains and lakes and made their home here.
Learn more about The Lake District »

  • History
  • Natural Beauty

Experiences

  • Built in 1900, Blackwell, designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, is a quintessential Arts and Crafts house. Meant for a Manchester brewery owner, it's now open to anyone who wants to see the friezes, wrought iron gates, and stonework.
  • Hiking the trails of the Lake District can be a real treat. They vary in difficulty and do get crowded at popular times, but the national park and 16 lakes within it remain one of England's finest natural landscapes.

Festivals

  • The Lake District Summer Music Festival is held throughout the region in August.
  • Ambleside rushbearing is takes place in August.

Side Trips

  • William Wordsworth's Dove Cottage is in Grasmere; it includes a museum and art gallery. Not a side trip, this is a highlight like B. Potter's Hilltop in the highlights section.
  • The Drunken Duck Inn, in Hawkshead, features some of the Lake District's best traditional food.

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