Our Top 3 Lake District Places

1) Coniston is our favourite Lake District Village. In the village, there is a museum, lots of little shops (including the Coniston ‘Honest Shop’ where you can buy locally handmade goods), lots of cafes and three pubs. At the lakeshore, you can take a boat trip, hire a rowing boat, kayak or paddleboard or just visit the Bluebird Cafe which is right on the shoreline and possibly feed the ducks (duck food for sale at the Bluebird cafe)

A great walk is to take the Coniston Launch to Torver and walk back along the lakeshore to Coniston.

There are also walks alongside Church Beck up to Coppermines Valley (which has information boards and interesting artefacts from this the copper industry) and onward to Coniston Old Man (see ‘Information for Visitors’ Book in the cottage).

2) Grasmere - Allan Bank in Grasmere is one of our favourite National Trust properties. We love its views and homeliness. There are children’s activities such as painting and garden trails and the views from some of the rooms are just wonderful. If you are lucky, you may be able to spot red squirrels in the garden.  In Grasmere, there is also a lovely independent bookshop - Sam Read in addition to several art shops and outdoor shops. At the Heaton Cooper Studio, for example, you can buy paintings, art supplies or enjoy a cup of tea looking out over the mountains.

3) Langdale Valley - just beautiful iconic Lake District  scenery. The starting place for a variety of valley and high level walks. It is advisable to get there early because the car parks fill quickly. There are details of one of our favourite walks in the Langdale Valley in the ‘Information for Visitors’ Book in the cottage.