8 Lakes and Magnificent Scenery - Afternoon Half Day Tour

Here, as you twist and climb upwards, you will be on the highest road in the Lake District, as well as one of the most spectacular. On the way, you will drive through some magnificent mountain scenery stopping at the top near the old Kirkstone Pass Inn to admire the panoramic views. Its breezy up here but worth getting out in the fresh air just to be looking down the long valley where Windermere Lake sparkles in the distance and on a clear day, you may see out as far as the sea at Morecambe Bay. Look to the left and the right to catch sight of the native Herdwick sheep roaming among the impressive dry-stone walls and watch dedicated walkers looking like tiny colourful dots weaving about on ancient pack horse trails high up on the surrounding fell sides. On the way down the other side of the pass, you will be able to stop for another opportunity to take fabulous photos down the wide valley with the road winding away towards Brothers Water.

At almost eight miles, this is the second longest of the lakes, with a dramatic serpentine shape overlooked by soaring fells, none higher than the challenging reaches of Helvellyn. The leafy shores are stippled with woods of oak, birch and hazel – one of the best examples of pre-plantation Lakeland scenery. As you will see, this is a special place to be. William Wordsworth declared Ullswater “the happiest combination of beauty and grandeur, which any of the Lakes affords” and who are we to argue with that?

Set on a hill with a wonderous panorama of magnificent mountains all around are 48 stones, set here over 5000 years ago. This is Castlerigg stone circle, the ancient haunt of Druids, so the romantic Victorians thought. Today its real purpose is still shrouded in mystery but you will see few stone circles in Britain in such a dramatic setting as that of Castlerigg. A short walk and you are in the circle itself where you can soak up the atmosphere and wonder at the breathtaking views.

Taking a well-hidden single-track road, you will climb steeply for half a mile up to an old dry-stone packhorse bridge. One of the most photographed locations in the Lake District, Ashness Bridge with its fast flowing, tumbling stream looks out across Derwentwater to the towering peaks of Skiddaw rising above the town of Keswick is a “must do” photo stop.

You won’t get many views better than this. Perched high on an oak-lined cliff edge you will enjoy one of the best views in the Lake District. Surprise View is an absolute gem and offers stunning panoramic views across Derwent Water to the Skiddaw mountain range, Borrowdale Valley, the town of Keswick, Bassenthwaite Lake, the Solway and even the distant shores of Scotland (on a good day). The photo opportunities are fabulous!

Cradled snugly in the Vale of Grasmere lies the lake of the same name, ringed almost completely by shapely fells and forever associated with the poet William Wordsworth. As we look out over the water, you will discover that it was here William, his sister Dorothy and brother John would spent lazy days swimming and fishing for pike. They would row out to the island for summer picknicks and walk its shores soaking up the sounds and sights, lying in the grass listening to the wind in the trees and marvelling at the echoes of a bird calling, its voice carrying on the wind. Today, you will still see people wild swimming and colourful row boats bobbing along. Things haven’t changed too much around here.

You will get great views from the road of this reedy little lake, one of the prettiest on a summer’s morning and even on a frosty winter’s day. Tinged in shades of gold and orange on a misty day in the fall, this is a lake to take your breath away. Smaller than its neighbour at just ¾ mile long, ¼ mile wide and 50ft deep, it was a great favourite of the Wordsworth family and for this reason it is usually mentioned in the same breath as Grasmere. Driving along the shore, you will need to pay attention as we pass the rocky knoll with its steps leading up to Wordsworth’s seat, reputedly his favourite place to sit and gaze upon the water, overlooking this often glass-like lake and its shores. Rydal water was originally called “Rothaymere” meaning “the lake in the valley where the rye is grown” and it has a flourishing population of wildfowl. Gulls roost along the shoreline and if you are really lucky, you may spot red squirrels in the larches or the native Herdwick sheep in the pastures.

You won’t believe the story of the family who lived in this teeny-weeny little cottage. It has a long and varied history as you will hear when we slow down for a quick photo and pass the famous Bridge House in the heart of Ambleside. One of the most photographed buildings in the Lakes, it is a delightfully quirky, 300-year-old little house that straddles the clattering brook of Stock Ghyll.

You won’t be able to miss this one, England’s largest and most visited lake, it rarely fails to impress. Named after a Norse hero, Windermere is the most famous of them all and has had an almost magnetic pull for nearly all visitors to the area for the past 300 years or so. From its rocky inlets, secluded bays, grassy banks and wooded heights, to the northern skyline, indented with volcanic peaks, the southern shore heavily wooded with broadleaf trees, Windermere is what most people imagine the Lake District to look like. Keep listening to your guide and you will hear how it was created, what the Romans did here, the arctic fish who made the lake its home, things about boats and why the local “boggle” stopped the ferry running at night time.

One of the pick-up locations for this tour - we meet outside the entrance to the railway station. Windermere village is predominantly the product of the Victorian railway’s arrival in the Lake District. With many of the original villas and guest houses still standing, this village remains the transport hub of the central Lakes. Just as in Victorian and Edwardian times, day-trippers and holidaymakers pour in to Windermere off the train whose line terminates here. There is no shortage of accommodation or places to eat. If you are joining the tour here, you will soon discover why the village changed its name, why William Wordsworth got all steamed up about the railway and why the lake of the same name is a mile or so down the hill.

One of our pick-up points for this tour -we meet outside Pier 1 beside the lake shore. Bowness is a busy, bustling type of place with large and small hotels, bed and breakfast establishments and lots of cafes, bars and restaurants. The settlement is much older than nearby Windermere with the narrow streets clustered behind the parish church dating back over 300 years. If you are staying here, you will find that the history of the village is condensed in to this small part of the village, the cottages here were lived in by boatmen and fishermen, ancestors of George Washington had their coat of arms included in the window of the church and Charles Dickens stayed at the famous “Hole in t’Wall” inn. A short stroll along the promenade will bring you to the boating area of the village. There are big boats to sail up and down the lake, small boats to hire and explore the islands and inlets and even tiny rowing boats to bob about in on the lake.

Ringed by fells, Ambleside has been described as “the hub of the wheel of beauty”, as it sits at the heart of the southern lakes with roads radiating out into the central valleys. As you pass through the centre of the little town, you will see the legacy of the Victorian tourist boom in the splendid slate buildings built by local craftsmen and the tiny Bridge House built over the clattering Stock Ghyll stream. You will hear about the Roman fort, Galava, built on the shores of Windermere Lake and discover why, inside the spired parish church, there is a mural celebrating the oldest custom in the town, Rushbearing. This is a bustling and busy little town so you will get a sense of what it is like living here, the way nature, the landscape and the weather still have an impact on our 21st century lives and how its more famous residents brought the first tourists flocking here over 100 years ago.

Near one of our pickups

Near one of our pickups

Near one of our pickups

Near one of our pickups

Near one of our pickups

A short drive away from our pickup in Windermere

If staying here why not join this tour at Windermere?

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ke situated further down this valley which is filled with dramatic scenery. Around the western shore the path dips under the canopy of some of the oldest oak woodland in the Lake District but, as you will find out, it is the tragic tale of two brothers which gives this little scoop of water its romantic name.

Shimmering and sparkling just south of the market town of Keswick, you will find Derwentwater. Studded with islands and craggy fells, this is undoubtably one of our prettiest lakes. Known as “the Queen” of the English Lakes, your drive along the shoreline you will glimpse the evocatively named Cat Bells and gaze towards the dramatic Jaws of Borrowdale. You will hear tales of hermits, hedgehogs, squirrels and mock sea battles, all part of the history and folklore of this enchanting lake.

From the viewpoint of Surprise View, you will see Bassenthwaite sparkling in the distance.This is the northernmost of the major stretches of water with its shoreline being the best protected in the National Park due to its rich variety of plants and animals. More than seventy species of bird and wildfowl winter and breed here, including magnificent ospreys. This is also one of the very few places in Britain where the vendace, a nine-inch fish related to other Arctic species, is found.

As you will travel south, along the shores of the attractive, tree-fringed expanse of water at Thirlmere, you will hear the sad tale of the villages of Armboth and Wythburn, now lost, deep below these waters. The story is a fascinating one of wealth, industry and the might of the City of Manchester who crushed the rural lifestyle of these unfortunate villagers in the nineteenth century. Beautiful and tranquil, Thirlmere is backed by the mighty Helvellyn, once a favourite walking spot for Wordsworth and his friends. It is also a place of legend with tales of hauntings and big scary spectral black dogs. Good job you are safe in the van and we aren’t visiting after dark!

As you travel towards Keswick, the road becomes dominated by the mountain known as Blencathra. This is the old name meaning “Saddleback” in the ancient Cumbric language and as you will see from a distance, she does look a bit like one. In summer, she wears a mantle of purple heather while in winter, she often wears a snowy cap. As you approach, you will hear more about her history and the strange tale of an Earl and the Lordship of a Manor in 2014. Standing at 2,848ft, this is a mountain with six separate fell tops and forms part of the Skiddaw range, some of the oldest rocks in England at roughly 500 million years old. If you look carefully, you may see that she has a distinctive ridge known as Sharp Edge, an aptly named arête which provides one of the most famous scrambles in the area."The crest itself is sharp enough for shaving (the former name was razor edge) and can be traversed only a cheval at some risk of damage to tender parts”. Not for the faint hearted!

If you suffer from vertigo, you will be pleased that we pass by Helvellyn in a comfy air-conditioned mini-van and you don’t have to get out and climb. This is the third highest peak in the Lake District and popular all year round with experienced walkers, especially the classic ridge route along Striding Edge which is challenging with dizzying drops and some all-fours scrambling. As you sit back and enjoy the scenery, you may spare a thought for the Helvellyn Weather Assessors who climb the mountain every day between December and March to assess the risk of avalanches and record conditions such as wind chill, snow depth and temperature. You will also discover that it was Wordsworth favourite mountain and hear the tear-jerking story of a romantic artist and his faithful dog Foxie immortalised by Wordsworth in his poem “Fidelity” (Spoiler – Foxie survives. Yay!)

Dove Cottage. William Wordsworth found this tiny cottage while on a walking tour of the Lake District. It is a richly evocative place, especially for poetry lovers. He lived here quite contentedly with his sister Dorothy and his wife and children when he was writing his famous poems. You will be able to snap a quick photo of this famous little whitewashed house as we pass by.

We stop here; we have to. There would be a rebellion on the bus if we didn’t so don’t worry, you will have time to get that delicious, moresome, gingery treat everyone loves. Created in 1854, only a handful of people know the secret recipe for this deliciously unique, spicy-sweet cross between a biscuit and cake. When you enter the shop, you will be greeted by the wonderful aroma of freshly baked Grasmere Gingerbread hanging in the air. But it doesn’t stop there, the shop also sells its own award-winning rum butter and a variety of ginger-themed goodies, as well as toffee, fudges, chocolates, conserves, Cartmel Village Store Sticky Toffee Sauce, Kendal Mint Cake, conserves, ginger beer, ginger themed gifts, and much, much more. Just one thing though, please don’t feed the drivers and guides, we’ve only just managed to wean them off it all!

Stopping here, you will find a couple of narrow roads leading to a tiny village green, a cluster of handsome grey-stone buildings and a scatter of traditional whitewashed cottages. This is Grasmere an archetypal Lake District village. Look up, and all around you will see that the ring of mighty fells surrounding the Vale of Grasmere lovingly cradles this snug little village. At its heart you will find the ancient church looking much as it did in Wordsworth’s time, still crouched beside the babbling river Rothay. We don’t stop here for long but you will quickly discover that it really is as William Wordsworth described it “The loveliest spot that man hath ever found”. He should know, he lived here for over a decade returning to be buried in this serene, English country churchyard dotted with yews and ivy strewn monuments. Literary and gingerbread pilgrims flock here to pay their respects and to purchase the famous local tasty treat.

As you pass through this tiny hamlet packed with history, you will discover where William Wordsworth lived for 37 years, the church where he was warden, who “Dora” is and what is so special about the Badger Bar. It is hard to believe that so much happened here in such a sleepy spot!

the pick-up locations for the tour – we meet outside the ticket office. Oxenholme is the Lake District railway station on the West Coast Main Line which runs from London to Glasgow and is where day-visitors to the Lake District arrive for our tours. If you aren’t catching the branch line train to Windermere or staying in the Lakes, it is a convenient location to meet one of our full day tours. Should you decide to stay close to the station, there is a guest house and a small hotel within easy walking distance. If you are meeting us by car, there is a car park at the station with a flat rate of £12.00 per day. While you are waiting for a return train back home, you can get refreshments at Willans shop. It is located next to Oxenholme Lake District Railway Station and sells a wide variety of products, many of which have been made on site.

As you climb up the windy road from the shores of Windermere, passing by elegant Victorian mansions, you will see that the view of the lake changes quite a lot. You will have a quick photo stop to hear about the lake itself and look down on it across the rolling green fields and broadleaf woodland of the nearby farms. You will fall in love with this tiny village, strung out along the valley side above the Trout Beck (stream) from which it gets its name. One of its most striking features is the fine selection of traditional Lakeland buildings, most of them dating from the 17th century. As you pass through the village you will hear about Townend, a National Trust property preserved like a time capsule which tells the story of the Brown family who lived here from 1626 for over 400 years. If you gaze across the valley you will start to see the countryside change as we head up higher becoming more bleak and remote as you move into the mountains. Beatrix Potter once had a farm here.

Nestled in the valley on the south end of Ullswater, you will see that this village is a small cluster of buildings hugging the roadside with two pubs a youth hostel and a mountain rescue base. There used to be a shop, but that has recently been sold and we are all waiting to see what happens to it next. That’s how small the village is! The saint’s church, at the northern end of the village, replaced the medieval original in the nineteenth century and is known for the locally made embroidered tapestries that hang inside, created by an artist with the surname of a Shakespeare play. This is walking territory and a number of good walks start from this village into the high fells surrounding it. As you pass through, you will hear about a local breed of dog, a well-known patron saint and a spring which was once thought to have healing properties.

Passing along the leafy road past farms and pastures, suddenly, you get your first exciting glimpse of Ullswater and its fleet of historic steamers as we enter the village. For centuries this was a busy mining valley but you will find no trace of it now. Lead was discovered in the area in the 17th century and mining here was at its height in the early 19th century with Greenside, hidden among the fells, being one of the best lead mines in the country. The mine closed in 1962 and now the village is a busy little place with some shops and cafes packed full of walkers and hikers. There are also some classy hotels here with grounds stretching down to the lake’s edge. You will discover that one of them, formerly a Regency era family villa, was visited by a famous scientist who stayed here for a week with his family and later wrote of his holiday "This place is magnificently beautiful, and I enjoy the scenery". We agree with him!

At the top of Derwentwater, is the northern tourist capital of the Lakes crammed full of shops, cafes, bars hotels and Victorian guest houses. Despite the genteel feel of the town, mining used to be the reason for Keswick’s existence. It all started in 16th century with expert miners from Germany who settled on Derwent Isle and were employed to find gold. They only found copper and other minerals. Later, as mining declined, tourism grew with the arrival of the railway on 1865. Wordsworth visited the town often, particularly to see his close friend and fellow Romantic Poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge who complained “for two thirds of the year we are in retirement…the other third is alive & swarms with Tourists of all shapes & sizes & characters”. You will find that nothing much has changed. As we drive through the town, you will see the Moot Hall, hear about a familiar poet who wrote about bears, the antics of saints, a unique museum and what Keswick means in Old English.