Lake District Road Trip Photo Gallery

The Lake District became a national park in 1951. Originally a popular tourist destination for the wealthier industrialized areas of northern England, it is now one of the country's premier natural scenery hotspots, attracting about 20 million visitors a year.

The scenery is beautiful thanks to the many lakes and mountains, with quaint towns here and there that offer independent shops, family-owned bed and breakfasts, and plenty of hiking opportunities. It's not a very large area - measuring roughly 30 miles wide and long.

While buses ply between the major towns along the lakes with reasonably frequent service, it's best to drive for greater flexibility and to explore the quieter nooks and crannies.

This spring 2026 trip spanned 3 nights and covered the various towns and lakes from south to north.

Day 1 :
Arrive from Manchester and explore Windermere's Orrest Head and walk along the lakefront in Bowness.

Day 2 :
Explore the many independent shops in the two towns and drive to Ambleside, Rydal for the cave, and Grasmere.

Day 3 :
Explore Keswick and drive the Honister Pass towards Buttermere.

Day 4 :
Head east to Aira Force and leave the Lake District via Penrith.

While I covered the area by car, it is possible to see a lot of it on public transport : Lake District Transport Guide

Windermere / Bowness

Windermere Aerials

Orrest Head Hike

It's a fairly easy hike up from Windermere's town centre to this vantage point with beautiful lake views.

Exploring Windermere Town

Bowness Lake Walk

The lakefront walk from Bowness Pier to Ferry Nab is short and sweet. So besides taking a cruise out of here, do the walk for a different perspective of Lake Windermere's beauty.

Exploring Bowness Town

Bowness is a well-established tourist town with lots of independent shops and restaurants. It is also a good base for your bed & breakfast to explore the rest of the Lake District.

Ambleside

Rydal Cave

While named a cave, this is actually an abandoned quarry that you can step inside.

Keswick

Keswick

Derwent Pencil Museum

Who would have thought the pencil was invented in Keswick? Graphite was discovered in the area back in the 16th century. Shepherds found this black substance and used this to mark their sheep. Keswick would go on to become a pencil manufacturing centre.

Honister Pass Drive

The Honister Pass is a beautiful drive from Keswick and well worth a half day excursion, passing by lakes, a historic slate mine, and a lot of beautiful landscapes.

Aira Force