Lake District

 I never knew that the train journey to Lancaster to Windemere was going to be as beautiful as it was. It was so much green and instantly felt calm and relaxed. I also underestimated how stunning Lake District was going to be. I am going to apologise in advance for repeating how stunning the views were! 

 Despite the long train journey, me and the kids were buzzing. The weather was great and we didn't want to waste any time.  Our B&B  was close to Windermere station so we dropped our suitcases and off we went to our first activity which was the Beatrix Potter museum. The walk to it was idylllic and close to  Winderere Lake.

The Museum was so cute and my Peter Rabbit fan was over the moon, explaining everything he saw (eventhough I watched the movies a million times with him!) I particularly enjoyed the bit about the life of Mrs Potter. If you got little ones, I will highly recommend it. Prices were reasonable and can be done under 1 hour. 

We then took a stroll around Windermere Lake. Again, you have to see it to understand the beauty of what we saw. The beautiful waters against the green surrounding you... It was just stunning. There were numerous paths to walk around. After dinner by the lake, we decided to watch the sunset from a high point so off we went to Orrest Head. The clim up was only 20-30mins with lots of beautiful views. When we reached the top, the sun was setting and the colours it threw was so pretty!! Its places like that where you appreciate nature so much. No matter how many photos I took, it doesn't quite capture the actual beauty of what we saw!

Windermere is such a cute town with lots of places to eat from. We were spoilt for choices.

After some good rest, the next day we spent the day in Brockhole further up Windermere lake. This is an adventure park. There was so much to do for kids. There was a Go-Ape inspired activity. I had a great time chasing the kids up on The Treetops Nets. What a workout we got! The kids had a go at Krazy Karts which looked so fun that I wanted to join in but it was kids only. There was archery and clay shooting. You can also do lots of water sports but kids weren't keen on it so they just swam in the lake. We also walked around the grounds to enjoy the views.

Rydal Water was another beautiful place. I loved the climb up. The highlight of the Rydal water was a cave. The way to get into the cave was by stepping stones through water which was filled with fishes. The walk up was longer than Orrest Head. We stopped so many times to admire the views and take photos that I don't actually know how long it should have taken us.  Another beautiful hike that I would highly recommend.

Keswick is another place we went to before we headed home. The weather suddenly turned a bit chilly so it's a good thing I had a museum booked. The Puzzling Place was so intriguing. It had such cool things to see and experiment! It was dead cheap too. We then headed to Derwent Water for another hike and a picnic near another lake. Again, absolutely stunning.

I did a second trip to Lake District in May 2026 and based myself in Keswick for 2nights. Friar's Craig is a beautiful viewpoint overlooking Catbells and a short walk from the centre of Keswick!  I would also recommend visiting the Pencil Museum, where the first every pencil was made! The museum is on the site of the pencil factory which is still going! The entry fee is reasonable given what you get in terms of experience. The ticket was a pencil and everyone, no matter the age, will have a quiz to do to win a prize at the end. The quiz was a great way to explore all the nooks of the museum and the extensive history of pencil making in Keswick and surrounding area. I had a blast in the museum! Again, absolutely stunning. Keswick was the perfect town to visit the Northern Lakes with excellent bus connections.Close to Keswick, you can go a nicehike from Keswick to Lodore Waterfalls which is a nice set of cascading waterfalls. 

On my second trip, after exploring parts of Keswick, I went to Buttermere to see the Bluebells at Rannerdale Knotts. I went the first week of May and the bluebells were in full blooms!  It is hard to describe how amazing it was. You just have to visit because it was stunning! 

Penrith is also a nice town with Penrith castle ruins. In the Penrith area, you also have he beauiful Aira Force which is part of National Trust. It is free to visit, with parking and cafe. The woodland walk is a nice once. Aira Force has a few viewing points with a few walks to do! I loved it!

Another day, I went to Ambleside which is a popular town. A short walk from the town centre is another beautiful waterfall called Stock Ghyll force where you can do a nice circular walk! I then head to Skelwith Force by bus to do a hike to Cathedral  Caves in Little Langdale. The hike is a 3mile undemanding walk through the public pathway and luscious green valleys. I made a detour to Colwith  Force too which was a nice rest stop before ending my hike at Cathedral Cave. The cave is a slate quarry and another beautiful landmark in the Lake District! It is a small chamber but I was there for 30minutes just admiring the chamber. If you take the back exit, you can also go across Slatter's Bridge which has becoming a famous hotspot too. I then hiked back to the village of Elterwater  through farm fields which took 45minutes.

I thought I will tackle a mountain (I didn't know it was a mountain after the eventful hike) - I thought it was a hill! The mountain that I was adviced to do was Catbells which stands a nearly 500metres and was quite a scramble, which I was unaware of! This requires some level of fitness even when you use the public footpath! The views were nice looking over Derwent Water and Bassenthwaite Lake. It took a  good 2hours round trip but I was very proud of myself! They are easier mountains that you can do!

I loved my second trip as much as the first one! I miss the greenery, water flowing and the sheeps bleating. I will return for another trip!