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By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 9th February 2020 | Updated: 19th November 2023
The Lake District National Park may be well known for, well its lakes, but the villages and towns in the area are well worth a visit too. We spent a week thoroughly exploring this National Park, from the lakes to the mountain tops, and ever since it has drawn us back!
From the bustling lakeside towns to the quaint countryside villages, you can easily spend a few days wandering not only the lakes but their surroundings as well. So, without further ado, here is our list of the best towns and villages in the Lake District you must visit.
Planning Your Trip? Use our favourite travel resources below:
Accommodation: We recommend Booking.com
Rental Car: We recommend Rentalcars.com
Travel Insurance: We recommend World Nomads
Flights: We recommend Kiwi.com
Tours: We recommend Get Your Guide
The best towns and villages you must visit in the Lake District Map
The best towns and villages you must visit in the Lake District
Keswick
This pretty market town to the north end of Derwentwater is a popular spot with tourists with its numerous shops and wonderful views of the surrounding mountains. It makes a great base for exploring the Lake District as it’s really well connected with roads all around the area.
Now, this might sound a little strange but hear us out, you must visit the Cumberland Derwent Pencil Museum. You will never realise how much there is to learn about pencils, and it is really quite fun! Just east of Keswick, you can also find Castlerigg Stone Circle, which is well worth a visit too, if not just for the incredible views over the surrounding area.
📍 Parking – There are a couple of parking options in Keswick, either Bell Close Car Park, CA12 5JD, (Max stay 3 hours, £3.40 for 2 hours, £5.70 for 3 hours), or Central Car Park, CA12 5DP, (Max stay 1 day, £3.40 for 2 hours, £8.00 for 6 hours).
📍 Highlights – Cumberland Derwent Pencil Museum, close to hikes at Skiddaw and Derwentwater.
Grasmere & Rydal
Technically two villages but they are in such close proximity you can easily see them together; Grasmere and Rydal are next on our list of villages and towns you must visit in the Lake District.
If you love gingerbread, especially home-baked fresh out the oven gingerbread, then Grasmere is the place for you. Quaint cottages and streamside cafes can be found whilst wandering this little village, all with the spicy smell of gingerbread in the air. If that sounds right up your street then head to The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop for a taste!
From Grasmere, it is a short, but beautiful walk around a lake also called Grasmere and Rydal Water to the small cluster of houses called Rydal village. This area is well-known thanks to the wonderful words of William Wordsworth, who lived in Rydal Mount from 1813 to 1850. Rydal Hall is well worth a visit too as well, with a stunning 17th-century mansion set in 34 acres of landscaped grounds.
📍 Parking – The best place to park for visiting Grasmere is Stock Lane Car Park, LA22 9SJ, just to the south of Grasmere (£3.00 for 2 hours, max price all day £8.00). The closest parking for Rydal is Pelter Bridge Car Park, LA22 9LR, (£3.80 for 2 hours).
If you want to visit both Grasmere and Rydal, we would highly recommend that you park at Rydal Water Car Park, LA22 9SE, (£3.05 for 2 hours, £8 all day), which is the perfect place to start a hike between the two.
📍 Highlights – Rydal Water and Grasmere lake walk and The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop
Fancy spending a week in the Lake District? Check out our post on just how to do that – How to spend a week in the Lake District National Park
Ambleside
This small town at the north end of Lake Windermere is often overlooked by visitors due to stopping in Windermere instead, but Ambleside has its own collection of wonderful places to visit. If you are after anything related to exploring the outdoors, then this is where you need to come! From the quite frankly enormous Gaynor Sports to the family-run shop on the corner, you will leave with something you never knew you needed! Both Matt and I ended up with down jackets and bobble hats…
If you’re after a quick but delicious bite to eat, then be sure to stop by the Apple Pie Café close to the main car park and the famous Bridge House. Of course, you must get a slice of the homemade apple pie with custard, but the hot cinnamon apple juice is a well-deserved warming treat too, after all that shopping…
📍 Parking – The best place to park for visiting Ambleside is Rydal Road, LA22 9AY, (£1.80 for 1 hour, max £8.00 all day). Due to the parking location, it also means that you have to walk past the Apple Pie Café to get into the main town, so it’s a win-win!
📍 Highlights -Independant outdoor clothing shops and Apple Pie Cafe.
Bowness-on-Windermere
Windermere is the town at the heart of the Lake District. Known far and wide, it is often the destination most visitors will base themselves in whilst visiting the area. However, smaller than its neighbour Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere is still very much a bustling hive of activity.
With regular boat trips departing around Lake Windermere from here, it’s the perfect spot to just watch the world go by with a cuppa in hand. Wander along the promenade, taking in Bowness Pier and all the local ducks, (of which there were hundreds!), and pop into one of the quaint lakeshore coffee shops for the best views and a bit of warmth. We highly recommend the Old Pump House Coffee Shop, for a real homely feel.
📍 Parking – Parking around Windermere in general is quite expensive and Bowness-on-Windermere is no exception! The best place to park is Rayrigg Road LA23 3BS, (£1.80 for 1 hour, £8.00 for 12 hours). If you want to park nearer the lake then head for Glebe Road, LA23 3HB, (£4.30 for 3 hours, £8.00 for 12 hours).
📍 Highlights -Bowness-on-Windermere promenade and the Old Pump House Coffee Shop
Planning your own week in the Lake District? Make sure you check out our Travelling Tedaldi Amazon Store Travel Guides for all your guidebooks and maps. (We’ve done the hard work for you and linked all the things we used to plan our trip!)
Where to stay in the Lake District?
There’s no right or wrong answer here, it totally depends on what you want to get from your trip to the Lake District. We based ourselves in Kendal just outside of the National Park as it gave us easy access to everywhere we had planned on visiting, but after visiting Ambleside we completely fell in love with the place. It’s fairly central, close to Lake Windermere, and on the doorstep of some great walks.
Check out the map below, Booking.com or Expedia UK for some of the best places to stay in the Lake District.
The best towns and villages you must visit in the Lake District FAQs
When is the best time of year to visit the Lake District?
We visited the Lake District during the winter and although the regular dusting of snow wasn’t showing its face as per usual that time of year, it was a wonderful time to visit. There are far fewer crowds, the scenery has this beautiful crisp feeling, and the bracing weather only means you enjoy a fireside pub lunch even more! Spring and autumn are also great times to go if you want a bit more peace and quiet at the more touristy destinations.
What is the best way to travel to the Lake District?
The easiest, and sometimes cheapest, way to travel to the Lake District is via car. You then have many more options of places to visit during your time in the Lake District as public transport can be quite limiting in some places. You can however take public transport to the Lake District, with the nearest train station situated at Oxenholme which runs to Kendal and Windermere through certain times of the year.
If you want to rent a car for your trip, after arriving in the Lake District via public transport, then check out Rentalcars.com for the best deals.
What is the biggest town in the Lake District?
The biggest towns in the Lake District are Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere, Keswick, and Windermere, but to be honest, they’re less like a typical British town as they are all the perfect size to fully explore in a day each.
What are the main villages in the Lake District?
There are numerous villages in the Lake District that are wonderful to visit, but Hawkshead, Coniston, Grasmere, Rydal, and Glenridding should be top of your list.
What is the most visited village in the Lake District?
Grasmere is one of the most visited villages in the Lake District, with its famous Grasmere Gingerbread and tales of William Wordsworth drawing in the tourists. Plus it has a lovely lakeside walk to the nearby village of Rydal.
What is the prettiest village on Windermere?
Although not technically a village, Ambleside is often noted as being the prettiest village to visit on Lake Windermere, with its quaint high street, numerous outdoor equipment shops, and a rather good apple pie cafe too.
What is the most picturesque village in the Lake District?
In our view, Grasmere is one of the most picturesque villages in the Lake District. With cute cafes and independent shops lining the high street, as well as of course the famous Grasmere Gingerbread Shop!
What is the most visited town in the Lake District?
The most visited town in the Lake District is either Ambleside or Bowness-on-Windermere, but don’t let that put you off visiting. Although they can get quite busy during the summer and winter holidays, they are still wonderful towns in the Lake District to visit.
What is the most visited place in the Lake District?
The most visited place in the Lake District is by far Lake Windermere and the surrounding towns of Ambleside and Bowness-on-Windermere. The hikes at Catbells, Helvellyn, and Scafell Pike are a close second.
How many lakes are in the Lake District?
Although there are sixteen water bodies in the Lake District, there is only officially one lake in the Lake District, Bassenthwaite Lake. All the others are technically classed as meres or tarns.
How far is Keswick from Windermere?
Keswick is roughly a 40-minute drive or 45-minute bus from Windermere. Bowness-on-Windermere is a further 10-minute drive.
Can you fly to the Lake District?
You can’t fly directly to the Lake District. The nearest airports are at Glasgow and Manchester, where you can then hire a car and drive to the Lake District, or take public transport, (train, coach, or bus).
Can you get to Windermere by train?
You can get the train to Windermere, however the main station is roughly a mile and a half away from the lake, so you will either need to catch the local number 599 bus or walk.
How to get from London to Lake District
There are a number of ways to get from London to the Lake District, however, don’t expect them to be quick! It takes roughly 5 hours to drive via the M40 and M6, and a similar time on public transport, (both train and bus with at least two changeovers). You could of course also fly from London up to Manchester or Glasgow, then go from there.
Conclusion: The best towns and villages you must visit in the Lake District
There you have it, our guide to the best towns and villages you must visit in the Lake District. With Keswick, Grasmere, Rydal, Ambleside, and Bowness-on-Windermere making the perfect locations to visit on a road trip through the area. Make sure you grab your Kendal Mint Cake and get a trip to the Lakes on the cards!
Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.
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