Day 2: Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick and Ullswater
Day 2 of the ultimate itinerary for visiting the Lake District in winter includes more beautiful lakes and mountain views, and also a visit to one of the main towns in the area.
Castlerigg Stone Circle
Castlerigg Stone Circle is a fascinating historical site in the Lake District. It’s also a great place for mountain views. The stone circle is quite easily accessible – just a short drive from the main A66 road. It’s well sign-posted from the main road. The road towards it is slightly steep and narrow, but you’ll get there in just a few minutes. There’s parking along the side of the road just opposite the gate that leads to the stone circle. It’s free to park and free to enter the stone circle.
Castlerigg Stone Circle dates back to around 3000BC, and is one of the earliest stone circles in the country. The stones are well preserved. It really made me think about the lives of people who lived here 3000 years ago, and how on earth they managed to moves the stones this big in such an isolated and remote area. It’s a fascinating piece of history and really interesting to explore.
The views from Castlerigg Stone Circle are amazing as well. You can get views across to Helvellyn, one of the most famous mountains in the Lake District. In better weather, Helvellyn is a fantastic and challenging mountain hike.
All around the stone circle, there were beautiful views. And sheep lived up here too, in the cold and remote landscape.
Keswick
After exploring Castlerigg Stone Circle, I recommend heading into the nearby town of Keswick for some lunch. It’s a great chance to warm up a bit as well, as the stone circle can be quite exposed and windy!
Keswick has a great variety of pubs and tea rooms, so you’ll have a good choice of places to go for lunch. You can park in the central car park and then walk into the town. I’d recommend a pub called The Dog and Gun for traditional British pub food in a warm, cosy environment. Keswick also sometimes has a market in the town, which can be nice to browse and wander around.
Ullswater
Ullswater is another of the most picturesque lakes in the Lake District National Park. It’s definitely one of my favourites. I visited Ullswater in the late afternoon, when the sun was just starting to dip behind the mountains. Daylight hours are short in the winter in the Lake District, so it’s easy to visit places for sunset when the sun is starting to dip.
The cold, still evening air gave a great opportunity for photos of the reflections of the mountains in the lake. There are several car parks around the lake. I parked in the Glencoyne Bay car park, which was just the other side of the road from the lake. You could cross the road then walk down onto a pebbly beach with stunning views across the lake.
I loved seeing the colours on the tops of the mountains change as the sun dipped.
The drive back was beautiful as well in the evening light. All around the roads were stunning views of the mountains with the orange sunset glow behind.
Day 3: Lake Windermere and the Beatrix Potter Attraction
My third day in the Lake District in winter was a bit more cloudy with more fresh snow. After spending my first two days towards the north of the Lake District National Park, I spent my third day further south, around Lake Windermere.
Lake Windermere boat trip
Windermere is the largest lake in the Lake District. It’s a great place for a boat trip, and luckily the boats here run all year round. So you’ll be able to take a boat trip on Lake Windermere on your winter visit to the Lake District. Check out the timetable here. There’s also the option to hire small boats yourself – I thought it was a bit cold during my visit to try that, but I’m sure in warmer weather it would be lovely.
I took the boat from Ambleside pier, at the far north of Lake Windermere. The area around the pier is really pretty, and a great place for photos while you wait for the boat.
The boat cruises are really comfortable and a great way to see the lake. You can sit downstairs on the boats, which is fairly warm. There’s an outside area on the boats as well which is great for photos, but usually a bit too cold to sit outside in the winter.
The boats have an interesting commentary from the skipper, pointing out all the interesting sights along the lake. There’s also a cafe on board so you can buy yourself a warm drink to sip while looking out at the wintery landscape.
The boat takes about 45 minutes to reach Bowness-on-Windermere. It’s about halfway down Lake Windermere and a great place to stop off for a few hours.
Bowness-on-Windermere and Beatrix Potter Attraction
Bowness-on-Windermere is another of the slightly larger towns in the Lake District. It’s still not big, but there’s plenty here for a few hours. There are lots of places in the town for lunch, so you’ll have plenty of choice.
The highlight for me in Bowness-on-Windermere was The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. Check out the opening times here. It’s a really fun attraction, and you can immerse yourself in the world of Peter Rabbit and all his friends.
I loved reading the Beatrix Potter books as a child – Peter Rabbit was my favourite, but I also loved Mrs Tiggywinkle and Benjamin Bunny. Even if you’re not familiar with the Beatrix Potter books, it’s worth reading a bit about her life and works as it’s such a big part of the Lake District. Beatrix Potter lived and wrote many of her most famous works here and I loved immersing myself in her world and fondly remembering the beautiful stories.
After you’ve explored Bowness-on-Windermere and the Beatrix Potter Attraction, you can take the boat back up to the Ambleside pier. You can get the round-trip ticket from Ambleside so you can already have the return ticket, but make sure you take note of the return trip boat times to make sure you don’t miss the last boat back.
Keep reading on the next page for days 4 and 5 of your winter itinerary in the Lake District.