Day 2 in the Lake District at Christmas
Day 2 of the ultimate itinerary for 5 days in the Lake District 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 Hellvelyn, one of the most famous mountains in the Lake District. In better weather, Hellvelyn 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’d 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 December 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 over 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.
