Lake District Rambles

Day 1: Manchester to Grasmere
Rendezvous at 11:00 am at Manchester Airport, followed by a group transfer to our hotel in Grasmere, in the heart of the Lake District. A popular walking center, Grasmere has long attracted artists and writers, most notably William Wordsworth. The village of shops and galleries sits at the edge of a small lake surrounded by high fells. Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage is here, and he is buried in the churchyard of St. Oswald’s Church.

We stay at a traditional English hotel surrounded by fields and fells. After settling in, we have time for lunch in town before walking to the Wordsworth Trust for a tour of Dove Cottage and a visit to the Wordsworth Museum.

Time: 30 minutes

Days 2 & 3: Hikes around Grasmere
There are many walking options in and around Grasmere. Each day we offer guided walks geared to the interests and abilities of the group, with time to relax at the hotel and explore the shops and galleries of Grasmere. Hiking options may include:

Easedale Tarn: The walk up to Easedale Tarn is a classic Lake District walk. We follow the valley of Easedale, skirting the cascading water of Sour Milk Gyll, and climb to the mountain lake, set in a crescent of craggy fells.

Elevation gain: 470′, Elevation loss: 470′, Distance: 4.5 miles; Time: 4 hours

Grasmere to Rydal: Also known as Wordsworth’s Walk, this circular route links two of Wordsworth’s homes, Dove Cottage in Grasmere and Rydal Mount in Rydal, and circles both Grasmere and Rydal Water. We first follow the old Coffin Route on the north side of Rydal Water, pass Rydal Mount and Rydal Hall, then loop back to Grasmere past the Loughrigg caves and along the southern shore of Grasmere.

Elevation gain: 950′, Elevation loss: 950′, Distance: 6 miles; Time: 3–4 hours

Day 4: Transfer and walk to Derwentwater
After breakfast, we transfer a little farther north to Castlerigg. Our walk takes us first to Castlerigg Stone Circle, on an open plain just east of Keswick. Raised four or five thousand years ago, it is thought to be one of the oldest stone circles in Britain. From the circle we head across to our hotel on the shore of Derwentwater, possibly over Walla Crag and down to the dry-stone packhorse bridge at Ashness.

Surrounded by fells, Derwentwater has been called the “Queen of the Lakes,” and it’s our home for the next three nights.

Elevation gain: 600′, Elevation loss: 1,100′, Distance: 6 miles; Time: 3–4 hours

Days 5 & 6: Hikes around Derwentwater
Each day we offer guided walks geared to the interests and abilities of the group, with time to relax at the hotel and explore Keswick. If the timing works, we may catch one of the Keswick launches for a boat ride into town. This old market town sits between the north end of Derwentwater and the Skiddaw fells and is home to the Puzzling Place and the Pencil Museum. Hiking options may include:

Western shore of Derwentwater: From our hotel at the south end of the lake, we walk the western shore, then double back and climb a little to traverse Catbells Terrace, with views across the lake and beyond, ending back at the hotel.

Elevation gain: 643′, Elevation loss: 643′, Distance: 7 miles; Time: 3–4 hours

Watendlath and the Borrowdale Valley: From the hotel, we follow Watendlath Beck uphill through woodland to Lodore Falls, then on to the tarn and hamlet of Watendlath, before descending into the Borrowdale valley. We finish at Seatoller and take the local bus back to the hotel.

Elevation gain: 950′, Elevation loss: 800′, Distance: 5 miles; Time: 3–4 hours

Day 7: Transfer to Ullswater: Aira Force and Gowbarrow Fell
After a short transfer to the shore of Ullswater at Aira Point, where Wordsworth saw his daffodils, we follow the path up beside Aira Force waterfall, then climb the fellside to Airy Crag for views along the length of Ullswater. The path circles Gowbarrow Fell before descending back to Aira Point, and from there we transfer to our hotel in Glenridding.

Elevation gain: 1,000′, Elevation loss: 1,000′, Distance: 5 miles; Time: 4 hours

Day 8: Ullswater Way: Pooley Bridge to Howtown
We transfer to the north end of Ullswater and pick up the Ullswater Way as it climbs onto Moor Divock, with its stone circle and Roman road. From here we descend to the shore of Ullswater, with the option to climb Hallin Fell, before catching the ferry back to Glenridding and our hotel.

Shorter walk: Elevation gain: 900′, Elevation loss: 900′, Distance: 6.5 miles; Time: 4.5 hours
Longer walk with Hallin Fell: Elevation gain: 1,400′, Elevation loss: 1,000′, Distance: 7.5 miles; Time: 5.5 hours

Day 9: Departure
After breakfast, we transfer about 40 minutes to Penrith train station. The 10:00 am train reaches Manchester by 12:15 pm, so book return flights after 3:00 pm, or spend the night in Manchester and fly out the next day.

Note: There are many walking options in each of our three bases. Our guide chooses each day’s walk to suit the group and the weather. And as always, this itinerary is subject to change.

Elevation gains and losses refer to the total number of feet ascended and descended in any given day. Time refers to the actual number of hours hiked, not including rest stops. Both are only our best estimates.