Ambleside. Central Buildings, Market Cross. LA22 9BS.  Tel: 015394 32582

Bowness on Windermere. Glebe Road, Bowness Bay. LA23 3HJ.  Tel: 015394  42895

Hawkshead. Main St, LA22 ONS T: 015394 36946 / F: 015394 3694

Carlisle. Green Market. CA3 8JH.  Tel:  01228  512444

Keswick. Moot Hall, Market Square. CA12 5JR. Tel: 017687 72645

Windermere. Victoria Street, LA23 1AD. Tel: 015394 46499

Hotels in Cumbria & the Lake District

 

Travel:

Come by car. By the M6 it's the easiest of routes. Take J36 and you're there. Coming from the east then the A66 from Scotch Corner is for you.

 

Come by coach: National Express run services to Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Barrow and Ulverston. 08705 808080.

Local buses: StageCoach run services in Cumbria 01946 63222

 

Come by rail: Kendal and Oxenholme are the closest stations for the Lake District. Lancaster is not so far away. There is a branch line connecting Oxenholme with Kendal and Windermere.

National Rail - 08457 48 49 50

The Settle to Carlisle Railway runs fairly close by at Dent and Garsdale a bit further east.

Come by air: Indirectly you have Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds airports. If you arrive at Manchester then the airport has a station that runs direct trains to Windermere and Barrow.

For travel in all modes try Traveline Cumbria - 0870 608 2608

You can also get around by boat or ferry. A car ferry operates a shuttle service between Bowness on Windermere and Far Sawrey
 

Lake District Weather Service: Tel: 017687 75757

Hill Top & Beatrix Potter  It is over a century since Beatrix Potter's purchase of Hill Top at Near Sawrey not far from Hawkshead.  Beatrix Potter wrote many of her famous children’s stories in this charming little house drawing inspiration from the countryside surrounding her. You may well recognise items from her books as you tour the cottage.
 

National Trust in the Lake District  The National Trust is responsible for the conservation and management of approximately one quarter of the Lake District National Park, including England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, her deepest lake, Wastwater, and over 90 farms. Almost all of the central fell area and major valley heads are owned or leased by the Trust, together with 24 lakes and tarns... National Trust Information Centres: Tel: 015395 31273

English Heritage   - in Cumbria - Furness Abbey, Ambleside Roman Fort and more.
 

RSPB Bird watching in the Lake District
                                                                

The Lake District National Park in the north-west of England is the largest of England’s National Parks. Its 2,292 square kilometres cover high fells, lush green dales, still lakes, vibrant villages and quiet hamlets. The National Park also includes part of the West Coast, with sandy beaches and rocky tidal pools

National Park Information Centre Keswick: Tel: 017687 72803

Keswick Plus  - news, local and tourist information about Keswick-on-Derwentwater in the heart of the English Lake District, brought to you by the Keswick on Derwentwater Tourism Association.

The Wordsworth Trust exists to be a living memorial to the life and poetry of William Wordsworth.... Dove Cottage was the home of William Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808, the years of his supreme work as a poet. The cottage is located in the hamlet of Town End, Grasmere, a place and a landscape at the centre of the English Lake District where the poet lived, wrote and found inspiration.

Coniston snuggles under The Old Man of Coniston. A popular venue for walkers and climbers. You will find the Victorian philosopher John Ruskin's grave in St Andrew's graveyard. His grave is marked with a carved cross made from the local quarry at Tilberthwaite.

Coniston Water is 5 miles long. It is said that Arthur Ransome based 'Swallows and Amazons' on Coniston Water. Donald Campbell attempted to better his water speed record of 300mph on Coniston Water - he died doing this in January 1967 in the Bluebird. You can see more information on this if you visit Holker Hall (see below). You can take a trip on Coniston Water the Steam Yacht Gondola. Phone 01539 441288

Windermere is 12 miles long. Bowness on Windermere is a thriving resort and bustling with boats You can get a cruise on Lake Windermere which will call at Waterhead (about a mile from Ambleside which is the north end of Windermere Lake), Bowness (central) and Lakeside which is is at the south end of Windermere Lake.

	Hawkshead. At the head of Esthwaite Water
A charming little village in the heart of Lake District Country known equally well for its literary connections of William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. The Old Grammar School in Hawkshead retains many old desks covered in carving done by the pupils including William Wordsworth and his brother John. You can view the headmaster's study and a classroom which contains an exhibition relating to the history of the school. Hawkshead is just a hop-skip-and-jump from Tarn Hows.

Tarn Hows.  Forty years ago one could walk round Tarn Hows on a Sunday afternoon and not see another soul, now it is one of the most visited of the lakes. The walk around it is accessible - about one and a half miles. Beatrix Potter bought it as part of the Monk Coniston Estate in 1930 and eventually sold it to the National Trust. Tarn Hows is just 2 miles from Coniston.

Alston. The highest market town in England. With its steep cobbled street and distinctive market cross it is a pleasure to visit this old town, some of dating back to the 17th century.

More links to Lake District & Cumbria related sites:

Blackwell Arts & Crafts House. For art lovers whether historical or contemporary.

Ravenglass Railway  Seven miles of pure enjoyment for adults and kids alike.

The Lakes Pencil Museum: Interesting and informative journey through the history of pencil making

Keswick Launch Company Launches, walks, activities, organised tours or not:  

The Theatre by the Lake  at Keswick

Holker Hall.  Lakeland Motor Museum and Award Winning Gardens

Levens Hall & Gardens. Levens Hall has won two prestigious awards from Cumbria in Bloom.

Destination Cumbria - Lake District Activity Information and Booking Specialists. If you are planning on doing anything they can tell you when, where and how much