Chill out in the Lake District

The Lake District National Park in the north-west of England is the largest of the country's National Parks. Its 2,292 square kilometres cover high fells (mountains), 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 tidepools and thousands of people from around the world visit it every year. Scafell Pike in Eskdale is the highest mountain in the Lake District, at a height of 978 metres (3209 ft). It also contains the deepest and largest lakes in England.

If you are researching or visiting the Lake District, you'll come across several words relating to the local geography which you may not have heard of before. Here's a glossary of some of the most common terms you may hear:

• Fell - a mountain or hill (from Old Norse fjall)


• Tarn - a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. (From Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond)


• Ghyll or Gill - a stream or narrow valley (originates from the Old Norse Gil)


• Force - waterfall


• Beck - a small stream


• Howe - place name from the Old Norse haugr meaning hill, knoll, or mound

In the next two sections, I'll describe my two most favourite places in the Lake District - Grasmere and Coniston. I have stayed in Grasmere several times - 2004, 2005, 2010 and I'll be going back yet again this summer! I stayed in Coniston in summer 2009, and I enjoyed it there too. I still think Grasmere is my favourite place though, as it has so many good walks and scenery nearby.

I have stayed in Grasmere several times over the last few years and have enjoyed it very much. It is one of the most popular villages in the Lake District, and it was also home to William Wordsworth, the famous Lakeland poet. It is a relatively small village, having a population of less than 1000, but at the same time it has the feel of a small town as there are several shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs in the village centre. The village is located on the River Rothay which flows into Lake Grasmere about 0.5 km to the south. The lake itself is relatively small and no motorised boats are allowed (just rowing boats) but this does have the advantage that it's more peaceful.

One of my favourite places to eat in Grasmere is the Cumbria Carvery in the Grasmere Courtyard. The restaurant cooks traditional local dishes including Cumberland Sausage served in a giant Yorkshire pudding. For dessert it is nice to buy an ice cream cornet from the Swarbrick & Dean sweetshop and then take a wander down to the nearby churchyard which overlooks the River Rothay.

Another thing that I always do whenever I stay in Grasmere is to visit the Sarah Nelson Gingerbread shop. This is a small building where they cook and sell gingerbread made to a secret recipe, and it's delicious. The building actually used to be the village school up until the mid-19th century.

There are lots of lovely walks near Grasmere. We normally stay in a holiday cottage in Easedale, which is a tiny hamlet about a mile outside Grasmere village. Easedale is home to a large waterfall known as Sour Milk Ghyll, due to the colour of the water as it crashes down the side of the mountains. If you take a walk up the mountains alongside Sour Milk Ghyll, you will eventually reach a tarn (which is the local name for a lake on top of a mountain) called Easedale Tarn. There is lots of beautiful scenery on this walk, and you will be up high enough to have an aerial view of the village and Grasmere Lake. A pretty stream runs through Easedale and it's also nice to walk alongside this - in fact one of the many tributaries of this stream runs right behind the cottage where we usually stay.

Other good local places to visit in Easedale include Helm Crag, also known as 'The Lion and the Lamb' due to the appearance of the distinctive summit rocks. There is quite a steep ascent in order to get to the top of Helm Crag (I've always found this walk to be more tiring than the Easedale Tarn/Sour Milk Ghyll walk), but it's worth it once you get there as the scenery is stunning.

I've also stayed in Coniston, which is another pretty Lakeland village. It is home to Coniston Water, which is the third largest lake in the Lake District. You can enjoy walks around the lake and the surrounding woodland, or take a boat on the water. The Old Man of Coniston is one of the highest mountains in the area, standing at 803 m (2,634 ft). I didn't actually dare to climb this as it looks very steep, but if you particularly enjoy fell-walking then you'd probably like it.

One of my best memories of my holiday in Coniston was walking from the holiday cottage in Torver (the hamlet just outside Coniston where we stayed), through the woodland to eventually reach Coniston Water. This walk took us about 45 minutes each way and we repeated this several times during the course of our holiday. The woods themselves are full of surprises, including sparkling brooks, mini waterfalls and pretty Mountain Ash trees.

Good places to eat in Coniston village include Harry's Bar and The Crown Inn. Harry's Bar serves a wide range of food and I've always enjoyed eating there. The Crown Inn do a very good Sunday roast. There are also several cafes and tearooms on or near the main street in the village, including the Meadowdore Cafe, who do lovely milkshakes in a variety of flavours!

If you are thinking of visiting the Lake District, here's a sample list of things you could do, on a day by day itinerary basis. I have visited all the places mentioned, so I've tried to remember the best things to do and see at each location.

Day 1
Visit Grasmere and take a walk to Easedale Tarn via Sour Milk Ghyll. It could be a good idea to take a picnic for lunch, so you can eat by the lakeshore when you reach the top of the fell.
Once you've completed that walk, you could wander round Grasmere village centre, and in the evening you could enjoy a meal at the Cumbria Carvery, followed by an ice cream from the nearby Swarbrick & Dean sweetshop.

Day 2
Starting from Rydal Hall, you can complete the Rydal "coffin walk". You can read more about this walk here The reason it is called the coffin walk is because it dates back to a period when Ambleside did not have a church of its own and coffins were carried across the hill to St Oswald's church in Grasmere. In spite of the grim-sounding name, it is a lovely walk and you get to see Rydal water and even a cave. The first part of the walk is all uphill and can be a bit tiring, but after that it's more level and the scenery is very good.
Once you've completed the circular walk round the lake, you can stop off at the Rydal Hall cafe for refreshments. The gardens around the hall are very nice too, and there is a large waterfall within the grounds.

Day 3
You could spend the day in Coniston. Hire a motor boat and explore the lake, or take a walk along the lakeshore. Later in the day, you could have a meal at the Harry's restaurant in Coniston village centre.

Day 4
You could visit Aira Force for the day. This site explains some of the walks that you can do. Apart from Aira Force itself, there are several other smaller waterfalls on the route, set amongst lots of woodland.

Day 5
From Ambleside, take a boat trip on Lake Windemere. On your return, you could visit Lucy's Restaurant in Ambleside town centre for lunch. In the afternoon, you could visit the Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole, where you can learn more about the local geography and geology. You can walk in the Brockhole gardens and walk along the side of the lake.

Day 6
Visit the Kirkstone Pass Inn, which is the highest pub in Lakeland and is allegedly haunted. They do good meals too. Then you could visit Dalemain Hall and Gardens in Ullswater for the afternoon.

Day 7
Take a visit to Levens Hall and Gardens near Kendal. The gardens are famous for their topiary and the hall is one of the most popular stately homes in Cumbria. If you have any time left over in the afternoon, you can visit Grasmere and hire a rowing boat from the Faeryland Grasmere teagarden. You can spend an hour on the lake then return for a tea/coffee and piece of cake at the teagarden.

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