A driving tour of the Lake District
One of the best ways to explore the Lake District is to drive around the many picturesque towns, villages and lakes to make the most of this beautiful part of England.
Picture the scene: waves lap gently at the rocky shore of the lake, and in the background the rugged sweep of the Coniston Fells, from the Old Man himself right round to Wetherlam, is seen in perfect proportion. Far from being an example of the peace and quiet which only a good tramp in the fells can bring, this is a description of the view confronting a motorist parked in the pleasant woodland car parks south of Brantwood on the east shore of Coniston Water.
For the truth is that the Lake District is the most accessible of areas, happy to reveal most (though certainly, and quite rightly, not all) of its charms to the most casual of visitors. It is almost as if the place recognises that there are those without the ability, energy or time to explore in minute detail.
Lake District accommodation
If you plan to drive around the Lake District, there is no better place to use as a base than Windermere in the central lakes. Windermere boasts a range of boutique hotels, small hotels and romantic hotels which suit all tastes and budgets. Bowness-on-Windermere is also a perfect place to stay if you are looking for a guesthouse, boutique hotel or five-star luxury accommodation, and is close to the main attractions in the Lake District
Places to see in the Lake District
There are five motor tours to whet the appetite of those confined to car or coach. Keswick, Borrowdale and the North-west This is a short and straightforward route which includes the majority of Borrowdale, the awkward but highly scenic Honister Pass, delectable Buttermere and the forests around Whinlatter Pass. Leave Keswick along the B5289, passing on the left Castle Head, a volcanic outcrop which now forms a natural viewing platform of such quality that John Ruskin was moved to describe the scene, including Derwentwater and the north western fells, as 'one of the three or four most beautiful views in Europe'.
To the right is Friar's Crag, another celebrated viewpoint, and a series of little bays looking across to Lord's Island and Derwent Isle, two of the islands formed on the underwater ribs of rock which run the length of the lake. The Radcliffe family, founders of Keswick in the thirteenth century, built their manor house on Lord's Island, while Derwent Isle was the site chosen by the sixteenth-century German miners for their 'colony'.
Borrowdale and Derwentwater
The Borrowdale road next passes through Great Wood, the shore of Derwentwater very close but only occasionally glimpsed the narrow road to the spectacularly pretty hamlet of Watendlath leaves to the left and after leaving the lake behind runs below the Lodore Falls, a 12m (40ft) cascade which needs heavy recent rain to look its best, and Shepherd's Crag, where rock climbers may well be at work, to Grangein Borrowdale, originally the site of an outlying monastic farm but now best known for its doublearched bridge over the River Derwent. Further south the valley sides begin to press in as the Jaws of Borrowdale are approached.
Ahead to the right is Castle Crag, separated from the fellside above by an ice overflow channel and colonised by hillfort builders in Romano British times; to the left, at a much lower level, lies the remarkable sight of the Bowder Stone, a 2,000 ton boulder which is the best-known glacial erratic (a boulder transported by ice away from the site where it outcropped) in the Lake District.
The upper Borrowdale valley opens out around Rosthwaite, a pleasant hamlet sited on a little rocky platform. The flat valley floor here was the site of a former lake and is still subject to occasional flooding. To the left is a charming view along the side valley containing Stonethwaite, with the rocky bastion of Eagle Crag dominating the scene. The road along Borrowdale continues to the right, however, to the hamlet of Seatoller, originally the Norsemen's 'summer dwelling by the alder tree' but growing somewhat later with the construction of quarrymen's cottages as Honister quarries expanded.
Seathwaite
A lane here leads further into the head of Borrowdale, ending at Seathwaite, notorious as the wettest place in England and the starting point for the vastly popular walkers' route over Sty Head to Wasdale or to Scafell Pike, but the main road now begins. to climb steeply up to the Honister Pass, its summit a scene of some devastation with slate waste and old quarry buildings. Nevertheless this is the site of historic and visually impressive slate quarries and also offers the chance to take in mountain scenery of some distinction.
The mountain scene improves still further on the descent from Honister into the Buttermere valley; here the road is hemmed in between the flanks of Fleetwith Pike and Dale Head, but there are magnificent views ahead of the High Stile ridge beyond the still waters of Buttermere. It is worth stopping at Gatesgarth Farm to survey the scene, from the end on view of Fleetwith Pike's main ridge through the depths of Warnscale Bottom and the rugged, complex outline of Haystacks, a favourite fell of many, to the High Stile ridge itself.
Hotel breaks in the Lake District
If you are planning a hotel break in the Lake District, there are plenty of special deals, offers and mid-week promotions at hotels in Windermere and Bowness, which are situated close to some of the best places to visit in the Lake District. Wherever you decide to stay in the Lake District, look out for cheap hotel rates in romantic hotels and guesthouses throughout the area.
High Crag and the Grasmoor Fells
High Crag, attacked by many via the Scarth Gap Pass and the rivers of scree around Gamlin End, but much more rewarding when tackled from Birkness Comb, a fine corrie basin ringed by crags; High Stile, highest of the three and with a wonderful prospect of the Grasmoor fells; and Red Pike, perched above Bleaberry Tarn and easily picked out from the red screes on its flanks.
The northeastern side of the valley is less exciting, with the lower slopes of Robinson, a mountain of great bulk but little finesse, blocking out the view. At the far end of the lake the village of Buttermere, with its inns and ice cream, caters almost exclusively for visitors, though there is a tiny dale chapel, a post office and a cluster of farms. The alluvial flats beyond the village were once under water, but deposition of material from Sail Beck and Sour Milk Gill has separated Buttermere from Crummock Water, whose highest reaches are now some distance below the village but are quickly brought into view.
Scale Force the Lake District
Opposite Hause Point the track up to Floutern Tarn and Scale Force, at 50m (l70ft) the biggest waterfall in the district, can be picked out, while Rannerdale Farm, a little further along the road, is a reminder of the former hamlet of Rannerdale, which had its own chapel in medieval times but was deserted by the eighteenth century. By the time the parking area at Lanthwaite Green is reached the impressively steep western slopes of Grasmoor focus the attention; there is a direct way up Grasmoor End from here, but it is backbreaking work and most of those who stop here will keep to the level paths among the bracken on Lanthwaite Green itself.
The route is reasonably clear as far as the village of Lorton two settlements really, High and Low, which were formerly dependent on water mills sited on the River Cocker and its tributaries. Turn right to go through High Lorton onto the B5292, which climbs steadily to reach the summit of Whinlatter Pass. Near Scaw Gill there is an excellent view ofthe conical summit of Grisedale Pike and, connecting it to the equally shapely Hopegill Head, the crumbling cliff of Hobcarton Crag, treacherously steep and fragile but an important haven for plant life. Even here the conifers have encroached on the lower slopes, and the road soon plunges into the Forestry Commission's Thornthwaite Forest, not so gloomy now that felling has commenced but still forming a green blanket snuffing out the views.
At the top of the pass a visitor centre dispenses information and mugs of tea and is the focus for several forest trails. On the descent to the workaday village of Braithwaite the views suddenly open out, with Skiddaw very prominent across Bassenthwaite Lake. The end of the tour is now close at hand, with two right turns to be made, onto the A66 past Portinscale and then onto the B5289 into Keswick.
Picture the scene: waves lap gently at the rocky shore of the lake, and in the background the rugged sweep of the Coniston Fells, from the Old Man himself right round to Wetherlam, is seen in perfect proportion. Far from being an example of the peace and quiet which only a good tramp in the fells can bring, this is a description of the view confronting a motorist parked in the pleasant woodland car parks south of Brantwood on the east shore of Coniston Water.
For the truth is that the Lake District is the most accessible of areas, happy to reveal most (though certainly, and quite rightly, not all) of its charms to the most casual of visitors. It is almost as if the place recognises that there are those without the ability, energy or time to explore in minute detail.
Lake District accommodation
If you plan to drive around the Lake District, there is no better place to use as a base than Windermere in the central lakes. Windermere boasts a range of boutique hotels, small hotels and romantic hotels which suit all tastes and budgets. Bowness-on-Windermere is also a perfect place to stay if you are looking for a guesthouse, boutique hotel or five-star luxury accommodation, and is close to the main attractions in the Lake District
Places to see in the Lake District
There are five motor tours to whet the appetite of those confined to car or coach. Keswick, Borrowdale and the North-west This is a short and straightforward route which includes the majority of Borrowdale, the awkward but highly scenic Honister Pass, delectable Buttermere and the forests around Whinlatter Pass. Leave Keswick along the B5289, passing on the left Castle Head, a volcanic outcrop which now forms a natural viewing platform of such quality that John Ruskin was moved to describe the scene, including Derwentwater and the north western fells, as 'one of the three or four most beautiful views in Europe'.
To the right is Friar's Crag, another celebrated viewpoint, and a series of little bays looking across to Lord's Island and Derwent Isle, two of the islands formed on the underwater ribs of rock which run the length of the lake. The Radcliffe family, founders of Keswick in the thirteenth century, built their manor house on Lord's Island, while Derwent Isle was the site chosen by the sixteenth-century German miners for their 'colony'.
Borrowdale and Derwentwater
The Borrowdale road next passes through Great Wood, the shore of Derwentwater very close but only occasionally glimpsed the narrow road to the spectacularly pretty hamlet of Watendlath leaves to the left and after leaving the lake behind runs below the Lodore Falls, a 12m (40ft) cascade which needs heavy recent rain to look its best, and Shepherd's Crag, where rock climbers may well be at work, to Grangein Borrowdale, originally the site of an outlying monastic farm but now best known for its doublearched bridge over the River Derwent. Further south the valley sides begin to press in as the Jaws of Borrowdale are approached.
Ahead to the right is Castle Crag, separated from the fellside above by an ice overflow channel and colonised by hillfort builders in Romano British times; to the left, at a much lower level, lies the remarkable sight of the Bowder Stone, a 2,000 ton boulder which is the best-known glacial erratic (a boulder transported by ice away from the site where it outcropped) in the Lake District.
The upper Borrowdale valley opens out around Rosthwaite, a pleasant hamlet sited on a little rocky platform. The flat valley floor here was the site of a former lake and is still subject to occasional flooding. To the left is a charming view along the side valley containing Stonethwaite, with the rocky bastion of Eagle Crag dominating the scene. The road along Borrowdale continues to the right, however, to the hamlet of Seatoller, originally the Norsemen's 'summer dwelling by the alder tree' but growing somewhat later with the construction of quarrymen's cottages as Honister quarries expanded.
Seathwaite
A lane here leads further into the head of Borrowdale, ending at Seathwaite, notorious as the wettest place in England and the starting point for the vastly popular walkers' route over Sty Head to Wasdale or to Scafell Pike, but the main road now begins. to climb steeply up to the Honister Pass, its summit a scene of some devastation with slate waste and old quarry buildings. Nevertheless this is the site of historic and visually impressive slate quarries and also offers the chance to take in mountain scenery of some distinction.
The mountain scene improves still further on the descent from Honister into the Buttermere valley; here the road is hemmed in between the flanks of Fleetwith Pike and Dale Head, but there are magnificent views ahead of the High Stile ridge beyond the still waters of Buttermere. It is worth stopping at Gatesgarth Farm to survey the scene, from the end on view of Fleetwith Pike's main ridge through the depths of Warnscale Bottom and the rugged, complex outline of Haystacks, a favourite fell of many, to the High Stile ridge itself.
Hotel breaks in the Lake District
If you are planning a hotel break in the Lake District, there are plenty of special deals, offers and mid-week promotions at hotels in Windermere and Bowness, which are situated close to some of the best places to visit in the Lake District. Wherever you decide to stay in the Lake District, look out for cheap hotel rates in romantic hotels and guesthouses throughout the area.
High Crag and the Grasmoor Fells
High Crag, attacked by many via the Scarth Gap Pass and the rivers of scree around Gamlin End, but much more rewarding when tackled from Birkness Comb, a fine corrie basin ringed by crags; High Stile, highest of the three and with a wonderful prospect of the Grasmoor fells; and Red Pike, perched above Bleaberry Tarn and easily picked out from the red screes on its flanks.
The northeastern side of the valley is less exciting, with the lower slopes of Robinson, a mountain of great bulk but little finesse, blocking out the view. At the far end of the lake the village of Buttermere, with its inns and ice cream, caters almost exclusively for visitors, though there is a tiny dale chapel, a post office and a cluster of farms. The alluvial flats beyond the village were once under water, but deposition of material from Sail Beck and Sour Milk Gill has separated Buttermere from Crummock Water, whose highest reaches are now some distance below the village but are quickly brought into view.
Scale Force the Lake District
Opposite Hause Point the track up to Floutern Tarn and Scale Force, at 50m (l70ft) the biggest waterfall in the district, can be picked out, while Rannerdale Farm, a little further along the road, is a reminder of the former hamlet of Rannerdale, which had its own chapel in medieval times but was deserted by the eighteenth century. By the time the parking area at Lanthwaite Green is reached the impressively steep western slopes of Grasmoor focus the attention; there is a direct way up Grasmoor End from here, but it is backbreaking work and most of those who stop here will keep to the level paths among the bracken on Lanthwaite Green itself.
The route is reasonably clear as far as the village of Lorton two settlements really, High and Low, which were formerly dependent on water mills sited on the River Cocker and its tributaries. Turn right to go through High Lorton onto the B5292, which climbs steadily to reach the summit of Whinlatter Pass. Near Scaw Gill there is an excellent view ofthe conical summit of Grisedale Pike and, connecting it to the equally shapely Hopegill Head, the crumbling cliff of Hobcarton Crag, treacherously steep and fragile but an important haven for plant life. Even here the conifers have encroached on the lower slopes, and the road soon plunges into the Forestry Commission's Thornthwaite Forest, not so gloomy now that felling has commenced but still forming a green blanket snuffing out the views.
At the top of the pass a visitor centre dispenses information and mugs of tea and is the focus for several forest trails. On the descent to the workaday village of Braithwaite the views suddenly open out, with Skiddaw very prominent across Bassenthwaite Lake. The end of the tour is now close at hand, with two right turns to be made, onto the A66 past Portinscale and then onto the B5289 into Keswick.
Labels: Hotel
posted by Windermere Boutique Hotels | 23:50
1 Comments:
Bowness-on-Windermere is also a perfect place to stay if you are looking for a guesthouse, boutique hotel or five-star luxury accommodation.
Windermere hotel bed and breakfast
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