Time in the Lake District

Having family in the Lake District means that we make occasional visits to this part of the country. One such visit has become an annual family get together - the Keswick Mountain Festival in late May. For the last three years, we've been asked to do a talk there and have loved the opportunity to attend a festival that promotes adventure in such an idyllic setting.

Rather than just arrange a weekend in the Lake District, this time we tagged on some time before and afterwards, spending a few days at the Kendal Caravan Club site and Coniston Coppice Park. Both of these sites are nestled in the middle of National Trust property, surrounded by woodland.

The Kendal Caravan Club site was our first port of call. This site is enormous with pitches located in little cul-de-sacs and lanes throughout, across bridges and some overlook the remains of the 19th centure gunpowder mill. Although named the Kendal site it is about 5 miles from Kendal itself and is located down a country lane that borders a river. There are lots of lovely walks from the site but transport is a necessity to explore further afield. 

After leaving Kendal we then spent a couple of nights in the car park near Derwent water in Keswick. Parked up alongside other motorhomes, we didn't have the Caravan Club luxuries but it gave us quick and easy access to the festival. Stalls and events took place on the banks of Derwent Water near Theatre by the Lake. In front of us was Catbells (which can be accessed by ferry from the jetty near the Theatre and is a great easy family walk) and behind us was Skiddaw and Latrigg. 

As the festival drew to a close on the Sunday afternoon, we drove on to Coniston Park Coppice, down some windy Lake District roads. A large motorhome is not the easiest thing to manoeuvre so speed was not of the essence. Others do not agree and annoyingly a speeding BMW 4x4 clipped our wing mirror. 

The Coniston Park Coppice site is another beautiful location, set in National Trust woodland and a short stroll from the lake. It is also a large site and we picked a pitch right at the bottom (near the lake). The weather was glorious and we made the most of it by spending lots of time in the outdoors:

The village of Coniston is only a couple of miles away. There you can find a selection of pubs and shops including a coop and spa. It is a really pleasant walk or cycle along a bridleway by the lake from the site. In the other direction is Torvey, also with a good selection of pubs. 

This well known peak (803m) overlooks the lake and is not far from the site so a great day out for walking. Rather than climb the conventional and more popular route up, we walked down Walna Scar road and round Dow Crag before reaching the summit of Old Man Coniston. We were rewarded with amazing views of the lake and nearby coastline before heading down the more popular route and back to the site.

Okay so this isn't the easiest place to get to from the site but it is rewarding walk to fit in whilst in the area and why not bag the tallest mountain in England? We met up with my uncle, a keen walker that has climbed all the Wainwrights, and after parking near Wasedale Head took a route up via Piers Gill up to the top of Scafell Pike. I know the Lake District has a reputation for being wet but, once again, the sun was shining down on us and we were rewarded with stunning views from the top. After a three hour climb, we descended quickly and bumped into a camera crew from ITV Countrywise heading up to film Ben Fogle and Joss Naylor (veteran fell runner - now in his 80s).

We chose to leave the walking boots behind for the day and opted for a nearby bike ride. After cycling along the lake through Coniston, the bridle path continues all the way to Tarn Hows, a National Trust site. It is only about 5 miles away but be warned the stretch through the woods is steep and you might need to push your bike up certain parts (unless you're super fit!).

There is a car park at Tarn Hows and an ice cream van was ideally placed as we arrived. Leaving the bikes locked up, we wandered around the area, by the lake and through the woods. You can make this walk as long or as short as you wish.

 

Our time in the Lakes was fantastic. I think I have fallen in love with the area again. We were lucky to have amazing weather and were able to appreciate beautiful mixture of woodlands, lakes, streams and mountains. I'm not sure we can wait until next May to return again!