We took a road trip for the first time in our VW Campervan of The Lakes and the route was perfect for a week trip so we thought we would write it down and share.
We definitely could’ve stayed longer, and easily done 2 weeks so this route could be easily adapted. You could go clockwise or anti-clockwise and of course don’t have to go back to where you started, simply head home or to wherever next afterwards!
For this trip we went anti-clockwise so will detail the trip in this order too!
Great Langdale
Bays Brown Farm Campsite is on the edge of Elterwater & is where we chose to base ourselves. This campsite is first come first serve so no need to book. However, there are plenty of campsites in this area to choose from. However, the village of Elterwater was really nice and had 2 pubs to choose from and a small village store too.
This was a great place to kick off our trip in The Lakes as we wanted to walk Old Man of Coniston. It wasn’t a very long drive to Coniston where we started the walk from.
There were also plenty of walks from the campsite itself, and a chance to tick off more Wainrights!! We were also told that the Cathedral Cave is worth a visit.
We also loved being near Ambleside which had lots of places to eat and drink, highly recommend the Ambleside TapYard for great beers and delicious pizza and the cute pub opposite, which is in the same chain. The Apple Pie Cafe & Bakery was also delicious, we got some sweet treats before a walk from here and they went down a treat!
You are also close to Windermere if you fancy visiting the popular town and lake.
Great Langdale to Keswick
The next stop on the route is Keswick but of course there is lots to do on route. We wanted to see Rydal Caves so popped here on route, and also ticked off another Wainright. We loved Rydal Caves and it was a great place for some cool pictures – but get here early to avoid the crowds! North of Grasmere are plenty more Wainrights to ‘bag’ so take your pick of another route and get your walking boots on!
You could also visit Grasmere on route (we didn’t, but we want to in the future).
Keswick
We stayed in an awful campsite that shall not be named, south of Keswick. As we had booked and pre-paid we had to stay here. However there were SO many campsites in this area that this probably wasn’t necessary and we would’ve been okay turning up at one.
Despite the awful campsite we loved Keswick! Keswick has been awarded the ‘Most Dog-Friendly Town’ in Britain by the Kennel Club three years in a row in their ‘Be Dog Friendly’ awards and we can totally see why!!! Beau was so welcome here and invited into every shop and given lots of treats. In Keswick we visited the Keswick Brewery, Fox Tap which we definitely recommend. We also visit the Dog & Gun as this was recommended to us and now we are recommending it to you – another great find!
There are plenty of great places to visit from this part of The Lakes. If you are feeling brave you could climb Helvellyn & Striding Edge (one for next time for us, when the dog is older!).
You can visit Ullswater and Aria Force Waterfall or go on a boat trip. There are also plenty of Wainrights here to bag. You could also visit Buttermere, but we sadly didn’t have time this trip.
We chose to climb Catbells with stunning views of Keswick and did a fabulous short walk as the weather was due to snow. This short walk was only 5.6km but we both agreed it was ideal for dogs and families due to the great paths. We headed along the river first, then up to the peak before heading back down. If you use AllTrails the walk is called Catbells via Allerdale Ramble.
Keswick to Wasdale
We headed from Keswick with a longer drive to our campsite at the base of Scafell. We actually stopped off at Cockermouth to do a top up food shop. As it was raining we didn’t explore but this could be another place to visit.
We did however stop of in Nether Wasdale at the pub. There are 2 pubs in this cute place both owned by the same people. They also have a microbrewery. We loved this pub and its warm open fire – it also meant we could dry our extremely wet clothes and boots off.
There is also the cutest farm shop and cafe, The Sawmill Wasdale.
Wasdale
We really wanted to climb Scafell, the highest mountain in England. We were super lucky to book 1 of the 11 electric hook up spots in the National Trust campsite and couldn’t not have picked a better campsite – we loved it!
We looked carefully at the weather and couldn’t have chosen a better day to climb Scafell. We actually first headed up to Lingmell and the walk was glorious, so much snow and not a cloud in the sky We stopped here for a snack and then headed across to Scafell. We didn’t find this walk particularly challenging and couldn’t believe how quick we went from Lingmell to Scafell. We then headed back a quieter route to the bottom. There is the main route up and down and we wanted to avoid the crowds, we highly suggest you do this too!!
Afterwards we headed to the only local pub in Wasdale Head, Ritsons Bar at Wasdale Head Inn for a delicious celebratory pint.
There are lots of other walks here to do and plenty more Wainrights to tackle including Great Gable which we want to return to complete.
Full Circle
You can then head back to where you started or onto home or anywhere else you like. If you are looking for something extra why not head to Cartmell and pick up one of their famous sticky toffee puddings. Or we recommend parking in Grange Over Sands and doing a nice walk over to Cartmell.
Please share any Lake District favourites or next places to visit with us!!
