Tour of the Lake District

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Overview

Route

What’s Included?

Itineraries & Prices

Accommodation

Travel Info

Additional Days

Overview

Walking Holidays

7 - 11 Nights

93 miles / 150 km

Prices from: £865 per person
Start: Windermere, Lake District
Finish: Windermere, Lake District
Availability: Any start date from April to September
Grading: Easy to Moderate
Way-marked: No

Tour of the Lake District Highlights

Magnificent scenery

Explore every corner of the English Lake District – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – where impressive mountains are mirrored in tranquil lakes.

Rural locations

Escape the crowds in the wild and undeveloped Western Fells, where contrasting natural landscapes provide diverse and secluded walking.

Historic villages

Wander quiet lanes in beautiful Lakeland villages such as Coniston, Boot and Grasmere, and enjoy their delightful local hospitality.

Idyllic lakes

Enjoy wonderful views across the many lakes that give the region its name, including Lake Windermere – England’s largest lake.

Local breweries

Sample locally-brewed ales in traditional English Pubs which brew their own beer, such as the Strands Inn and Brewery in the small village of Nether Wasdale.

Record breaking mountains

Walk amongst some of England’s highest peaks, like the awe-inspiring Scafell Pike and the spectacular Helvellyn.

England’s Highest Peaks and Deepest Lakes

The Tour of the Lake District circuit will take you on a true highlights tour of the magnificent Lake District National Park. Enjoy majestic views across Lake Coniston and Derwentwater, picture-perfect villages like Rosthwaite and Grasmere, and the dramatic steep-sided valleys of Borrowdale and Eskdale.

The route provides a taste of both extremes of the Lakes. On the one hand, you’ll visit the historic market towns of Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick – lively centres which boast a fantastic array of quality restaurants, pubs and art galleries. The local literary culture is ever-present, where you can enjoy a visit to the home of poet William Wordsworth and the World of Beatrix Potter.

But the Tour of the Lake District also leaves the crowds behind, heading deep into the Western Fells. In the quiet valleys of Eskdale and Wasdale, you’ll meet fewer fellow travellers, but experience warm hospitality in traditional Lakeland pubs.

Skirting between some of England’s most iconic mountains, The Old Man of Coniston, Scafell Pike, Skiddaw and Helvellyn, there is no end of inspiring views. It is a rare opportunity to see some unspoiled corners of Britain’s most inspiring natural landscapes, coupling calming wilderness with bustling civilisation.

Tour of the Lake District Route Map

Recommended Itinerary

Our most popular itinerary is TLD3 which covers the route in 8 days / 9 nights.

Travel to Windermere for your first night’s accommodation

Arrive in the bustling town of Windermere, last stop on the Lakes Railway Line. Windermere has been the main arrival point for visitors to the Lake District since Victorian times.

Day 1: Windermere to Coniston (17.5 miles / 28 km)

Leaving Windermere, a gentle start to your walk will contour through forest and pasture above England’s largest lake, to the compact town of Ambleside. Beyond Ambleside, you’ll climb Loughrigg Fell and enjoy one of the best views in the central Lake District, before passing the entrance to the famous Langdale Valley at Elterwater.

End the day at Coniston village by Coniston Water – inspiration for Swallows and Amazons.

Day 2: Coniston to Eskdale (11 miles / 18 km)

Today you’ll leave the busy central Lakes and head into the quieter Western Fells. Skirt the shoulder of one of England’s most iconic mountains, The Old Man of Coniston, then drop into the wild and almost deserted Duddon Valley.

From here, a gradual climb takes you up and over into the green and beautiful valley of Eskdale, dominated at its head by Scafell Pike – the highest mountain in England.

Day 3: Eskdale to Nether Wasdale (7.5 miles / 12 km)

A short day begins amongst the quiet and picturesque villages of Boot and Eskdale Green, with valley and riverside walking. Follow the route of ‘Ratty’ – a narrow-gauge steam railway originally built to service the Victorian mine at Eskdale, but now maintained for visitors.

End today at the mouth of the Wasdale Valley in the village of Nether Wasdale – fortunately blessed with its own microbrewery.

Day 4: Nether Wasdale to Buttermere (11 miles / 18 km)

From Nether Wasdale you’ll head straight up the Wasdale Valley – its dramatic head looming gradually closer, made up of iconic mountains such as Great Gable and Scafell Pike. After passing the historic Wasdale Head Inn, a sustained climb takes you up and over into the unspoilt and undeveloped Ennerdale Valley.

A second ascent over Scarth Gap brings you to the beautiful, tree-lined shore of Lake Buttermere, and into Buttermere village.

Day 5: Buttermere to Keswick (9.5 miles /15 km)

Today sees a gradual return to the busier half of the Lake District, but via rarely-trodden paths. Head out of Buttermere and climb up the valley alongside Sail Beck, then down into the pastoral Newlands Valley.

Peaceful riverside walking takes you to the village of Portinscale, and then a short stretch into the bustling town of Keswick.

Day 6: Keswick to Grasmere (15.5 miles / 25 km)

The route swings south into Borrowdale – one of the most stunning of the Lakeland valleys. Picture-perfect villages nestle in the green and pleasant valley, surrounded on all sides by dramatic peaks. From Borrowdale you’ll strike uphill onto the High Fells, crossing the Greenup Edge pass at 600m.

End the day in charming Grasmere, home of Wordsworth’s Cottage and Sarah Nelson’s famous Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.

Day 7: Grasmere to Patterdale (8 miles / 13 km)

From Grasmere there is a lot more climbing to do. The route crosses over the Helvellyn range – either over the pass at Grisedale Tarn (570m), or for the more adventurous, via the summit of Helvellyn, England’s 3rd highest mountain. The route drops down to Patterdale on the shore of Ullswater.

Day 8: Patterdale to Windermere (13 miles / 21 km)

Completing the loop, your final day takes you back to Windermere via some satisfying back roads. Follow the Goldrill Beck to the charming hamlet of Hartsop, before heading into the hills once more for a few final miles of wilderness.

Pass by the villages of Town Head and Troutbeck before traversing the fields above Windermere. Orrest Head provides a fitting viewpoint to look back on the Lakeland Fells that you’ve circumnavigated, before heading down into Windermere and returning to bustling civilisation.

Onward travel

After breakfast, you will start your journey home after a wonderful Tour of the Lake District.

What’s Included?

Your Tour of the Lake District walking holiday includes:

Carefully selected accommodation along the route and trail transfers when applicable
En-suite or private bathroom facilities whenever possible
Daily door-to-door baggage transfers
Comprehensive information pack, kit list, guidebook and map (one set per room)
Personalised itinerary with details of your accommodation, route and recommendations for lunch and dinner
Traditional English breakfast
24-hour emergency contact number
Full financial protection

Your walking holiday doesn't include:

Travel insurance
Transport to and from the start and end of the walk
Lunches and evening meals

Itineraries & Prices

We offer 5 suggested itineraries for walking the Tour of the Lake District.

Our most popular itinerary is TLD3 which covers the route in 8 days.

Tour code

Itinerary

Average miles

Difficulty

Price per person

TLD1

6 Days / 7 Nights

15.5 miles per day

Moderate

From £865

Average miles : 15.5 miles per day

Tour code: TLD1

Difficulty : Moderate

6 Days / 7 Nights (TLD1)

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this package. Transfers are included when you are staying away from the trail.

Additional nights can be added at any stage along the walk and we would be delighted to adjust it for you.

All of our prices are per person based on two people sharing a room. Our packages include all accommodation, baggage transfers and full information pack.

Single room & solo walker supplements

Single rooms are available at a supplement which covers the additional costs of a single room or single occupancy of a twin or double room.

Standard: £50 per night

As we incur additional costs for transferring a single bag there is a solo walker supplement of £25 per day in addition to the single supplement.

Arrive Travel to Windermere for your first night's accommodation

Day 1 Windermere to Coniston 17.5 miles / 28km

Day 2 Coniston to Nether Wasdale 18.5 miles / 30km

Day 3 Nether Wasdale to Buttermere 11 miles / 18km

Day 4 Buttermere to Rosthwaite 17.5 miles / 28km

Day 5 Rosthwaite to Patterdale 15.5 miles / 25km

Day 6 Patterdale to Windermere 13 miles / 21km

Depart Onward travel from Windermere

Prices

Standard

Good quality B&Bs, Guest Houses & Hotels

£865 per person

Good quality and comfortable B&Bs, guest houses and some hotels located as close to the trail as possible. We will prioritise en-suite facilities or a private bathroom, although in remote areas with limited accommodation this may not always be possible.

Enquire Now

TLD2

7 Days / 8 Nights

13 miles per day

Moderate

From £940

Average miles : 13 miles per day

Tour code: TLD2

Difficulty : Moderate

7 Days / 8 Nights (TLD2)

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this package. Transfers are included when you are staying away from the trail.

Additional nights can be added at any stage along the walk and we would be delighted to adjust it for you.

All of our prices are per person based on two people sharing a room. Our packages include all accommodation, baggage transfers and full information pack.

Single room & solo walker supplements

Single rooms are available at a supplement which covers the additional costs of a single room or single occupancy of a twin or double room.

Standard: £50 per night

As we incur additional costs for transferring a single bag there is a solo walker supplement of £25 per day in addition to the single supplement.

Arrive Travel to Windermere for your first night's accommodation

Day 1 Windermere to Coniston 17.5 miles / 28km

Day 2 Coniston to Nether Wasdale 18.5 miles / 30km

Day 3 Nether Wasdale to Buttermere 11 miles / 18km

Day 4 Buttermere to Keswick 9.5 miles /15km

Day 5 Keswick to Grasmere 15.5 miles / 25km

Day 6 Grasmere to Patterdale 8 miles / 13km

Day 7 Patterdale to Windermere 13 miles / 21km

Depart Onward travel from Windermere

Prices

Standard

Good quality B&Bs, Guest Houses & Hotels

£940 per person

Enquire Now

TLD3

8 Days / 9 Nights

11.5 miles per day

Moderate

From £1040

Average miles : 11.5 miles per day

Tour code: TLD3

Difficulty : Moderate

8 Days / 9 Nights (TLD3)

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this package. Transfers are included when you are staying away from the trail.

Additional nights can be added at any stage along the walk and we would be delighted to adjust it for you.

All of our prices are per person based on two people sharing a room. Our packages include all accommodation, baggage transfers and full information pack.

Single room & solo walker supplements

Single rooms are available at a supplement which covers the additional costs of a single room or single occupancy of a twin or double room.

Standard: £50 per night

As we incur additional costs for transferring a single bag there is a solo walker supplement of £25 per day in addition to the single supplement.

Arrive Travel to Windermere for your first night's accommodation

Day 1 Windermere to Coniston 17.5 miles / 28km

Day 2 Coniston to Eskdale 11 miles / 18km

Day 3 Eskdale to Nether Wasdale 7.5 miles / 12km

Day 4 Nether Wasdale to Buttermere 11 miles / 18km

Day 5 Buttermere to Keswick 9.5 miles /15km

Day 6 Keswick to Grasmere 15.5 miles / 25km

Day 7 Grasmere to Patterdale 8 miles / 13km

Day 8 Patterdale to Windermere 13 miles / 21km

Depart Onward travel from Windermere

Prices

Standard

Good quality B&Bs, Guest Houses & Hotels

£1040 per person

Enquire Now

TLD4

9 Days / 10 Nights

10 miles per day

Easy

From £1120

Average miles : 10 miles per day

Tour code: TLD4

Difficulty : Easy

9 Days / 10 Nights (TLD4)

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this package. Transfers are included when you are staying away from the trail.

Additional nights can be added at any stage along the walk and we would be delighted to adjust it for you.

All of our prices are per person based on two people sharing a room. Our packages include all accommodation, baggage transfers and full information pack.

Single room & solo walker supplements

Single rooms are available at a supplement which covers the additional costs of a single room or single occupancy of a twin or double room.

Standard: £50 per night

As we incur additional costs for transferring a single bag there is a solo walker supplement of £25 per day in addition to the single supplement.

Arrive Travel to Windermere for your first night's accommodation

Day 1 Windermere to Ambleside 6.5 miles / 10.5km

Day 2 Ambleside to Coniston 11 miles / 18km

Day 3 Coniston to Eskdale 11 miles / 18km

Day 4 Eskdale to Nether Wasdale 7.5 miles / 12km

Day 5 Nether Wasdale to Buttermere 11 miles / 18km

Day 6 Buttermere to Keswick 9.5 miles / 15km

Day 7 Keswick to Grasmere 15.5 miles / 25km

Day 8 Grasmere to Patterdale 8 miles / 13km

Day 9 Patterdale to Windermere 13 miles / 21km

Depart Onward travel from Windermere

Prices

Standard

Good quality B&Bs, Guest Houses & Hotels

£1120 per person

Enquire Now

TLD5

10 Days / 11 Nights

9 miles per day

Easy

From £1250

Average miles : 9 miles per day

Tour code: TLD5

Difficulty : Easy

10 Days / 11 Nights (TLD5)

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this package. Transfers are included when you are staying away from the trail.

Additional nights can be added at any stage along the walk and we would be delighted to adjust it for you.

All of our prices are per person based on two people sharing a room. Our packages include all accommodation, baggage transfers and full information pack.

Single room & solo walker supplements

Single rooms are available at a supplement which covers the additional costs of a single room or single occupancy of a twin or double room.

Standard: £50 per night

As we incur additional costs for transferring a single bag there is a solo walker supplement of £25 per day in addition to the single supplement.

Arrive Travel to Windermere for your first night's accommodation

Day 1 Windermere to Ambleside 6.5 miles / 10.5km

Day 2 Ambleside to Coniston 11 miles / 18km

Day 3 Coniston to Eskdale 11 miles / 18km

Day 4 Eskdale to Nether Wasdale 7.5 miles / 12km

Day 5 Nether Wasdale to Buttermere 11 miles / 18km

Day 6 Buttermere to Keswick 9.5 miles /15km

Day 7 Keswick to Rosthwaite 8 miles / 13km

Day 8 Rosthwaite to Grasmere 7.5 miles / 12km

Day 9 Grasmere to Patterdale 8 miles / 13km

Day 10 Patterdale to Windermere 13 miles / 21km

Depart Onward travel from Windermere

Prices

Standard

Good quality B&Bs, Guest Houses & Hotels

£1250 per person

Enquire Now

Tour of the Lake District Accommodation

All of the accommodation that we reserve for you has been personally selected by our expert team to ensure it meets our exacting standards. We regularly review our extensive database.

We will always prioritise accommodation as close to the walking trail as possible. Occasionally, your accommodation may be located a short distance from the trail, or you may need to spend more than one night in the same place, in which case we will provide return transfers.

Travel Information

As an environmentally conscious tour operator, we actively encourage the use of public transport by providing clients with a detailed breakdown of travel options in their information packs. The following information may help with your pre-trip planning.

Getting to & departing from Windermere

By Air

Nearest International Airports: Manchester Airport, Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport

There is a regular train service from Manchester Airport to Oxenholme Railway Station in the Lake District (journey time 1 hours 29 min). From both Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports, there are regular express buses into the city centre, where you can connect with train services to Oxenholme.

From Oxenholme Railway Station, you can take a connecting train to Windermere Railway Station, and the journey time is approximately 20 minutes.

By Public Transport

Nearest Railway Station: Windermere Railway Station

Windermere Railway Station is served by regular services from Oxenholme Railway Station on the West Coast Main Line. The journey takes just 20 minutes. From Oxenholme, there are regular services direct from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

By Car

If you plan to travel by car, it may be possible to leave it in Windermere for the duration of your holiday. We can check this for you when your booking is confirmed.

Additional Days

We would be delighted to arrange additional accommodation for you along the Tour of the Lake District.

You may wish to plan a rest day or have an additional night at any of the locations along the route which offer activities or sightseeing opportunities – we’ve made some suggestions below. Please request this when you make an enquiry.

Grasmere

Visit Dove Cottage – the best-known home of poet William Wordsworth
Treat yourself at the famous Gingerbread Shop – formerly the school where Wordsworth once taught
Explore St. Oswald’s church – the final resting place of the Wordsworth family

Coniston

Walk to the 803m high summit of the Old Man of Coniston
Enjoy a boat trip on Coniston Water on the elegant Victorian steam yacht ‘Gondola’
Visit the little 17th century cottage Hill Top, where Beatrix Potter wrote many of her books
Explore the picturesque village of Hawkshead

Keswick

Relax in this bustling little town full of shops, inns and cafes
Take a boat trip on Derwentwater
Climb Skiddaw, the fourth highest mountain in England

Windermere

Explore this busy town with its great selection of shops, cafes, and galleries
In nearby Bowness-on-Windermere you could visit the World of Beatrix Potter, or take a boat trip on Windermere, England’s largest lake

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