Lake District!

[BuffaloCauliflower]

DP and I are off to the Lakes in a week or so, and would love MN recommendations as you’ve always served us well before.

Staying in Ambleside, like to walk and would like to challenge ourselves more but aren’t super fit - trying to figure out where would be good to go, or what hikes might suit us is proving tricky as there’s just so many, thought might be easier to ask others to help us narrow it down. Hoping to go to Hill Top, Wray Castle and possibly Grasmere whilst we’re there, as well as around Ambleside.

Would love any and all suggestions of really good walks and other things to do whilst we’re there. Just us, in our thirties, no kids. Have National Trust membership.

Thanks in advance.

If you have National Trust membership then yes to Hill top, whilst you are there as it's quite near then also go to Tarn Hows ( free parking for NT members. It's a lovely walk not strenuous around a tarn with gorgeous views. Not to be missed . Dove Cottage near Grasmere / Rydal is also NT.
If you come to Keswick then take a drive to Portinscale and visit Lingholm, they have a lovely cafe and a good walk through a walled garden down to a jetty on Derwent Water. This was also a place Beatrice Potter stayed at . Hawkshead is close to Hill top which is a pretty village bit a bit commercialized . Hope the weather stays good for you !

Awesome thank you! It all looks so beautiful I want to make sure we see as much as we can

Skip Wray Castle; it's effectively a children's soft play venue

There's a lovely walk across Loughrigg fell to Grasmere and then if you don't fancy the walk back you can bus.

Langdale pikes is a classic, long walk up to the plateau before the piles but not technical and then once you're up you can do as much or little as you like. Fab pub at the bottom too.

The walk up to easedale tarn from grasmere is lovely. Well worth it.

An easier walk is from elterwater to skelwith bridge where there's a lovely cafe, Chester's by the River. Great waterfall en route. Nice pub at elterwater as well.

The walk up Coniston old man is straight forward and nice. There's a road heading up/west out of coniston and you can go up it a couple of miles and park. Saves a lot of the ascent!

this is a nice easy walk near grasmere. Car park is about £7 though! You'd be near Rydal Mount here which is worth a visit. The tea room at Rydal Hall is nice, called the Old School Room.

Fab thanks both.

@NoNoNoOohmaybe For Langdale Pikes, does it make sense to walk from Ambleside or drive closer somewhere and park before setting off? Looking at the map I can’t quite work out the actual distance on foot/in time

The Apple Pie Cafe in Ambleside is lovely, we’ve been going for probably 10 years.

For langdale pikes you'd need to drive down great langdale, park near the old dungeon ghyll pub.

Fab thanks @NicoAndTheNiners

You'll need to drive and park at the bottom. The langdales is 3-7 hour walk depending how many of the "pikes" you do.

Great gable is another fab central peak where you can appreciate how near and far everything is in the lakes, but it's a long drive from Ambleside.

What about old man of coniston? If you park on the car park at the base it reduces the height you have to do and means you have more time to make a circular walk to appreciate the views on all sides or get the peaks in to the side of it (forgotten their names!).

The lakes is my favourite place and we spend a lot of weekends up there but our hiking days have been limited by small children!

If you fancy a tasty breakfast followed by an easy walk, I recommend a drive to Chester’s at Skelwith Bridge, the entry to the Langdale Valley, with a riverside walk behind and/or go to Kysty in the village itself and walk up to the waterfall.
A tougher walk round theFairfield Horseshoe is about 10 miles if you want more of a challenge and no car needed from Ambleside. Another good walk from the village is to The Mortal Man in Troutbeck. You can visit Townend on the way to lunch and come back via a more challenging route over Wansfell Pike.
I love everything about about Ambleside (mostly the restaurants), have a great time.

Townend is a really interesting NT place to visit - check opening times, if you want a guided tour get there in plenty of time. I agree that Wray castle is not worth visiting unless you have small kids.

There’s a NT house in Grasmere called Allen bank, it’s a lovely little walk up and they have a little cafe and the house is nice to look around. One of the rooms has a gorgeous view and they have easels and paint there for anyone who fancies painting!! Nice for a little jaunt.

I agree with PP about Wray castle it’s basically for kids tbh.

Loughrigg Fell is just lovely. Park in the National Trust car park in Elterwater and walk up to High Close. Go through the gardens and onto Loughrigg Terrace. Go up over the top of Loughrigg Fell and drop down to Skelwith Bridge for tea and cake at Chester's by the River. Then walk back along the river to Elterwater past the waterfalls Skelwith Force. I used to love the Britannia Inn in Elterwater but it's a bit tired these days. Enjoy!!

Another vote for Chesters, They sell the most amazing cakes! Anyway back to the walks. Langdale pikes, Coniston old man are two of my favourites or if you want to travel a little Helvelyn is seroiusly good fun.

Thanks all this is really helpful. Neither of us have been in that part of the country at all before, very excited to investigate and adventure.

Just seconding Tarn Hows, breathtakingly gorgeous scenery, circular walk, mostly flat, takes a couple of hours at a gentle amble / small child pace. Wrap up warm though, it can be breezy

Cat Bells is always our go-to for the first hill, to see how unfit we are.

If you break yourselves walking up hills, most of the lakes have lovely lakeside paths for a relatively flat walk!

The whole place is amazing, although parts of it (Windermere particularly) get drowned in tourist coaches so don't be afraid to say "sod that" if it's too busy and go somewhere quieter. Buttermere is a good shout as a backup lake if it's too busy.

This walk out of Grasmere is lovely and not too challenging.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/allan-bank-and-grasmere/trails/alcock-tarn-walk

And we like Wray Castle. The grounds themselves are nice to walk in, even if you skip the kid-based rooms in the castle itself. Allen Bank in Grasmere is lovely.

Such useful advice thank you all. We’re hoping to strike a good balance between planning and aimlessly wandering.

Sizergh is a lovely NT property to visit. Don’t forget to go to the gingerbread shop at Grasmere.

We walked from Ambleside to lower Sweden bridge last month. 5k walk but quite some elevation.

If you want a posh dinner this is amazing www.oldstamphouse.com/. I’ve paid far more in London restaurants for food nowhere near as nice.

Came to say Easedale Tarn and Loughrigg Fell - both stunning.