Base at the Lake District

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

We're hoping for a 5 day break over the summer at the Lake District.
We've got two DC so thought we'd do some of the touristy bits like Beatrix Potter, Brockholes, Pencil Museum (!) and maybe a castle... with a walk or two thrown in.
We'd like nice meals out, pubs / cafes too as we'll be self catering.

We're just trying to decide where to actually base ourselves!
Windermere, Grasmere, Keswick, Kendal, Hawkshead...??
We've got a car but ideally would like to walk everywhere / most places if we can.

Any suggestions on where we should book accommodation (likely to be a cottage)?
Many thanks!

Stay in Windermere. It’s handy for accessing The World of Beatrix Potter without a car, and you could take the ferry to Brockhole or even do this:
www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares/walkers-ticket We’ve done it many a time. Start early, have coffee and mid-morning snack at Brockhole (epic adventure playground), lunch in Ambleside at visit Wray Castle in the afternoon.

Stay in Windermere. It’s handy for accessing The World of Beatrix Potter without a car, and you could take the ferry to Brockhole or even do this:
www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares/walkers-ticket We’ve done it many a time. Start early, have coffee and mid-morning snack at Brockhole (epic adventure playground), lunch in Ambleside at visit Wray Castle in the afternoon.

Personally I think Keswick is best, it also has a cinema, The Cruise thing above is a good idea they also do one to the Motor Museum
www.donthibernate.co.uk/route-9-the-lakes/

I love Keswick, it's a bit more like a real town. And that end of the Lake District is a bit quieter. There's a Booths as well which is amazing.

I would stay in Grasmere it's not as packed as windermere and ambleside. You can walk into ambleside from Grasmere and catch a ferry to windermere. It is also a straight road through to keswick or catch a bus. Plenty of walks from Grasmere both high and low level.

We stayed in Keswick and absolutely loved it.

You won’t be able to walk to all of those places from anywhere. They’re too spaced out.

Look at Keswick to walk to pencil museum, around derwent, etc. Look at bowness to walk to Beatrice potter world and Windermere lake. Both have good cafes, bars, etc.

Brockhole and the castles all need driving to.

It won’t really matter where you stay though as it’s all stunning 😊

Matson ground at Bowness is lovely- we go regularly (though normally in Oct).

It's tucked away about 1.5 miles from Bowness centre so it's nice and quiet but you can walk down to there and windermere easily. You will need to drive to places like Keswick as it will be too far to walk.

Can highly recommended! I love the Lakes (already booked in for October!).

There is a good bus service in the Lake District- expensive though - open topped buses so feels like a real tourist treat.

For a first timer, I'd stay at Bowness. Means you're at the lake so have boat tours on your doorstep as well as other attractions. It's more touristy than Keswick which I like and lots of little nick nacky shops and restaurants.

Each year we have 5 days at Fallbarrow Holiday Park in a lodge. It's a beautiful setting, 2 min walk from Bowness and Lake Windermere. Right next to Beatrix Potter museum too. Highly recommend Porto for a meal and the bakery opposite does wonderful scones.

Also 20 mins from Wray Castle, can walk to the ferry too. Shortish drive to Grasmere too if you fancied Rydal Cave.

Keswick, has plenty pubs, places to eat/stay. If just out of keswick, Portinscale or Brathwaite. Not windermere, too touristy and too far South for the the places you've mentioned except Potter. There's Castlerig stone circle too up there.

Look at Parkdean resorts - Fallbarrow is right in the centre of Bowness a 2 min walk to Peter Rabbit museum and White Cross Bay is about a ten min drive but still on Lake Windermere (there’s also a really good treetop trail/country park place nearby which is great but I’ve forgotten the name - you can also get the boat into Windermere from there)
Both are nice campsites we’ve stayed several times. There are chalets as well as caravans and they are nice and clean with on site restaurants/bar and swimming pool/shop etc. We really rate them.

Are you wanting the quiet brooding away from it all Lakes or the still lovely but more popular Lakes - what would suit your family? Bowness is popular because it has facilities to please holiday makers and as said above will give you good access to explore round the lake, has BP but you really do need to use the car/ buy trips for other days out are more off the beaten track.