Five full days in the jewel of the English countryside, the Lake District, plus arrival and departure. We meet the evening prior to the hiking for a welcome meal and to give everyone the opportunity to meet fellow group members and ask your guides any questions. After breakfast we travel to the Lake Distict (2 hours by road) where we'll ease you into the week with a couple of short hikes to elevated viewpoints, before enjoying lunch in a traditional countryside pub and a boat ride on Derwentwater. Over the following days, we'll take on the more challenging hikes of which will offer us spectacular ridge views over the most stunning scenery in all of England. We aim to guide you through a variety of landscapes and terrains, allowing you to experience lakeside strolls, woodland walks as well as a couple more demanding mountain routes. Each day is a full one on well-marked fell paths, with steady climbs and descents. Your guide handles the route-finding, the timing, and the pub stops! Please note that our itinerary is influenced by the weather conditions on each day, so the following is just a guide rather than a set plan.
Arrive at your leisure and check into our first hotel any time after 14:00. We have chosen the Trafford Centre in Manchester as our meeting point, as this offers some great shopping and leisure options for anyone arriving early enough to have time to spare. We will meet for a welcome dinner at 19:00, when your guides will outline the latest plan according the latest weather forecast for the coming days.
Accommodation: Hotel at the Manchester Trafford Centre
After breakfast, we will drive the two hour journey into the heart of the Lake District. We’ll start with a short hike to Latrigg – a relatively easy walk up to a stunning panoramic viewpoint. After drinking in the fresh mountain air and scenery, we’ll then visit Castlerigg – a 5000 year old stone circle, which hints as to how rich the history of this area is. We’ll then take you to a traditional countryside English pub so we can fuel up before exploring Derwentwater by boat and foot for the remainder of the afternoon. If time permits, we’ll wander up to Catbells – a short climb which many consider to be the best view in the National Park. We’ll then drive the short distance to our hotel which will be our base for the following four nights. There will be plenty of time to settle in before your evening meal with fellow group members.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ambleside Townhouse
We have a couple of long distance hikes on our itinerary and today will be the first chance to tick one off. Assuming the weather is suitable, we will attempt the Newlands Round hike, which takes in no less than five Wainright summits. This is a stunning 10 mile ridge hike, which will keep us occupied all day. We’ll have packed lunches with us which we’ll enjoy from an elevated vista with stunning views. Rather than do the full circular route which would take us back to our start point, we’ll descent into Buttermere valley – an area of the Lake District which is sought after by photographers for its raw beauty. It’s then back to our townhouse accommodation for a well deserved dinner and rest.
Meals: Breakfast
Hiking: 16 km (10 mi)
Accommodation: Ambleside Townhouse
We’ll take it easier today, with a couple of shorter morning walks to secluded waterfalls or caves. There may even be time to wander around a couple of the quaint Lake District villages and shop for souvenits or sample a coffee shop. Once again, we’ll make sure we stop at one of the best English country pubs for lunch. In the afternoon we’ll wander the shores of Rydal Water and Grassmere – two of the smaller lakes in the area. This route will take us though ancient oak woodland on a gently undulating path. We’ll then transfer you back to our base for another enjoyable dinner.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ambleside Townhouse
Today we go to the High Street, but you won’t find any shops or cafes here. High Street is one of the classic routes in the Lake Distict, but we’ll avoid the popular circular route and embark on a more interesting point to point route, with our second guide picking us up at the end. This will be another full day hike, so we’ll take lunch with us and enjoy it from a vantage point which offers views out over mile upon mile of this beautiful national park.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ambleside Townhouse
For our final full day in the Lake District, we’ll explore Lake Windermere – England’s largest body of water, by foot and by boat. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll wander along the western shore of the lake, through ancient woodland on easy-going paths. We’ll then catch a ferry to the eastern side where we’ll have another traditional pub lunch in the town of Bowness, before enjoying a scenic cruise back to our base. We’ll collect luggage and transfer you back to Manchester Trafford Centre and check into the same hotel we started our adventure at. We’ll have a farewell dinner to recount all the stories and memories from the past few days and bid farewell to new friends.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel at the Manchester Trafford Centre
After breakfast at the hotel, it’s time to say goodbye to the group. Manchester has good train and flight connections, so it’s easy to head home or carry on to your next stop.
Meals: Breakfast
Included:
Not included:
In order to join this Lake District hiking tour, good fitness is required as well as comfort with full days of walking on well-marked fell paths. The days involve steady climbs and descents, so being used to a few hours on your feet over uneven ground will make the week far more enjoyable. No technical skills or scrambling experience are needed, and your guide sets a steady pace with plenty of stops to take in the views.
Gear:
Clothing & footwear:
Other:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
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Group sizes and pricing:
Min. age requirements:
Single occupancy rooms are the standard on this Lake District hiking tour. Each particpant will get their own private, single occupancy room. If you’re coming with someone and would like to share the room with them, please reach out!
The starting point of your Lake District hiking tour is a hotel at the Manchester Trafford Centre. To get there, most people fly into Manchester Airport. From there, you can take a shuttle service, public transport, or a taxi to reach the Trafford Centre. You can check into the hotel any time after 2 pm.
You will meet your guides at 7 pm at the hotel for the welcome dinner, the evening before the hiking begins.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
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