Plan a trip

A week in the Lake District

Stay in Windermere and Bowness. Day 1: Abbot Hall Playground, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Sizergh Castle; day 2: Bridge House, Dove Cottage and Dove Crag; day 3: Bowness Pitch & Putt, Hill Top and Hawkshead Grammar School; day 4: Hawkshead Courthouse, Brantwood Gardens and Brantwood near Coniston (museum); day 5: Critter Creek Adventure Golf, Wray Castle and The Armitt Museum & Library; day 6: Windermere Jetty, Ferry Nab Marina and Blackwell; day 7: From Auschwitz to Ambleside, Orrest Head and Townend.

Make it yoursstart from your town, pick the month, swap any stop

Day 1 · the Lake District

  1. Abbot Hall Playground 12 km from Windermere and Bowness, just outside the park
  2. Abbot Hall Art Gallery Grade I listed, 12 km from Windermere and Bowness, just outside the park Next door to the last stop
  3. Sizergh Castle Grade I listed, 14 km from Windermere and Bowness 5 km from the last stop
Lunch
Rifleman's Arms 12 km from Windermere and Bowness, just outside the park
If it rains
Stott Park Bobbin Mill Scheduled monument, 11 km from Windermere and Bowness

Open day 1 in Google Maps

Night 1 · Windermere and Bowness

train stations: Station Entrance, Windermere Rail Station; 9 bus stops within 400 m; boats from Windermere Steam Boat Museum Ferry Terminal

Day 2 · the Lake District

  1. Bridge House Grade I listed, in Ambleside
  2. Dove Cottage Grade I listed, in Grasmere 4 km from the last stop
  3. Dove Crag 6.0 km from Ambleside 5 km from the last stop
Lunch
Britannia Inn 2.9 km from Grasmere
If it rains
The Ruskin Museum in Coniston

Open day 2 in Google Maps

Night 2 · still in Windermere and Bowness

Day 3 · the Lake District

  1. Bowness Pitch & Putt 2.5 km from Windermere and Bowness
  2. Hill Top Grade II* listed, 5.2 km from Windermere and Bowness 3 km from the last stop
  3. Hawkshead Grammar School Grade II* listed, 6.9 km from Ambleside 3 km from the last stop
Lunch
Outgate Inn 5.1 km from Ambleside
If it rains
Lakes Aquarium 12 km from Windermere and Bowness

Open day 3 in Google Maps

Night 3 · still in Windermere and Bowness

Day 4 · the Lake District

  1. Hawkshead Courthouse Grade II* listed, 6.3 km from Ambleside
  2. Brantwood Gardens 2.1 km from Coniston 5 km from the last stop
  3. Brantwood near Coniston (museum) Grade II* listed, 2.0 km from Coniston Next door to the last stop
Lunch
Crown Inn in Coniston in Coniston
If it rains
Lakeland Motor Museum 14 km from Coniston

Open day 4 in Google Maps

Night 4 · still in Windermere and Bowness

Day 5 · the Lake District

  1. Critter Creek Adventure Golf 1.9 km from Windermere and Bowness
  2. Wray Castle Grade II* listed, 3.5 km from Ambleside 3 km from the last stop
  3. The Armitt Museum & Library in Ambleside 4 km from the last stop
Lunch
Sheila's Cottage in Ambleside
If it rains
Kendal Museum 12 km from Windermere and Bowness, just outside the park

Open day 5 in Google Maps

Night 5 · still in Windermere and Bowness

Day 6 · the Lake District

  1. Windermere Jetty 1.4 km from Windermere and Bowness
  2. Ferry Nab Marina 3.0 km from Windermere and Bowness 2 km from the last stop
  3. Blackwell Grade I listed, 4.2 km from Windermere and Bowness 1 km from the last stop
Lunch
Brew Room in Windermere and Bowness
If it rains
Brewery Arts Centre 12 km from Windermere and Bowness, just outside the park

Open day 6 in Google Maps

Night 6 · still in Windermere and Bowness

Day 7 · the Lake District

  1. From Auschwitz to Ambleside in Windermere and Bowness
  2. Orrest Head in Windermere and Bowness 1 km from the last stop
  3. Townend Grade II* listed, 3.7 km from Windermere and Bowness 3 km from the last stop
Lunch
Queen's Head Hotel 5.2 km from Windermere and Bowness
If it rains
Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry 12 km from Windermere and Bowness, just outside the park

Open day 7 in Google Maps

How this plan is made

No one picks these by hand and no one pays to be in them. The planner's rules take the places and roads the Lake District's pages rank, for anyone, any month: one town to stay in, and each day its best stop with the best ones close to it, three a day, with lunch nearby and an indoor stop if it rains. Distances are as the crow flies, so the road is longer. Check opening times on each place's page before you go. How the ranking works.

Questions

Where should I stay for a week in the Lake District?

Windermere and Bowness. It is the town with the best stops within 15 km for this trip, so you don't pack up every morning. Windermere and Bowness: train stations: Station Entrance, Windermere Rail Station; 9 bus stops within 400 m; boats from Windermere Steam Boat Museum Ferry Terminal.

What should I do first?

Day 1 is Abbot Hall Playground, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Sizergh Castle: the best stop for this trip, then the best ones within 5 km of it.

Who picked these places?

Nobody. The same rules make every plan from the places and roads the site ranks with one open formula, and no place pays to be in a plan.

How it works, in full

Free, and made for the love of the UK

offyougo is free, with no adverts and no paid places. It is made by one person, Pavel, who loves this country, every park, coast, town and back lane of it, and would like people from everywhere on Earth to travel round it more. The servers and the AI that writes the short descriptions cost money every month. If offyougo helped you plan a day out, please consider a one-off gift.

A one-off payment through Stripe, from £2 to £2,000; the receipt comes by email. Or buy Pavel a matcha 🍵 on Ko-fi.

Have an idea, a place that should be here, a feature you would like, or want to work together? Write to offyougo@guzh.uk.