Article
Walking the Tour of the Lake District
A nine-day circuit of Cumbria's fells, valleys and lakes
Guidebook to a 145km (90 mile) circular walking route from Ambleside around the Lake District National Park, visiting all the main valleys and local centres. Described in 9 stages, with 5 high-level alternatives to climb the highest mountains in this World Heritage area. Includes a prologue from Windermere. Suitable for most walkers.
Seasons
The best walking is generally between April and October, although year-round walking is possible. Winter months can be very cold, windy and wet, with limited daylight.Centres
Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston, Eskdale, Wasdale, Buttermere, Keswick, Grasmere, Glenridding and PatterdaleDifficulty
The main route described should be within the capabilities of most reasonably fit hillwalkers. High-level alternatives are more strenuous and in winter, snow and ice on high ground may make some sections very challenging. Good navigation skills are essential.Must See
High passes with superb views; picturesque towns and villages with ancient stone buildings; shapely mountains bisected by lakes, rivers and waterfalls; lake steamers; Castle Rigg Stone Circle; Hardknott Roman Fort; Wastwater - England's favourite view. Climb Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Coniston Old Man and Helvellyn and visit property once owned by Beatrix Potter, Wordsworth and others.-
Overview
-
A guidebook to walking the Tour of the Lake District. Covering 144km (90 miles), this long-distance circular trek starting and finishing in Ambleside takes around 9 days to hike and is suitable for any reasonably fit walker.
The route is described clockwise in 9 stages, each between 11 and 22km (6–14 miles) in length. Alternative high-level routes are also included for those who want to visit the high peaks of Coniston Old Man, Scafell Pike, Great Gable and Helvellyn.
- 1:50,000 OS maps included for each stage
- GPX files available to download
- Detailed information on facilities, public transport and accommodation on route
- Alternate 7 and 13-day itineraries are also given
- Advice on planning and preparation
-
Table of Contents
-
Updates
-
Reviews
-
Downloads
By Lesley Williams
Jonathan Williams was Cicerone's publisher and managing director for over 20 years, working with authors and leading the development of the range. Lesley was Cicerone's marketing director for over 20 years, but now provides support for the new marketing team. Although they met at sea, they quickly gravitated to the mountains and trekking, before taking on Cicerone to communicate their passion for mountains, wild places and other journeys on foot or by bike. Based on the edge of the Lake District, they enjoy spending days in the hills and months in the mountains, and have written or updated several Cicerone guidebooks for Switzerland. They would like to thank the whole Cicerone team for supporting their efforts as authors.
View author profile