Life is better at the Lakes!!

The Lake District, is a region in the northwest of England, famed for its spectacular scenery of lakes and mountains. It was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in my opinion, rightly so!

It’s a place that I’ve been recommended and urged to go to by friends, countless of times. So, in the end, I did! I took a morning train from London Euston station, changed at the town of Preston for another train and I still managed to reach the town of Windermere before lunch time.

Windermere

Even though the town of Windermere has given name to the Lake Windemere (or was it the other way around), the village is not situated on the banks of the lake, and requires about a 20 min walk to reach it. Though the town is small it has fair share of restaurants, cafes and pubs. I ate at Café Italia, a cute little Trattoria situated in the heart of the town. Remember to keep cash on you as some of the establishments don’t accept cards. Windemere also has 2 supermarkets (Booths and Sainsbury’s), where I kept stocking up on different kind of berries to snack on while exploring. These markets are open till late luckily and are perfect for late night cravings.

Hotel

I stayed at the Windemere Hotel which is an old establishment only a 2-3 min walk from the Oxenholm train station (as small as it is, it’s actually the main train station serving the region). The hotel is situated on a hill, overlooking the town of Windemere and is a mere minute walk to the Tourist information centre. The hotel was old and charming and was clearly a favourite for the senior citizens. The charm came at a price though. No AC and no fans and it just happened to be the hottest week in England for over 40 years.

Bowness-on-Windermere

Walk for a mile and half (2.4 km) downhill from Windemere and you’ll reach the charming lakeside town of Bowness-on-Windermere (or simply Bowness for short). Head straight down for the docks to catch a ferry and relax while they cruise your around the lake. I guarantee you, you’ll manage to snap some memorable photos. Bowness, being the delightful little town, it is, offers a wide range of restaurants ranging from Indian, Chinese, Italian as well as burger joints and seafood restaurants, you’re bound to find something that catches your fancy. In terms of lodging, Bowness has several luxury hotels. Most notably; ‘Macdonald Old England Hotel & Spa’, ‘Burnside Hotel & Spa’ and of course ‘The Belsfield Hotel’. The later has a beautiful front garden which is a lovely spot to sit and watch the sunset over the lake.

Keswick

Catch a tourist bus from Oxenholm train station and travel for an hour along the beautiful scenery of blue lakes and green mountains to get to the town of Keswick. Full of shops, restaurants, cafes and other eateries, the town of Keswick is definitely more bustling than the other towns in the region. What is immediately noticeable is the amount of trekking shops that sells clothes and gear to the more adventures travellers who wish to wander around the mountains of the Lake District.

On the outskirts of town, you’ll find an open grass field next to ‘Derwent Water’ (the lake) which is a beautiful spot to sit and enjoy the lake view. Walk further and you’re greeted by even more beautiful lake views.