Best Walks in the Lake District – Recommended Walking Holidays and Short Breaks
Our guided and self-guided walking holidays and short breaks contain many of the best walks in the Lake District. If you have a favourite walk or a walk you have always wanted to complete our walking holidays can also be tailored to you and your wishes.
If you are considering a guided or self-guided walking holiday and are looking for inspiration than please browse our lists of graded walks:
We also include some further thoughts and suggestions below which can be incorporated into both a short break or longer holiday. If you would like to discuss your walking holiday please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to answering your questions and helping you.
Hidden Lake District/Off the beaten track adventures:
- Including many of my favorite Lake District walks.
The 3000 footers
Climb one or more of England’s highest mountains:
- Scafell Pike (3209ft)
- Scafell (3162ft)
- Helvellyn (3117ft)
- Ill Crag (3068ft)
- Broad Crag (3064ft)
- Skiddaw (3053ft)
- Low Man (3035ft)
Classic ridges
A selection of classic Lake District ridge walks:
- Helveylln via Striding Edge and Squirrel Edge
- Blencathra – Hall’s Fell Ridge or Sharp Edge
- The Fairfield Horseshoe
- The High Street Range
- Causey Pike to Whitless Pike
- Grisedale Pike to Whiteside
- Haystacks and the High Stile Range
- Newlands Round (Catbells- Maiden Moor-High Spy-Dalehead-Hindscarth-Scope End)
- Coniston Round (Coniston Old Man-Swirl Howe-Wetherlam)
- Bowfell and Crinkle Crags
Wainwrights Finest Half Dozen
Wainwright’s selection of the finest Lakeland mountains:
- Scafell Pike
- Bowfell
- Pillar
- Great Gable
- Blencathra
- Crinkle Crags
Wainwright’s six best summits
Wainwright’s selection of small neat peaks of naked rock with a good view:
- Dow Crag, Coniston
- Harter Fell, Eskdale
- Helm Crag, Grasmere
- Eagle Crag, Langstrath
- Slight Side, Scafell
- Steeple, Ennerdale
Mountain passes and Pack Horse Routes
Great mountain walks without a high peak:
- Seatoller to Styhead Tarn, Sprinkling Tarn and Grains Gill
- Warnscale Bottom, Haystacks and Scarth Gap
Coffin routes or Corpse Ways
Ancient pathways with fascinating histories:
- Grasmere to Ambleside
- Wasdale to Eskdale
- Borrowdale to Keswick
Wainwright Bagger
Become a peak bagger and climb all the Wainwrights (214 summits):
- All the fells in Book 1: The Eastern Fells
- All the fells in Book 2: The Far Eastern Fells
- All the fells in Book 3: The Central Fells
- All the fells in Book 4: The Southern Fells
- All the fells in Book 5: The Northern Fells
- All the fells in Book 6: The North Western Fells
- All the fells in Book 7: The Western Fells
All the fells in each book can be completed in 6-7 arduous days but you may prefer to keep coming back and enjoy these beautiful mountains at a more leisurely and less demanding pace.
Lake District Steamers and Mountain Walks
Walks that combine a lake cruise with a mountain walk:
- Ullswater Steamer and Lake side walk, Hallin Fell and Place Fell
- Windermere Cruise and walks to Wise Tarn, Latterbarrow, Wray Castle, and Claife Heights
- Derwentwater steamer and Catbells and Lakeside walk
- Coniston Water and Beacon Tarn
Walks to Tarns
A selection of mountain walks to tranquil tarns:
- Easedale and Codale Tarn, Grasmere
- Styhead and Sprinkling Tarn, Seatoller
- Innominate Tarn and Blackbeck Tarn, Buttermere
- Angle Tarn, Ullswater
- Three Tarns and Red Tarn, Langdale
- Blea Tarn and Small Water, Mardale Ill Bell
Northern Explorer
- North Pennines – This AONB is one of England’s most special places
A stunning landscape of open heather moors and peatlands, attractive dales and hay meadows, tumbling upland rivers, wonderful woods and welcoming communities………discover more
- Forest of Bowland – An AONB that provides some of the most beautiful and remote walking in the country
The Forest of Bowland offers the grandeur and isolation of the moorland hills, undulating lowlands with their distinctive pattern of settlements, woodland cloughs and river valleys. These landscape contrasts, along with the serenity and tranquility of the area, make this a walker’s paradise……discover more
Natland
A number of circular walks can be started from Natland. Providing opportunities to follow the River Kent, visit Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle or ascend The Helm and Scout Scar with beautiful and far-reaching views to the Lake District Fells, Morecambe Bay and the Pennines.
