The best way to enjoy a holiday is often to explore as much as you can of the location you are visiting and this certainly true of the Lake District. With its stunning views, outstanding natural beauty and hidden valleys, there is so much the Lake District has to offer the intrepid explorer or casual holidaymaker.
But why just visit all the amazing places in the Lakes when you can experience them in a way that keeps you fit and makes the most of all the Lake District has to offer? In this post, we’ll be taking a look at how you can explore the Lake District through its myriad of wondrous walks and, for those with a bit more energy, why running in the fells brings a whole new dimension to the area.
The Kendal Walking Festival
Where best to start a walking guide than a walking festival! That’s right, each year the famous Lake District town of Kendal hosts a walking festival for all those interested in rambling, hiking, or simply looking to get out and about in one of Britain’s most beautiful natural landscapes.
Offering a diverse range of walks and hikes through the local area, the Kendal Walking Festival is also a brilliant opportunity to explore a bit more about the town itself. Once home to the famous fell walker, Alfred Wainwright, the town of Kendal is rich in history and local culture. All of which can be explored further through guided walks at the Festival or through routes suggested by the Festival hosts. From town heritage walks to famous routes through Whitbarrow Scar and Scout Scar, there is a huge amount of choice for walkers looking either to discover more about the areas past or simply take in the wonderful landscape surrounding the town.
Each walk and guided tour is graded so you can pick what kind of difficulty or length you want to have a go at and there’s even an opportunity to find out more about the local Mountain Rescuers or try the local tipple at The Factory Tap! The Festival is usually held in May and easily accessible via car, train or bus so no matter where you are in the Lakes or the surrounding area, there’s really no reason not to attend this amazing walking event in the Lakes.
To find out more about the Kendal Walking Festival, the types of walks they have on offer and the brilliant events you can attend at the Festival, all the information you need can be found on their on the
Kendal Walking Festival website.
Adventure Hunter
If you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous than walking, then look no further than the aptly-named Adventure Hunter. Based in the wonderful town of Keswick, Adventure Hunter is family-business aimed at getting people outdoors and exploring all that the Lake District has to offer.
Adventure Hunter is run by the Hunter brothers who both have a wealth of experience mountaineering, navigating and climbing, ensuring every visitor is in safe hands across the variety of courses and activities they have on offer. From the exhilaration of ghyll scrambling, abseiling and bushcraft to traditional rock climbing and guided mountain walks, Adventure Hunter certainly lives up to its name!
Of particular note are their brilliant navigation courses which run throughout the summer. No matter what your skills set or ability, these courses are run to teach you the fundamentals any budding mountaineer or hiker needs to know about navigation in the wilderness, or, for more experienced ramblers, the advanced skills needed to take your exploration to another level.
If you want to explore the hills and valleys of the Lakes in a new and exciting way, whilst learning some brilliant new skills, then why not take a look at Adventure Hunter’s
wide range of Navigation Courses for yourself?
Nic’s Nordic Walks
Becoming somewhat of a more popular hobby in the UK, Nordic Walking is another brilliant way for you to experience the beauty and wonder of the Lake District. Run by local Nordic Walker Nicola, Nic’s Nordic Walks provide you with the perfect opportunity to try out this innovative way of rambling whilst enjoying the beautiful landscape of the Lakes.
With walks spanning
Windermere,
Ullswater,
Patterdale and more, Nic’s Nordic Walks covers a wide range of popular hikes as well as some lesser-known treasures across the fells and valleys of Cumbria. Whether you’re just looking to try Nordic Walking out for yourself for the first time, or are an experienced Nordic Walker wanting to explore everything the Lake District has to offer, Nicola’s walking tours cater for all abilities and difficulties, from
taster sessions to
full-day courses which span the length and breadth of the Lakes.
If you’ve never tried Nordic Walking and fancy giving it a go, then there’s nowhere better to start than the stunning vistas of the Lake District. To find out more about what Nordic Walking is, and book your place on one of Nicola’s courses today, simply take a look at the
Nic’s Nordic Walks website.
Mountain Journeys
Whilst we’ve covered the Lakes’ usual attractions of walking and mountaineering, you may also be interested to know that there are plenty of opportunities to run across the hills and valleys of the Lake District too! Fell running, or trail running, has become immensely popular over the past decade, providing a brilliant way to explore the great outdoors whilst keeping fit as you do so.
Based in
Ambleside,
Mountain Journeys seeks to prove that there’s far more to running than jogging on a treadmill or going for a jaunt around the block. Set in the gorgeous countryside of Cumbria, there’s simply no better place to go running than the Lake District and Mountain Journeys provides you with everything you need for your own, bespoke trail running experience. Why go to the gym when you can take in the fresh air and wondrous beauty of one of Britain’s national treasures, visiting some of the area’s best-known routes and sights with expert guides and runners?
Mountain Journeys allows you to
tailor your run to your ability and preferred length in large, small or individual groups so you can make the most out of your trail running experience and suit whatever preferences you have. Run by experienced mountaineer and fell runner Kate, you‘ll be in expert hands along all the Lake District’s many running routes so you can enjoy your trail running experience without any worry of getting lost and Kate is always on hand to help out if need a breather! Visit
Mountain Journeys’ website to find out more about their amazing running tours and courses as well as information on what to bring for your trail run.
Lakeland Mountain Guides
Aside from their iconic lakes, if there is one other thing that defines the Lake District then it has to be its hills and mountains! Whether striding up the Great Gable or traversing Scafell Pike, the mountains of the Lakes offer a whole new experience and, for some, an exhilarating challenge to overcome. Yet mountaineering doesn’t have to be particularly daunting to anyone looking to give it a go or simply explore these wonderful landscapes.
Lakeland Mountain Guides specifically focusses on giving you the best mountaineering experience you can have in the Lake District through guided mountain trails across the National Park and its famous peaks. Tailored to your needs and ability, each guided walk is led by an expert mountaineer who will show you all you need to know about mountaineering and fill you in on all the information about the Lakes as you go along on the hike.
From smaller five-mile walks across the
Langdale Pikes to more challenging treks across the entire Lake District, Lakeland Mountain Guides’ walks offer you the opportunity to take in some truly stunning panoramic views and all the natural wonders of one of Britain’s most striking areas of natural beauty. If you want to find out more about the guided walks across the Lake District’s breath-taking mountains and hills, why not visit
Lakeland Mountain Guides’ website?
Running events in the Lake District – runABC North
Finally, if you’re heading to the Lakes and you’re keen to partake in a race, the very best advice and information can be found via runABC North. As with any sport, training and preparing for walking or running events is vital.
As a
leading magazine for runners in the North of England, runABC North will give you the latest events, races and results and running advice in and around the Lakes. There are a variety of runs that take place across the Lakes and we’re quite the fan of Parkruns! The
Northern Running Guide will give you lots of helpful information on runs taking place across the North.
