Camping in Lake District

Family travellers and holidaymakers with dogs who go camping in the Lake District have chosen one of the most beautiful national parks in the UK. An extensive lake landscape surrounded by a marvellous mountain panorama forms the idyllic nature in the county of Cumbria in north-western England. Due to its biodiversity and special biotope, the area is one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe.

Special features of camping in the Lake District

Covering an area of 2,172 km², the Lake District has a total of 16 lakes and other watercourses and offers many leisure activities for young and old in the picturesque natural landscape. If you walk through the many trough valleys formed by glaciers, picturesque lakes open up here and there. The national park owes its name to these and to the largest natural lake in Great Britain, Windermere. Above the valleys, visitors walk through basins covered with ponds. The view from the campsites in the Lake District extends as far as the vast upland moors. Mountaineers and climbers enjoy camping in the Lake District mainly in the higher mountain regions of the rocky Cubrian Mountains, known as the Fells for short, and are happy to take their four-legged friends with them.

Getting there

Campers travelling from the south of Germany to the United Kingdom by motorhome need to allow more than a day for the journey. The journey from Munich to the national park is around 1,600 kilometres. Guests travelling from the northern part of Germany cover a distance of around 1,050 km.

When travelling from Cologne to Great Britain, visitors pass the borders of Belgium, France and England. They first follow the A4 motorway to Aachen before turning onto the A44 towards Brussels/Aachen-Süd/Lüttich at the junction of the same name. Once holidaymakers have reached Belgium, they drive past Brussels, Ghent and Bruges and continue along the motorway to Calais by the sea in France. There, the motorhome is loaded onto the car train and the road to Dover in the United Kingdom is crossed.

The crossing takes about an hour. Visitors then continue on the M20 for almost 60 kilometres before reaching the M25 junction to Heathrow Airport. This would be a good time to take a break and possibly visit London. For the rest of the journey, motorhome drivers follow the M1 and M6 route via Liverpool and then onto the A590 until they reach their destination, the Lake District.

Destinations in the Lake District

Small villages by the lake from Windermere to Ambleside and the attractive Keswick are ideal starting points for hiking opportunities.

Lake idyll Windermere

The small village, which is easy to explore on foot, is particularly scenic. The lake of the same name is the largest in the country and the Holehird Gardens are a beautifully landscaped park with rare plants and colourful flowers. A walk around the lake takes you to the old Stott Park Bobbin Mill, which is also well worth a visit.

The heart of the National Park: Keswick on Derwent Water

Keswick is the best base from which to discover the lake and mountain landscape of the Lake District. With its exposed location in the panoramic shadow of Skiddaw, the fourth highest mountain in England, in the beautiful Borrowdale Valley, the holiday destination is a vibrant place full of art galleries, cafés, restaurants and pubs. With a seaside theatre, interesting museums and play areas for children in the Mirehouse, it is a popular holiday destination for families camping.

Top 5 places of interest

• Derwent Pencil Museum: Keswick is the birthplace of the world's first pencil. You can also see the longest pencil and the diamond jubilee edition for the Queen.
• Wray Castle: In the Gothic castle near Ambleside, children can romp through the castle rooms and adults can learn more about the building in the museum.
• Mirehouse & Gardens: The magnificent park in Keswick with its English tea room dates back to 1666.
• Brantwood: Visitors can stroll through John Ruskin's museum rooms in Coniston and enjoy the picturesque location of the courtly estate by the lake.
• Dove Cottage: The home and museum of one of England's most famous poets, William Wordsworth.

Top 2 insider tips

• English course with style: Nowhere is there a better and more professional way to improve your English skills than at the Nab Cottage language school. Professors and students meet in an old farmhouse from the 15th century and teach or learn perfect Oxford English.
• Halloween at the castle: It's not just young guests who get goosebumps when they listen intently to the fairy tales told by the puppet theatre at the historic Wray Castle on Halloween. The audience sits eagerly in the imaginary castle garden, listens to the exciting music and is fascinated by the reflections of light while the evil spirits wreak havoc within the walls of the Gothic castle.

Activities and excursions

Hikes, walks and short mountain tours through the wonderful landscape of the National Park are the right leisure activities for active holidaymakers in the Lake District. Excursions by train or boat also delight children.

Hiking in the Garden of England

Most visitors explore the region between the Fells and the lakes on foot. With just over 200 mountains and hills, everyone can choose their own special path or route. With views of the mountains, visitors walk from Ulverston to Lowick Bridge across wide arable fields. The next destination could be Coniston on the lake of the same name. If you walk around the lake, you will pass small, traditional English villages. Mountain lovers heading for Langdale will reach the idyllic valley with its marvellous natural scenery.

On water and on land

Visitors can explore the beautiful landscape on a relaxing boat trip. Boats regularly pass over the lakes of Windermere, Ullswater, Coniston and Derwentwater. The steamboat Ullswater offers short trips to Glenridding, Howtown and Pooley Bridge. If you're looking for something special when camping, treat yourself to a trip on the Windermere Cruise.

Events

Something to smile about, winter delights and lots of music define the festive programme in the midst of the beautiful natural landscape of the Lake District.

October

• International Comic Art Festival: Up to 70 renowned artists of this special artistic humour come to Cumbria for the event - a special exchange between culture and comedy at the Brewery Art Centre on the District Lake.

November

• Mountain Festival in Kendal: Many activities, renowned artists and lots of music with discussion panels determine the varied programme of the event, which takes place outdoors with a view of the mountain and lake landscape. In addition to an award for the best entry in the International Film Competition, the Boardman-Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature is also awarded.

December

• Windermere Christmas Celebration: The festive time of year kicks off with the traditional Christmas market that stretches across the streets of Windermere. While locals offer their local and homemade products at small stalls, the event is accompanied by the Lake District Christmas Choir.

Gastronomy

English cuisine is served in the region's popular pubs. There are fewer restaurant options, but in addition to traditional English dishes such as eggs and bacon for breakfast or bubble and squeak (mashed potatoes with sliced kale), savoury meat dishes from the district are mainly on the menu at lunchtime.

Thanks to the many flocks of sheep, lamb, served almost raw or as a roast, is a delicacy. The long, snail-shaped Cumberland sausage is heavily flavoured with pepper and popular throughout Cumbria. Locals also like to savour the freshly caught Borrowdale trout.

Weather

The best time to go camping in the national park is in the summer months of July and August, when maximum temperatures of up to 19 are recorded. There are moderate temperature differences throughout the year and the climate is largely maritime, so that even in the cold months from December to February, temperatures hardly fall below zero.

Due to the low altitude, (rare) snowfalls are only possible in winter. In the morning, the hills are shrouded in mist, giving the landscape a mystical quality. The weather on the coast is harsh, cold and damp with strong winds and the likelihood of rain should not be underestimated on a camping holiday in the Lake District.