Walk the Lake District

This fantastic walking holiday will explore the scenery and trails of the stunning Northern Lake District.  Staying in a comfortable 3-star hotel located in the beautiful Borrowdale Valley, you will have access to some of the greatest walking in Wainwright country such as Scafell Pike, Cat Bells and Haystacks over seven memorable days.  Be accompanied by a knowledgeable mountain leader for the duration of the trip and enjoy the scenery and experience with a small group of like-minded explorers.

  • Northern Lakes – Superb hiking amongst the rugged hills and mountains
  • Hike Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England (978m)
  • All meals included – Excellent dinners with seasonal ingredients
  • In expert hands – Knowledgeable and experienced mountain Leader
  • Walking Grade – Moderate
  • Group Size (currently capped at five per government guidelines)

Itinerary 

Day 1 – Join trip in Seatoller in the Borrowdale Valley

Arrive at the hotel in Seatoller, a hamlet with a handful of houses and farms. Our peaceful and comfortable base for the week is located in the Borrowdale Valley with commanding views of the surrounding fells. It is a perfect location for exploring the hiking trails of the northern Lakes.

Check in is possible from 3pm. There is a car park for hotel guests. If arriving by train, Penrith Station is around 40 minutes away by taxi.

The Tour Leader plans to meet you in reception at 6pm for the introductory briefing, followed by a chance to get acquainted with your fellow guests over dinner.

Day 2 – Hike to Keswick via Cat Bells

We start our first walk from the door of our hotel after breakfast. Heading through Borrowdale Valley passing farmland and hamlets, bracken-covered hillsides give way to small woodlands and then fabulous views over Derwent Water. The lake has four small islands and although there are boats on the water, it is remarkably peaceful. We skirt above the lake and along the beautiful whaleback ridge of Cat Bells – offering 360-degree views of the surrounding fells – before descending and walking into Keswick. This pretty market town is home to some great shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants. Later this afternoon we head back to the hotel in our minibus.

Today’s moderately-graded walk will take approximately 6 hours and will cover a distance of 14 kilometres with a total ascent of 500m and 350m descent.

Day 3 – Hike Buttermere and Haystacks

A short drive from the hotel over Honister Pass takes us past stark, rocky scenery towards Buttermere Lake. From here, we start our hike up towards the imposing band of rocks that stand like the wall of a fortress. Our route ascends through the hills and soon we reach the top of Haystacks (597m) with fabulous views across Ennerdale Valley and to the great peaks of Pillar and Great Gable. Haystacks gained fame thanks to the writings of Alfred Wainwright as his favourite fell-top of all, and his ashes were scattered here. We continue towards High Crag on the Red Pike Ridge before descending along a different route with beautiful views of Buttermere and Crummock Water.

Today’s moderately-graded walk will take approximately 5-6 hours and will cover a distance of 11 kilometres with a total ascent of 700m and 600m descent.

Day 4 – Scafell Pike: highest mountain in England (978m)

The ascent of Scafell Pike is the most challenging hike of the week and takes us to some of the most spectacular scenery in the UK. After a very short drive we start at the hamlet of Seathwaite and follow the river to the 18th century packhorse Stockley Bridge. We continue beside Grains Ghyll to the impressive gullies of Great End and then to Sprinkling Tarn. From here we make our way through heather and grasslands and on to rocky terrain following a good path through the scree and boulders. We reach the summit plateau of Scafell Pike in around 4 hours. The views from the top on a clear day are outstanding with Moasdale and Wast Water below us and the Irish Sea and Southern Lakes in the distance. We will descend, steeply at first, with some scree to join up with the classic Corridor Route that leads us past Styhead Tarn and eventually back to our start point. There is one very short section of easy scrambling.

Today’s challenging-graded walk will take approximately 7 hours and will cover a distance of 15 kilometres with a total ascent of 970m and 970m descent.

Please note that if you prefer an easier guided walk, there is the option to do the two tarns hike which follows the same route from Seathwaite and along Grains Ghyll to the impressive gullies of Great End. We descend to Sprinkling Tarn and enjoy the views of some of the highest mountains in England before descending to Styhead Tarn. We then follow the path down Styhead Pass, past the lovely waterfall of Taylor Ghyll Force, and the famous Stockley Bridge back to Seathwaite.

This alternative easy-moderate graded walk will take approximately 4 hours and will cover a distance of 10 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 510m.

Day 5 – Drive to Keswick; Walk up Latrigg and Lonscale Craggs

We drive the short distance back to Keswick where our circular hike commences. After crossing the River Greta we gently climb through the forest on the Cumbria Way. There are lots of birds and wildlife and the views of Derwent Water get better as we climb. We will take a breather at Latrigg, with wonderful views over Keswick and Derwent Water below and Skiddaw and Blencathra above us. We continue up above Latrigg and on to Lonscale Craggs. Our return route takes us through Brindholme wood and eventually we join the dismantled railway and follow its course, crossing the river a number of times. We end back in Keswick with time for visits to teashops and pubs before driving back to our hotel.

Today’s moderate-graded walk will take approximately 5 hours and will cover a distance of 14 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 350m.

Day 6 – Walk from Stonethwaite to Grasmere

For our final walk of the holiday, we make a short journey by bus to the pretty hamlet of Stonethwaite. Starting here, we cross the river and briefly follow the Cumbria Way and then the path south that runs next to the river. Very gently we gain height as we head towards a small pass at Greenup Edge, just under High Raise. There are wide views of the valley that we just hiked up and over to the valley on the other side. Hike amongst the hills of Grasmere Common and on to the beautiful Easedale Tarn before heading into Grasmere itself. Grasmere is associated with the Lake Poets, most notably William Wordsworth. Finally, we drive back to our hotel.

Today’s moderate-graded walk will take approximately 5-6 hours and will cover a distance of 13 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 650m.

Day 7 – Trip ends in Seatoller

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel.

Departure dates and costs per person

  • 24th May 2021 – £1,160
  • 19th June 2021 – £1,160
  • 25th July 2021- £1,160
  • 26th August 2021 – £1,160
  • 15th October 2021 – £1,160
  • 24th October 2021 – £1,160
  • 8th April 2022 – £1,190
  • 8th May 2022 – £1,190
  • 19th June 2022 – £1,190
  • 4th September 2022 – £1,190
  • 9th October 2022 – £1,190

Meal Basis
All breakfasts, picnic lunches and dinners are included. Meals are prepared using local in-season ingredients. The hotels caters to most diets and have a range of vegetarian options.

Accommodation
We stay at the comfortable and inviting Glaramara House located in the heart of the Northern Lake District on the doorstep of the fells amongst some outstanding scenery. All of the rooms are en-suite and recently refurbished to a good standard. There is ample parking, a restaurant, lounge and a bar with real ales and plenty of wines. There are log fires, Wi-Fi and a drying room for wet gear.

Walk Details
Walks on 5 full days for between 5 to 6 hours amongst some of the best mountain scenery in England. Scafell Pike is a more challenging 7 hours with an alternative easier 4-hour guided walk available. We follow well-maintained trails on flat or undulating terrain with some steep hills. The upper reaches of Scafell are rocky with some scree. We have graded this trip as Moderate.

The order of hikes may need to be changed according to the weather.

This trip is also available to booked for your own private travel bubble, contact us for details.