Holiday rentals and lettings in the Lake District National Park

• Cottages, cabins and lodges: Stone cottages, log cabins and lakeside lodges sit within the national park, most with drying rooms, wood burners and parking for walking boots and bikes.
• Valleys with their own character: Keswick, Ambleside, Grasmere, Bowness and Coniston each suit a different holiday, from fell-walking bases to gentle lakeside strolls.
• Guests rate the welcome: Our top-rated lettings score above 9.0+, with guests praising quiet valley settings, warm hosts and fells that begin at the garden gate.
• Spring and autumn shine: May and October bring long light, bluebell woods or bracken-gold fells, and far shorter queues at popular car parks.
• Fells, lakes and literature: Climb Scafell Pike or Helvellyn, cruise Windermere, and visit Dove Cottage and Hill Top.

The national park is full of self-catering places to stay that suit walkers, families and couples alike. Slate-built holiday cottages sit in Grasmere and Hawkshead, timber log cabins hide in the forests around Whinlatter and Ennerdale, and glamping pitches perch above Ullswater and Coniston Water. Many are converted barns, farmhouses or boathouses with fell views from the kitchen window. Look out for these features when you book:

• Wood burners and drying rooms for wet walking kit
• Hot tubs with a view of the surrounding fells
• Dog-friendly gardens and enclosed yards
• Off-road parking within reach of a trailhead
• Boot rooms, bike storage and packed-lunch friendly kitchens

Book early for school holidays, or watch for late availability in the quieter shoulder months.

What are the best areas to stay in the Lake District?

Keswick is the most versatile base, sitting between Derwentwater and the northern fells with shops, bus routes and walks from the town centre. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying in the national park consistently rate the setting above everything else: waking to mist on the water, walking straight from the door onto a fell path and coming home to a wood burner. Ratings of 9.0+ are common for smaller cottages and cabins, where hosts leave local walking notes, fresh eggs or a tray of Grasmere gingerbread. Comfortable beds, reliable heating and generous drying space come up again and again.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings from the past year:

1. Low Longlands - 9.9+: A snug hut for two in the Cumbrian countryside, praised for its off-grid calm, starry skies and easy access to quiet lanes and fell paths.
2. Fell View - 9.9+: A four-person cottage in Ambleside, loved for its central position, fell outlook and short stroll to cafes, shops and the Langdale buses.
3. Rowan Cottage - 9.9+: A six-person cottage in Grasmere, with walking routes from the doorstep, a warm sitting room and Dove Cottage a few minutes away.

The Lake District National Park fills central Cumbria in north-west England, with sixteen lakes, England's highest fells and UNESCO World Heritage status.

✈️What is the best way to get to the Lake District?

Driving gives you the most freedom once you are inside the park, though the West Coast Main Line puts you within half an hour of Windermere. Here are the most common ways to get to the park:

• Car: The M6 runs along the eastern edge of the national park. Leave at Junction 36 for the A590 towards Windermere, Bowness and the southern lakes, or at Junction 40 at Penrith for the A66 to Keswick and the A592 down to Ullswater. Roads such as Kirkstone Pass, Honister and Hardknott are narrow and steep, so allow far longer than the mileage suggests, and book parking or use park-and-ride in Keswick and Ambleside at peak times.
• Train: Avanti West Coast services from London Euston, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow call at Oxenholme the Lake District, where the short branch line runs to Kendal and Windermere. For Ullswater and the northern fells, stay on to Penrith North Lakes and pick up the bus or a taxi to Pooley Bridge and Keswick. Stagecoach open-top and valley buses connect Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick through the summer.
• Plane: Manchester Airport is the closest major airport, roughly a two-hour drive up the M6, with a direct rail link to Oxenholme via Preston. Newcastle, Liverpool and Glasgow are each within a three-hour drive if the fares suit you better.

🥗Where to eat in the Lake District?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Fabrica is the best rated restaurant in the Lake District. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Fellpack in the Lake District: the sharing bowls and Cumbrian beer are exactly what you want after a long day on Catbells, and the staff know every path you have just walked.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spots. May brings bluebell woods, long daylight and lambs on the fell sides, while September and October turn the bracken copper and empty the busiest car parks. Summer is warm and lively but busy, and winter rewards well-equipped walkers with snow-dusted peaks and firelit evenings.

Spring

• Best for: Walkers, garden lovers and families wanting quieter valleys.
• Weather: Mild days around 12–16°C with frequent showers and clear, bright spells.
• Atmosphere: Fresh and unhurried, with daffodils at Ullswater and villages waking up for the season.

Summer

• Best for: Families, wild swimmers and anyone planning lake cruises.
• Weather: The warmest stretch, usually 17–21°C, with the best chance of dry summit days.
• Atmosphere: Busy and sociable, with shows, regattas and full car parks by mid-morning.

Autumn and winter

• Best for: Photographers, couples and experienced hill walkers.
• Weather: Cool and often wet, with frost, low cloud and snow on the tops from December.
• Atmosphere: Calm and cosy, with wood smoke in the villages and empty ridges midweek.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Lake District local expert, Emma of Fell View recommends coming to visit Loughrigg Fell early, before the coach parties reach Ambleside. It is a short climb for such a wide view over Windermere, Grasmere and the Langdale Pikes, and the loop back past Rydal Cave and the river makes a perfect half day. Take a flask, and finish with cake in town. You can read more about local tips on Emma's page.

1. Climb Scafell Pike
2. Cruise Windermere
3. Walk the Helvellyn ridges
4. Follow Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter
5. Circle Derwentwater and Ullswater

1. Climb Scafell Pike

   At 978 metres, Scafell Pike is the highest ground in England and the park's great set-piece walk. Most people start from Wasdale Head for the steepest, most direct route, while the longer approaches from Seathwaite in Borrowdale or Great Langdale give more varied scenery. It is a rough, rocky day out rather than a stroll, so take map, compass, waterproofs and food, and set off early. The summit view over Wast Water and the western fells is unforgettable on a clear morning.

2. Cruise Windermere

   Windermere is England's largest lake and the easiest way to see it is from the water. Launches run between Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside all year, with red, yellow and green routes that let you hop off for a walk and sail back. Combine a cruise with the Lakeside and Haverthwaite steam railway, or land at Brockhole for gardens and treetop trails. In the evening the lake turns glassy and the Langdale Pikes stand out sharply on the northern horizon.

3. Walk the Helvellyn ridges

   Helvellyn is the connoisseur's climb, best known for the airy scramble along Striding Edge and the descent by Swirral Edge to Red Tarn. Start from Glenridding on Ullswater and allow a full day. Those who prefer their views without exposure can take the gentler Thirlmere path from Wythburn instead, or tackle the Old Man of Coniston, whose old quarry tracks lead to a summit above Coniston Water. Check the forecast carefully in winter.

4. Follow Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter

   The valleys are thick with literary history. Dove Cottage in Grasmere is where William Wordsworth wrote his best-known poetry, and the museum next door holds his manuscripts; Rydal Mount, his later home, has gardens he laid out himself. Over at Near Sawrey, Hill Top is the farmhouse Beatrix Potter bought with the proceeds of her books and kept exactly as her illustrations show. Add the Armitt in Ambleside and Wray Castle for a rainy afternoon.

5. Circle Derwentwater and Ullswater

   Two lakes reward a slow day. The Derwentwater launch loops from Keswick to jetties at Hawes End, Lodore and Ashness, so you can walk one stretch of shore and sail the rest, with Catbells rising above. On Ullswater, the steamers link Glenridding, Howtown and Pooley Bridge, and the path back from Howtown to Glenridding is often called the finest low-level walk in England. Both suit families, and both end well with tea in the village.