Lake Windermere & Scarfell Pike

[Yucca]

Evening all

Have booked a last minute hotel for the next two nights in Kendal (not far from lake Windermere). Plan is to drive down tomorrow and spend the day around the lake.

Then on Sunday drive to Scarfell Pike and climb that. We have both done Snowdon several times and are fit and healthy so no physical concerns.

And then on Monday maybe another half day around the lake before heading home.

Any advice on things to do, places to eat, tips etc for Lake Windermere and the town next to it - Bowness Under Water would be very helpful.

Would also appreciate any advice on Scarfell such as best place to park and which route would work out best for us logistically - Were coming from Kendal so ideally one that is on the east side of the mountain.

 

[Meridian]

Seathwaite is the closest start point. Unless things have changed since I was last there there's a load of free parking along the road running towards the farm. Get there early though, or it's a long walk to the start.

 

[Yucca]

Seathwaite is the closest start point. Unless things have changed since I was last there there's a load of free parking along the road running towards the farm. Get there early though, or it's a long walk to the start.

Which route do I take up from there? I assume over this bank holiday weekend with nice weather the mountail will be very very busy and i can just follow people up.....

 

[Street]

Get there early though, or it's a long walk to the start.

On a bank holiday weekend it will be horrific down that road so get there very early!

Which route do I take up from there?

Up to Styhead Tarn then along the Corridor route is the best way in my opinion. You can loop back round Great End and Sprinkling Tarn to make a circuit.

 

[Nitefly]

It takes absolutely YEARS to drive anywhere in the Lake District. No joke, you’ll get off the motorway and do a pathetic distance because all the roads are slow and windy. Google maps was inaccurate with driving times in low traffic, although that was 4 years ago so who knows now.

I can’t even begin to think how painful it will be with actual ‘traffic’

Yes, go super early.

 

[Street]

It takes absolutely YEARS to drive anywhere in the Lake District.

That's why I always go climbing in North Wales instead of the Lakes. They're both a similar distance to me, but I can get to where I want to be in North Wales in 90mins. I can get to the outskirts of the Lakes in 90mins but then it's another hour or so to get anywhere inside the park.

 

[dizzy078]

As the others said, get there really early for a parking spot. Best take a map with you, at least print one off or even better get an ordinance survey map. Weather is chanageable and can easily cloud over leaving you with little visibility. Do some planning beforehand . I've only climbed it from the great langdale side (stool end farm). There's a couple of pubs/hotels around this end for you to have a pint or a meal after the climb which is handy. Otherwise Ambleside is a nice town.

 

[Yucca]

Having spent an hour reading several websites it seems up from Wasdale is the easiest and shortest route.

I am getting worried about the country roads and the traffic and lack of parking now! Even if I leave the hotel at 7.30am after breakfast from Kendal it will be 9ish by the time I get to the car park in Wasdale. I was going to drive up in my porsche as I thought it would be fun. Having read eveything you folks have said I may stick to the old merc!

 

[Street]

I was going to drive up in my porsche as I thought it would be fun. Having read eveything you folks have said I may stick to the old merc!

Just don't annoy the farmer!

 

[stockhausen]

Just don't annoy the farmer!

Police in the Lake District are investigating after several cars belonging to walkers were damaged while parked in Borrowdale.

I suspect that the reference to "walkers" here is down to using predictive texting. It is absolutely unbelievable how stupidly some people will park in the Lake District - in this particular case I have every sympathy for the farmer.

Incidentally, personally I would skip Scafell Pike and go for one of the less popular mountains:

• Park in Keswick, catch the bus from Booths Supermarket to Scales.
• Do Blencathra - taking in Sharp Edge if you feel adventurous.
• Walk back to Keswick via Blease Fell, the Blencathra Centre, Brundholme Woods and what is left of the Railway path - or over Latrigg - about nine miles walking.

 

[Tuppy_Glossop]

The Drunken Duck just North of Hawkshead for great beer (Barngates brewed on premises) and food when you are WNW of Windermere. One evening, get the train from Kendal to Staveley, walk to Ings, enjoy The Water Mill, walk back to Staveley, do the Hawkshead Brewery and the Eagle and Child (beer garden next to river across road) then get the last train back to Kendal

 

[Tuppy_Glossop]

Go really early to Scafell Pike, it'll be so busy with the Bank Holiday and weather. No parking and peopke all over the mountain.

 

[Combat squirrel]

hahahaha lake district on a bank holiday? Do you like over crowding and annoying people everywhere?

Avoid, at all costs my friend!! I went to the lakes on a normal weekend a few months ago and it was rammed, forget going again or go mid week when all the sheeple are in captalist drone mode working away 9-5

 

[wez130]

Having spent an hour reading several websites it seems up from Wasdale is the easiest and shortest route.

I am getting worried about the country roads and the traffic and lack of parking now! Even if I leave the hotel at 7.30am after breakfast from Kendal it will be 9ish by the time I get to the car park in Wasdale. I was going to drive up in my porsche as I thought it would be fun. Having read eveything you folks have said I may stick to the old merc!

I used to work and live in Nether Wasdale, if you drive down the lake (Wastwater), at the end, there is a car park at the foot of the track to climb the mountain. For somewhere to eat, you have a few choices, closest to the car park, there is the Wasdale Head, In Nether Wasdale, you have the Strands inn and the Screes inn, both owned by the same couple, they have a great atmosphere, they brew their own beers too, good beers they are as well! I couldn't tell you how the quality of the food is now though as i don't work there any more haha, i know the portion sizes were substantial though, which, after climbing Scafell is ideal. Alternatively, if you drive to Gosforth village (about 4 miles from Nether Wasdale), there's a nice little Italian restaurant there.
Hope this helps. Any more questions i can help to answer too.

 

[Semple]

Seathwaite is the closest start point. Unless things have changed since I was last there there's a load of free parking along the road running towards the farm. Get there early though, or it's a long walk to the start.

I'm pretty certain the closest start point is Wasdale car park.

We stayed is Keswick so drove down and parked on the side of the road at Seathwaite.

We're by no means slow walkers and certainly weren't in a rush, but I reckon it took us about 6 hours to get upto the top and back down. We hit bad weather at the top though and got a bit lost . I seem to recall all in was about 14 miles.

 

[Street]

I suspect that the reference to "walkers" here is down to using predictive texting. It is absolutely unbelievable how stupidly some people will park in the Lake District - in this particular case I have every sympathy for the farmer.

Some people just have no consideration for others, although it's not just the Lake District that's affected. I went for a run in Snowdonia the other week, was there early, parked in a parking space. By the time I got back to the car, some tit in a Range Rover had parked across the back of the space. I had to do about a 50 point turn to get my little DS3 out of the space without hitting him.

One evening, get the train from Kendal to Staveley, walk to Ings, enjoy The Water Mill

The Watermill Inn is a great little pub, stopped there quite a few times for food on the way home.

 

[Rroff]

Some people just have no consideration for others, although it's not just the Lake District that's affected. I went for a run in Snowdonia the other week, was there early, parked in a parking space. By the time I got back to the car, some tit in a Range Rover had parked across the back of the space. I had to do about a 50 point turn to get my little DS3 out of the space without hitting him.

Yeah happens all over - there are a couple of villages I drive through regularly where people often park inconsiderately on both sides of an already narrow road just so they can save themselves a couple of minutes of walking to the pub/takeaway (free car park less than 200 metres away) and/or so they are right outside their frontdoor - resident parking around 100 metres away in one case not sure about the other though definitely the council could improve the parking situation to help as well.

 

[Meridian]

I'm pretty certain the closest start point is Wasdale car park.

Keswick to Seathwaite: 8.8 miles
Keswick to Wasdale: 39.6 miles. Even if you have a helicopter Seathwaite is far closer because it's the same side of Scaefell Pike, and Wasdale is the far side. And the drive to Wasdale is pretty slow as well.

But as many have pointed out, it's going to be insanely crowded getting to Seathwaite, parking, doing the walk, and getting to the very top. If you are leaving the hotel after 8am you are going to struggle.

 

[Semple]

Keswick to Seathwaite: 8.8 miles
Keswick to Wasdale: 39.6 miles. Even if you have a helicopter Seathwaite is far closer because it's the same side of Scaefell Pike, and Wasdale is the far side. And the drive to Wasdale is pretty slow as well.

But as many have pointed out, it's going to be insanely crowded getting to Seathwaite, parking, doing the walk, and getting to the very top. If you are leaving the hotel after 8am you are going to struggle.

I meant it was the closest start point to the mountain itself

Also OP is staying in Kendal rather than Keswick - which just having a closer look from Kendal shows that Seathwaite is slightly closer to him than Wasdale by about a 15 minute drive, so both are certainly open for choice.

I guess it's just a case of how quickly/challenging you want the walk. A quick up and down like they do on the three peaks then Wasdale car park is your starting point, if you want to spend probably most part of the day doing it, then Seathwaite.

There are some fantastic views up there. Some of the ones i'd taken:

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As you can see the cloud was dropping quite low.

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[JBuk]

Having spent an hour reading several websites it seems up from Wasdale is the easiest and shortest route.

I am getting worried about the country roads and the traffic and lack of parking now! Even if I leave the hotel at 7.30am after breakfast from Kendal it will be 9ish by the time I get to the car park in Wasdale. I was going to drive up in my porsche as I thought it would be fun. Having read eveything you folks have said I may stick to the old merc!

Getting to wasdale from Kendal is a trek, the seathwaite route would be better imo but get there crack of dawn for parking

Bowness and Keswick will be packed this time of year , if you want to avoid parking issues there’s a train to Windermere

Places worth a drive to, any of the passes, honister, newlands, wry nose and hardknott- not sure how a Porsche will handle it though heh