The Ultimate Lake District Drive
The ultimate drive around the English Lake District, including wonderful scenery and attractions throughout. The drive visits many popular towns, villages, lakes and valleys as it explores different corners of the National Park. An experience never to forget. 126 miles.
**From 16-30 April 2024 Kirkstone Pass closed for roadworks so full drive not possible. Alternative route from Keswick to Bowness via A591 and Grasmere**
Route map
Summary of main attractions on route
| Distance | Attraction | Distance | Attraction | |
| 0 miles | Bowness-on-Windermere | 74.2 miles | Loweswater | |
| 0.8 miles | Rayrigg Meadow picnic site | 76.5 miles | Lanthwaite Wood | |
| 2.9 miles | Brockhole Visitor Centre | 79.5 miles | Crummock Water, Cinderdale | |
| 4.8 miles | Waterhead, Ambleside | 81.5 miles | Buttermere Village | |
| 8.1 miles | Wray Castle | 85.9 miles | Honister Pass | |
| 10.7 miles | Hawkshead Village | 88.7 miles | Rosthwaite, Borrowdale | |
| 13.1 miles | Tarn Hows | 90.1 miles | The Bowder Stone | |
| 15.4 miles | Coniston Village | 92.2 miles | Kettlewell / Lodore Falls | |
| 24.5 miles | Broughton in Furness | 93.5 miles | Calfclose Bay, Derwent Water | |
| 28.0 miles | Duddon Valley access area | 94.9 miles | Keswick | |
| 34.5 miles | Birks Bridge | 96.9 miles | Castlerigg Stone Circle | |
| 37.3 miles | Hardknott Pass | 109.2 miles | Aira Force | |
| 38.1 miles | Hardknott Roman Fort | 110.4 miles | Glencoyne, Ullswater | |
| 41.3 miles | Eskdale Railway & Boot | 111.8 miles | Glenridding Village | |
| 49.7 miles | Wastwater, Countess Beck | 114.7 miles | Brothers Water | |
| 63.8 miles | Kinniside Stone Circle | 118.3 miles | Kirkstone Pass | |
| 66.4 miles | Ennerdale Water | 123.7 miles | Holehird Gardens | |
| 70.6 miles | Cogra Moss | 126.0 miles | Bowness-on-Windermere |
The Ultimate Lake District Drive
This Ultimate Lake District drive has been designed to take in the best scenery and attractions that the area has to offer in a single circular route. The drive has many contrasts as it visits different corners of the Lake District, from popular towns and villages to remote and wild valleys. The area is most famous for the wonderful scenery, lakes and mountains and these are ever present throughout the drive.
At 126 miles in length this can be a demanding drive for a single day and involves a minimum of 6 hours driving given the often narrow and slow roads. If you don’t mind that and want to bag the best of the area in a short time then this drive is ideal. You might want to stop at one or two attractions or places to rest and eat along the way, you can pick these from the details provided. Alternatively, the drive could be broken up over more than one day with overnight stops and visits to more attractions.
However you do this drive it will provide a fabulous and memorable road trip around one of the most picturesque and popular parts of England.
The drive description is only available for purchase as a PDF document and also comes with a zip file containing sat nav coordinates for all attractions on route in the most common file formats. Follow link below. Further information on sat nav files can be found on the Navigation page.
