Places to Visit in the Lake District
… and elsewhere
In addition to the lakes themselves there is a wide variety of things to do in the Lake District. There are places to visit ranging from the literary connections of Dove Cottage at Grasmere (home of the poet William Wordsworth) to the practicalities (although also with artistic potential) of the pencil making museum in Keswick.
The National Trust has many properties in the region and if, either deliberately or due to hitting a bad patch of weather, you decide on a programme of indoor visits you could well benefit from joining the Trust rather than paying separately for each location. With your National Trust membership ticket you get free access to all its properties, which can be a considerable saving if you vist several – and remember, the membership lasts for a year so you’ll have access to properties in other parts of the country. If you live in England or Wales you may even be surprised at what’s available to visit almost on your own doorstep as well as in the Lake District.
The National Trust (which, incidentally, is not a government body; this is sometimes misunderstood because of its name) owns large areas of the countryside in the Lake District National Park. Apart from areas of water it owns many hill farms which are let out to tenant farmers who take good care of the landscape to protect it for future generations. It also owns houses and gardens of historic or other special interest. Here are just some of the National Trust properties you could visit while in Cumbria:
- Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill, Temple Sowerby, nr Penrith
- The Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead
- Sizergh Castle, nr Kendal
- Wordsworth House, Cockermouth (the poet’s birthplace)
Watch out for the next post if you’re visiting the UK from overseas. There’s a great deal to be had on entry to famous places all over Great Britain.
- David Murray -
England’s Lakes
