Lake District

The Lake District needs little introduction. England's largest national park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to the country's highest mountains and deepest lakes — it has been drawing visitors since Wordsworth and the Romantics put it on the map over two centuries ago. From our Pontefract depot, the Lake District is around two and a half hours' drive, making it an ideal destination for a week-long motorhome holiday or an extended touring break.

The most direct route from Pontefract takes you along the M62 westward, picking up the M6 at the Croft Interchange near Warrington, then heading north through Lancashire past Lancaster and into the southern Lakes. Alternatively, you can take the more scenic route along the A65 through the Yorkshire Dales, passing through Skipton, Settle, and Ingleton before crossing into Cumbria via Kirkby Lonsdale — a drive that is slower but immeasurably more beautiful, winding through limestone country with the Howgill Fells rising to the north.

Windermere, England's longest lake at over ten miles, is the gateway to the Lake District for most visitors. The town of Bowness-on-Windermere sits on the eastern shore and offers lake cruises, the World of Beatrix Potter attraction, and easy access to the water. But the real magic begins when you head north into the quieter valleys. Ambleside, at the head of the lake, is a working town with excellent outdoor shops, restaurants, and pubs. From Ambleside, the road climbs over the Kirkstone Pass — the highest road in the Lake District open to motor vehicles — and drops down into the Ullswater valley, where the scenery shifts from wooded shores to dramatic fell landscapes.

Ullswater is widely considered the most beautiful of the lakes. Its three distinctive reaches wind through mountains and woodland, with Glenridding and Patterdale at the southern end providing excellent walking access to Helvellyn, England's third-highest mountain. The Ullswater Steamers have been operating since 1859 and offer a relaxing way to see the lake from the water. The walk from Glenridding to Aira Force waterfall, through National Trust woodland, is one of the classic short walks in the Lakes.

Keswick, in the northern Lakes, sits between Derwentwater and the Skiddaw massif. This is a proper mountain town with a thriving market on Saturdays, the Theatre by the Lake on the shores of Derwentwater, and the Pencil Museum — quirkier than it sounds and genuinely interesting. Derwentwater itself is stunning, with its wooded islands, encircling mountains, and the Catbells ridge walk that gives one of the finest panoramas in the district. The Borrowdale valley, stretching south from the lake through some of the wettest and most dramatic scenery in England, leads to the Honister Slate Mine and the remote hamlet of Seathwaite.

Coniston, on the western side of the park, is quieter than Windermere or Keswick and has a character all its own. The lake is associated with Donald Campbell's water speed record attempts, and the Ruskin Museum tells both that story and the tale of John Ruskin, the Victorian art critic who lived at Brantwood on the eastern shore. The Old Man of Coniston, the mountain that rises directly above the village, offers a rewarding ascent with views stretching from the Irish Sea to the Pennines on a clear day.

For motorhome campsites, the Lake District has options to suit every taste. Park Cliffe near Windermere is a well-equipped site with lake views. The Quiet Site near Ullswater lives up to its name, offering a peaceful base with excellent facilities and no clubhouse noise. Castlerigg Hall near Keswick has panoramic views of the surrounding fells and is within walking distance of the town. It is worth booking ahead during the summer months and school holidays, as the Lake District is deservedly popular and the best sites fill quickly.

The roads through the Lake District are among the most scenic in England, but they are also narrow, winding, and busy in peak season. The Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass, linking the Duddon Valley to Eskdale and the central Lakes, are exhilarating but extremely steep — not recommended for larger motorhomes. Stick to the main valley roads and the A-roads around the edges, and you will find the driving rewarding rather than stressful. The A591 from Windermere through Ambleside to Keswick is the main north-south artery and offers stunning scenery at every turn.

A motorhome holiday in the Lake District gives you the freedom to experience its extraordinary variety — from the genteel charm of Grasmere, where Wordsworth lived and wrote, to the wild emptiness of Wasdale Head beneath England's highest peak, Scafell Pike. Collect from our Pontefract depot in the morning, and by afternoon you can be parked up beside a lake with the mountains reflected in the still water. That is the magic of motorhome travel, and there is nowhere better to experience it than the Lakes.