Lake District, GB

A low-ceilinged stone cellar in the middle of Ambleside doing a Cumbria-on-a-plate tasting menu of Herdwick mutton, foraged produce and local game. It's the area's Michelin-starred room but the mood is relaxed, not stuffy. This is the night you book ahead for.

A Victorian house on the edge of Grasmere where the kitchen leans hard on its own walled garden and what's foraged from the fells. The cooking is refined but rooted in Cumbria, and the dining room looks straight out at the hills. Save it for a proper occasion.

A former coaching house tucked into Whinlatter Forest above Braithwaite, with a Michelin star and a tasting menu built around Cumbrian produce. The conservatory dining room faces Skiddaw, so the view does half the work. The standout fine-dining option on the Keswick side.

A small, colourful family-run bistro in Grasmere that cooks all over the map, Thai curries next to Cumbrian lamb, using local and organic produce. It's quirky and warm rather than slick, and a good change of pace from country-inn food. Booking is essentially required.

A tiny, fish-focused spot in Windermere village where the day's catch is cooked simply and the owner runs the room himself. No lake view, no frills; people come for the seafood and the personal welcome. One of the better-value good meals in the area.

A polished little Mediterranean-leaning bistro a short walk from the Bowness lakefront, with Portuguese touches and tightly-plated cooking. Service is a big part of why people rave about it. A solid choice when you want something a notch above pub food without going full fine-dining.

A proper low-beamed town pub in the middle of Keswick, dog-friendly and usually buzzing. The thing to order is the goulash; it's been the house dish for years and people plan walks around it. This is the classic post-fell pint-and-a-bowl stop.

A 400-year-old inn at the foot of the Old Man of Coniston, with the Coniston Brewing Company tucked in behind it. The pull is the beer, alongside honest pub food. The obvious refuel after summiting the Old Man.

A small National Trust village inn right beside Beatrix Potter's Hill Top; it actually appears in one of her books. Expect well-kept Cumbrian ales and proper, generous pub plates in a low-beamed room. A natural pairing with a Hill Top or Hawkshead visit.

A family bakery-cafe that's been a fixture in central Ambleside for decades, doing big breakfasts, sandwiches and the apple pie it's named for. It's a daytime, walk-in sort of place rather than a destination dinner. Good for a coffee-and-cake reset between walks.

A tiny shop in Grasmere's old Church Cottage selling one thing properly: Sarah Nelson's gingerbread, made to the same 1854 recipe, somewhere between a biscuit and a cake. It's a takeaway counter, not a tearoom, and the queue is part of the ritual. Buy a pack for the trail.

A fully vegetarian restaurant-and-cinema in Ambleside that's won over plenty of committed carnivores, especially with its pizzas. There's live jazz some nights and a dinner-and-a-film deal that makes for an easy evening. A good rainy-night option that isn't a pub.

An independent specialty-coffee bar in Windermere village doing all-day brunch, proper eggs benedict and good flat whites. It's the spot when you want a serious coffee rather than a tearoom pot of tea. Casual, busy, walk-in.

The little ridge fell rising straight off Derwentwater's west shore, the first real fell most people climb here. It's short, with a couple of easy rock steps, and the summit view over the lake to Skiddaw is the payoff. Doable by fit kids, beloved by everyone.

The roof of England at 978m, a long, rocky, strenuous day whichever way you go. The Corridor Route from Borrowdale or the direct line from Wasdale are the usual ways up; both are serious, boulder-strewn and exposed near the top. This is a proper mountain day, not a stroll.

The big one for scramblers: a knife-edge ridge onto Helvellyn's summit from Glenridding, returning over Swirral Edge. There are real drops on both sides and it's a Grade 1 scramble using your hands. Thrilling in good conditions, dangerous in the wrong ones.

Coniston's home mountain at 803m, climbed on good paths that thread through old copper and slate workings on the way up. It's a stiff pull but not a scramble, with a summit view over Coniston Water to the sea. The Black Bull at the foot is the natural finish.

Wainwright's favourite fell and where his ashes were scattered, a low but characterful summit above Buttermere of little tarns and rocky knolls. It's shorter than the big peaks but the knobbly top is a real maze in cloud. Innominate Tarn near the top is the spot to sit.

A low, friendly fell sitting between Ambleside, Grasmere and Rydal that gives a huge view for very little climbing. Paths weave up from several villages, often combined with Rydal Cave and the Rydal Water shore. The ideal half-day when the high tops are in cloud.

A short, well-graded climb straight out of Windermere village to a viewpoint over the whole length of the lake, famously the walk that hooked a young Wainwright. Under an hour up, doable in trainers, and a genuine fell view at the end. The best quick-win walk near the station.

The flat circuit of Derwentwater, hugging the shore from Keswick past Friar's Crag and round the foot of the lake. You can walk the whole 10 miles or use the launch jetties to do a section and ride back. The gentlest way to take in the lake and surrounding fells.

A moderate half-day fell above Keswick that ends at a crag edge looking straight down onto Derwentwater, more view per effort than almost anything nearby. It links neatly with Ashness Bridge for a longer loop. A good step up from the flat lake walks without the commitment of a big peak.

The big lake-cruise operator on Windermere, running steamers and launches between Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside. It's the easy way to see the lake without a car, and you can combine sailings with the Lakeside aquarium or a shore walk. The classic Windermere day out.

Heritage cruise boats that have plied Ullswater for over 160 years, running between Glenridding and Pooley Bridge with a stop near Aira Force. The genius move is to sail one way and walk the celebrated Ullswater shore path back. Quieter and arguably more scenic than Windermere.

The little wooden launches that loop Derwentwater in about 50 minutes, with eight jetties so you can get off, walk, and pick up a later boat. It's the simplest way to mix a cruise with a Catbells or shore walk. They also hire rowing boats from the Keswick foreshore.

Cumbria's main producing theatre, sitting right on the Derwentwater shore at the edge of Keswick, with two stages and a year-round mix of plays, music and festivals. It's the obvious indoor evening when the weather turns. Quality is well above what you'd expect for a small town.

A working whisky-and-gin distillery on the Bassenthwaite shore just north of Keswick, with interactive tours that end in a tasting. There's a bistro and even resident alpacas, so it works for non-drinkers and families too. A solid half-day, rain or shine.

An indoor walk-through that brings Beatrix Potter's tales to life in 3D scenes, Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and the rest, aimed squarely at younger kids. It's compact, so manage expectations, but it's a reliable rainy-day fix in Bowness. Tea room and garden attached.

The national park's lakeside visitor centre between Windermere and Ambleside, with landscaped grounds, an adventure playground, treetop nets and on-water activities. It's the easy family base on a mixed-weather day; kids run loose while you get the lake view. Free to enter, pay per activity.

An independent microbrewery on the edge of Keswick with a tap room and tours of the brewhouse. It's the small-scale, hands-on counterpart to the Lakes Distillery, a short, beer-focused visit ending in a tasting. Good for an hour before dinner in town.

The lake at the heart of the northern Lakes, framed by Catbells and the Borrowdale fells right south of Keswick. You can walk the shore, take the launch between jetties, or sit at Friar's Crag for the view down the lake. Everything around Keswick orbits this water.

The small whitewashed cottage in Grasmere where Wordsworth wrote much of his best work, now shown alongside a museum of his life and circle. It's the literary anchor of the Lakes and genuinely atmospheric inside, not just a plaque. Worth it even if poetry isn't your thing.

Beatrix Potter's little farmhouse at Near Sawrey, left much as she had it and instantly recognisable from her books. It's small, and the timed-entry system keeps numbers down, which actually helps the atmosphere. The garden and surrounding lanes are half the charm.

A ring of around 38 Neolithic stones set on a plateau outside Keswick, with a full sweep of fells, Helvellyn and Skiddaw, as the backdrop. It's free, open all hours, and one of the most dramatically sited stone circles in Britain. Go at low light and you may have it nearly to yourself.

A landscaped tarn ringed by woodland between Coniston and Hawkshead, with a surfaced loop path and the Langdale Pikes behind. It's gentle, accessible and one of the easiest big views in the park, good for all ages. Benches everywhere for a pause.

The best-known waterfall in the Lakes, dropping through a wooded gorge on the Ullswater shore, reached by a 20-minute climb through the trees. Stone footbridges frame it top and bottom for the postcard angle. An easy half-day paired with an Ullswater Steamer trip.

A little stone packhorse bridge on the single-track Watendlath road, framing a view back over Derwentwater to Skiddaw that's on half the region's postcards. It's a two-minute stop, not a walk, but the setting earns it. Continue up the lane to Surprise View for more.

A still-working slate mine at the top of dramatic Honister Pass, where you can take a guided tour deep underground or clip onto the via ferrata up the crag. It's the area's industrial-heritage site dressed up with adventure. The pass drive alone is worth the trip.

A short, near-level stroll from Keswick out to a rocky promontory on Derwentwater, with one of the classic down-the-lake views toward the Jaws of Borrowdale. Ruskin called it one of the finest views in Europe. Easy enough for almost anyone.

A smaller, quieter lake in a steep valley west of Borrowdale, hemmed in by Haystacks and the High Stile range. The flat shore loop is one of the most rewarding easy walks anywhere in the park. Less crowded than the big lakes if you avoid midday.