Last-minute break in the Lake District

Row boats for hire at Windermere Lake © Rebecca Kent

Find endless adventure for the active visitor, tranquil and alluring surrounds for the meditative wanderer, history and culture for the curious, and wide-open spaces perfect for family ramblings.

Saturday

The Lakes have inspired England's most revered writers, from William Wordsworth to Beatrix Potter. Head to Bowness-on-Windermere and discover the heart-warming origins of Peter Rabbit at The World of Beatrix Potter. Afterwards, refuel at one of the many tea houses, before taking a little wander around the nearby boutique shops and sweet merchants.

A walk up to Orrest Head at nearby Windermere will reward you with a sweeping view of the fells, Lake Windermere, Morecambe Bay and the Pennines. Another pleasant excursion is a cruise on Lake Windermere, the district's largest lake, to the bustling market town of Ambleside (only a short walk away is the stunning waterfall, the Stock Ghyll Force).

In the afternoon head over to Grasmere, a village set in an amphitheatre of fells by Grasmere Lake. Get your cultural fix at Dove Cottage, the home of William Wordsworth, and pay homage at St Oswald's church where he is buried alongside his family.

Don't leave without picking up a batch of gingerbread from the diminutive Grasmere Gingerbread Shop where Sarah Nelson, a maid to a wealthy French chef, plied her secret recipe treat to hordes of Victorian tourists.

Sunday

Head out into the fresh air for a Sunday morning walk. Keswick, set back from the beautiful lake Derwent Water, is an ideal base for walking routes around Scaffell Pike, England's largest mountain.

Another popular walking route is the 8km (4.9-mile) stretch from Nether Wasdale to Wastwater shore. For a shorter undertaking, head to the Castlerigg stone circle, with its breathtaking mountain backdrop.

In the afternoon, wind down in Keswick's museums: the Cumberland Pencil Musem, The Cars of the Stars (packed with recognisable film and TV cars including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Batmobiles); and The Bond Museum, which opened this year, and houses an awesome collection of vehicles driven by the infamous secret agent.

A stroll at Gummer's How, Windermere, will wrap up the day nicely. There can be few places as perfect to watch a Cumbrian evening sunset than over the rich lakeland vegetation. Before you head here, assemble a picnic at Lucy's Specialist Grocers in Ambleside.

Monday

Try the 16th-century Travellers Rest Inn, Grasmere, for one last Cumbrian feast before your journey home. Find local real ales, wholesome food and a crackling log fire.

Those travelling with the kids will enjoy popping into Ducky's Park Farm in Flookburgh on the way home. Jutting out of Morecambe Bay, the farm has many adorable residents, including little lambs, bearded baby goats, and snuffling pot-bellied pigs.

For those looking for a more dramatic finale to their long weekend, make your way up the sheer cliff face of Fleetwhith Pike at the Honister Slate Mine. Here you are harnessed into a cable permanently fixed into the rock face for spectacular views of exposed scenery.

Getting there

Car: Take the M6 motorway and connect to the A66 for the northern lakes or the A590 for the southern area.
Train: Network Rail and Virgin run trains from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow to Oxenholme or Windermere in the southern lakes, and Penrith and Carlisle in the north; also try the Furness and Cumbria Coast Lines, the Settle - England's most scenic line - and The Tyne Valley Line.
Bus/coach: National Express coaches service the Lake District from around the country.

Accommodation

Budget: For those wanting to be at one with the natural beauty of the Lakes, pitching a tent by the stunning craggy mountains or mooring a caravan by a tranquil lake are ideal accommodation options - the national park is dotted with campsites. Budget accommodation with a few more creature comforts, can be found at one of the area's youth hostels. In the northern lakes, stay on a working farm next to Hadrian's Wall at Willowford Farm. The spacious rooms are converted farm byres. Huge organic breakfasts are served and the owners will pack you a picnic for £6 per person.
 
Higher end: Lay your head in the regal surrounds at the Victorian Gothic Augill castle. For more modest but equally enchanting accommodation, Newstead, a 1897 detached Victorian villa in Windermere, offers a selection of lovely family, twin and double rooms. Couples looking for a romantic stay should try Winder Hall, a grand manor house surrounded by fields and fells, with log fires, snuggly sofas, calorific afternoon teas, a hot tub and sauna, and damson gin for guests. For plush dwellings without a wellie boot in sight, head to swish hotel The Samling, located above Lake Windermere. A-listers such as actor Tom Cruise have stayed in the luxurious suites of this exclusive hotel.