I Still Never Get Bored Up Here
I went back to the Lake District in August 2025. A second trip in three years felt anything but excessive. There’s just something about being up here that never gets old. Every visit still feels fresh.
On this trip I was accompanied by Ami, who was coming to the end of her long summer break but was also keen on bagging a few more Wainwrights.
But then….
After cancelling a holiday earlier in the year due to financial and time issues, I was back in the frame in October and decided to come back. So you get two for one on this holiday post. A week in August, and a Brucie Bonus five days in October.
A Place to Stay
In August we based ourselves in central Keswick. The cottage came via Sykes Cottages again, and the location couldn’t have been more convenient. It was right in the middle, but had its own parking spot. On the second night I noticed there was an outside charging point too, so I managed to sponge free mileage for much of the week.
On the October trip I stayed at the Ullswater Inn in Glenridding. I was playing “catchy-uppy” on Ami after she made a trip in 2024. She walked about 10 Wainwrights on that trip which I clearly needed to also do. On that trip she stayed at the Ullswater Inn. There’s not a lot in Glenridding to be honest, but that suits for a solo trip. I can sit in the bar and do blog posts on the evening.
Restaurants, pubs, and shops were all a short stroll away, which is just as well because I was kippered most nights.
The flat itself was compact but charming. The two bedrooms sat downstairs, while the lounge and kitchen were tucked into the upper floor. It wasn’t luxurious, but it worked well enough for a week. Having a washing machine was a bonus, especially with all the sweaty walking gear. We didn’t use the kitchen much, though. Eating out became the default, with lunches picked up from local shops before heading out walking. The Ullswater Inn doesn’t have convenient laundry facilities, other than rinsing particularly muddy things in the shower.
Getting There
This was my second and third proper holiday in my new car, the first being in The Netherlands back in April. It coped well with long motorway stretches but proved a little nerve-wracking on the Lake District’s single-track roads. Passing other cars on those steep bends and single-track roads always gets the heart racing.
The Caches
Caching barely got a look-in. We picked off the odd one on mountaintops when we happened to pass by, but there were no dedicated caching sessions.
Walking Wainwrights filled most of the days, and the hills felt more than enough. Over the August week we crossed 19 Wainwrights (18 new ones) and climbed over 3,600m total. On the October trip I climbed a further …TBA
Extras
Six out of our eight days in August were spent climbing. The weather held well enough for us to get plenty done. A couple of afternoons were wet, and we needed our coats, but mainly it was good. In October, the start of the trip was dominated by the passing of Storm Amy. It was wet and windy at the start. By Sunday though, it had subsided to lots of wind but generally (and surprisingly) dry conditions.
On the final morning in August, I even joined the Keswick parkrun — a great way to round off the trip. After the October trip I was scheduled to drive over to the North-East to meet up with Minimus in Newcastle.
Evenings in August meant food, always out. Keswick has more than enough choice, so variety was never an issue. We didn’t cook once, and I can’t say we missed it. We tried a pub, a chic little cafe, an Italian, a tapas bar, a Thai restaurant, another tapas bar and back to the chic cafe. All of them were pretty good.
On the October trip, I hauled my exhausted butt down to the hotel bar/restaurant every night.
Individual Posts
Here is the day-by-day account of my two holidays in the Lake District in 2025.
