Couple? Family?

Go for walks… lovely scenery to take in when you aren’t concentrating on not going over the bars.

Tarn Hows is worth a wander round if you want a suggestion.

Blencathra via Sharp Edge then back down Hall’s Fell ridge is probably my favourite walk/scramble in the Lakes. Stunning views on a decent day and a bit of excitement to make up for not being on a bike. 🙂

If you like ridges you could do helvellyn via striding and swirrel edges, then up blencathra via sharp edge and down via hallsfell ridge. That’s 2 days. Get over to wastwater and do scafell & scafell pike. Get a rowing boat on windermere, a steamer on ullswater and maybe go ape at grizedale? You could also walk round grassmere, walk on loughrigg fell above rydal water. And so on and so on…

As for mx5 passes, honnister and wrynose are the ones that spring to mind.

Shortish but scenic walk with lovely views of windermere – orrest head above windermere. Start at windermere station and walk uphill to the left of the hotel.

Maybe go to coniston and walk up coniston old man, then back down for a pint in one of the nice pubs.

Hawkshead is nice for a bimble and a pint/pub meal.

If you like scrambles then jack’s rake up the side of pavey arc in the beautiful langdales. Straightforward with a bit of exposure. Loads of route guides on net for it.

Buttermere is very varied, with walks and scrambles for all abilities. The assent to Red Pike is very rewarding, as is Fleetwith Pike, while Rannerdale Knotts is the perfect introduction for those who aren’t used to the fells.

Can’t recommend the slow cooked lamb at the Kirkstile Inn at Loweswater enough. Worth going to Cumbria for that alone 😉

There is a great little walk around and over Gowbarrow Fell from the NT car park and cafe. Good views down Ullswater to High Street etc.

Kentmere and Fairfield horseshoes? (Not on the same day obviously)

Take a picnic up to castlerigg and also go find sunkenkirk.

+1 for Dog and Gun in Keswick, with their goulash and XP. There’s a cinema is Keswick and Ambleside, but that seems a bit of a waste. Then there’s always Cars of the Stars and the Pencil museum….

Do you climb? The Lake District is a great place, with or without a bike.

There are scrambles on Coniston Old Man and Swirl How near where you are staying, as well as some harder stuff on Dow Crag.

The Aquarium at Newby Bridge is pretty good, especially for a family, with boat trip options near by.

Cars of the Stars has gone.

@the_lecht_rocks. Sunkenkirk is a wonderful Cumbrian stone circle (I think I actually prefer it to Castlerigg in some ways). More commonly known as Swinside stone circle.

Aye, queuing for it should occupy a good couple of days, if my last trip there is anything to go by 🙁

You could pop over to the Blacksmith’s Arms at Broughton Mills; that’s not so far from Coniston and a nice twisty road to drive along. That said, the Church House Inn is en route and that’s a great pub too. Hell, visit them both!

If you head further south, Cafe Ambio at the Motor Lakeland Museum in Backbarrow, and the cafe at Holker Hall, both serve tasty food at reasonable prices.

May is a great time in the Lakes. We have a place in the north east, near Penrith, and one thing that I’d say is that it can take a long time to get around the lakes, so bear that in mind. I’d guess that Coniston to Buttermere would be well over an hour.

Nice walks near you

Around loughrigg, and you could case it for a ride at another time

Crinkle Crags and Bowfell from the three shires stone at the top of wrynose – fantastic walk, Bowfell is terrific

There’s a scramble up the front of Dow Crag, called easy gully I think, which is a much more interesting way up to the Old Man.

A bit further afield

Blencathra up sharp edge, and Helvellyn up striding edge are both great walks

Also up Whiteside from Crummock Water, over hopegill head and up onto crag hill, then down over wandope and whiteless pike.

Wainwright s are a great way to plan these.

Non walking you could try the steam yacht gondola on Coniston, and I’m sure that biketreks in Ambleside and wheelbase in staveley have demo bikes!

Have a good time

In an mx 5 with the top down must does are kirksten pass coniston to ullswater and then round the base of ullswater. Also the drive to wastwater not to be missed.

With the top down and Dre 2001 on, laps of Ambleside