We have got two nights at the Kendal Premier Inn booked for Monday and Tuesday evening. We love going to the Lakes and normally get a cottage further in but just wanted a couple of days away.

With most of Europe now not realistic for holidays is the Lakes rammed? We plan on doing Go Ape with our 6 year old on Monday and maybe hiring a boat on coniston on Tuesday.

Our thinking now is that it will be rammed everywhere, people parking in silly places and generally be ignorant and dis-respectful of others space so we would be better of cancelling. The premier inn is fully refundable so this wouldn’t be an issue. We could do some days out from our home instead and save on some money.

Anyone been up their the last week or live local? What is it like at the moment? Checked the car park monitor website today and everything looked busy but it is a Saturday.

In short, yes, it’s bedlam.

Was up in Keswick in the week leading up to August 8. Was busy but not stupidly so (I guess no Convention this year balanced things out). Once out of town and on the hills it was really quiet. Took the bike up Helvellyn via Keppel Cove and down Sticks Pass and didn’t really see anyone on that route until right at the bottom of Seldom Seen. Even on the summit where there were more people (all coming up from Thirlmere Side it seems) it wasn’t silly busy. I imagine further south was heaving – busiest day we saw was walking Loughrigg Fell with lots of ‘jeans and trainers’ groups up there…

Just back from wasdale. Packed, cars abandoned all over, passing places used as parking. Not a pleasant experience although fell tops ok. Duddon valley should be quieter.

We’re on our last night here and sadly heading home tomorrow. Our base is a few miles outside Penrith and we’ve had a great socially distanced time overall. In short, if you go to the obvious tourist hotspots then yes it’s awful. We parked yesterday at the west end of Crummock water and walked around the lake and met no more than 20 people in a 7 mile walk. As we went through Buttermere it was rammed, car parks full, shite parking and chaos around the junction with newlands pass. I drove to Ambleside to do a route round there and it was hellish parking, but once away from the lakeside I saw hardly anyone

Activities such as via Ferrata and kayaking super busy also. However whinlatter after 3pm we had it to ourselves and Walking in non obvious places we’ve seen no-one.

Plan to go to non obvious places and it’s great, head to popular areas then it’s much busier than normal.

Get parked up early (by 9am) and parking is usually straightforward. The parking info at https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/car-park-status#295213 is useful. Generally waterside is VERY busy, and avoided unless you need to be close to launch something- but walking car parks (except Brothers Water, White Moss, and free laybys) have generally been a bit quieter.

We were in Troutbeck (the one outside Penrith) a couple of weeks back. We stayed out of Keswick, where we’d normally headed to the George for cow pie. I nipped in once during the week to pick up supplies and it was bonkers busy! Didn’t hang around.

At least the god-botherers aren’t all there, so, somewhat ironically during a pandemic, the pubs and restaurants will probably be doing better business than they usually do at this time

We did a few nice walks and rides away from the predictably busy places and it was great. Just stay away from the obvious places with a big car park and a tea shop. They’re all rammed! Everywhere else is fine

I was up there two weeks ago today , total 8 people seen on Blencathra and blease fell. Parked on Station road as I was staying in the Hostel a few people about and booked in the George for so famous heartburn pie at 7:30pm the George wasn’t overly full as it would normally be, but saying that I left at 1am i think. Keswick the following day was busy but not overly packed. The campsites thought the Borrowdale valley were rammed as was the one under Castle Craggs. Cat bells again not totally hammered.

My guess Ambleside Loughrigg Windermere will be hammered with those trying the lakes for the first time due to C19 .. most other places IE: the better parts of the Lakes no real difference

Camped at Sprinkling Tarn last night, was only a couple of tents. Coming back through Langdale it was busy but not unreasonably so. Ambleside and Windermere themselves are as busy as normal for this time of year.

As above, park up early and you’ll be fine. Also if you can, spend a long day out and leave after the rush.

I live in Windermere, I had to don riot gear to get to the Co-op for some beers…

I’m in Keswick. Plenty of people seem to be moaning about how busy it is but it seems o.k. Pretty typical for summer holidays especially considering the good weather.  There was plenty of anti social behaviour in recent months (Littering, crazy parking, irresponsible camping) but that seems to have calmed down a little, maybe now pubs have reopened.

Get out early or late or avoid the honeypot spots. I was up at Whinlatter this week and GoApe seemed to have a sensible number of people on it with Plenty of space between groups.

if it does rain many of the usual indoor activities for a six year old aren’t open but places like Cathedral Quarry and Cave make a good adventure if the weather turns pants.

We were in a cottage near Ambleside a couple of weeks ago – Ambleside itself was a bit rammed at the weekend, but outside of that everywhere was fine. We took the kids to Brockhole for the climbing wall/zip wire and although it was busy we were quite happy with the social distancing arrangements and availability of hand sanitizer etc.

I live in the lakes and yes, its bonkers right now.

Lots and lots and lots of people are here – and not just the usual fell walking crowd, Coniston was like ibiza yesterday! However, we have a lot of open spaces here, so with a little planning you can still have a great time. Of course the weather is due to go off, and you’re not here on a fri/sat/sun which really helps. As soon as you get out of the honeypot centers you’ll find it just a bit busier than normal. Parking is the #1 issue with those that live here, so please, park nicely!

As you’re in Kendal, its also super easy to get into the western dales, which are really quiet!

I would avoid:
Keswick
Ambleside
Waterhead
Windermere/Bowness
Coniston village (east side of the lake road is currently closed to motor traffic – cycle down it and you’ll likely have a beach to yourself (and a nice road ride and/or access to the enduro trails that pop out there right on the lake))
Grassmere
Wasdale
Keswick borrowdale

I would:
Book stuff in advance
Go early if possible
Deffo go really early if you want to do a popular walk
Plan what you want to do for food/beers ahead of time – pubs etc are much slower and lower capacity than usual.

Northumberland is mega busy so I’d imagine the Lakes is even busier.

Did grizedale enduro tracks last weekend and it was fine. Stopped for a breather on coniston and the north shore looked like a carnival had hit it.

Cheers all for the info. Think we will give it a miss and stay at home and spend local. We live in Derbyshire so it’s not like it a a bad choice. With a 6 year old big days out aren’t an option so to a certain extent you need access to the busier areas and they don’t sound fun at the moment.

We’ve got a cottage in Maryport over Bank Holiday weekend – wouldn’t normally bother on a BH but it was the only time we could all get away and we’ve been in the same four walls since March!

I’m expecting it to be hell.

I was up there this Monday – Wednesday and it wasn’t anywhere near as busy as I was expecting. No doubt it will be at Ambleside at certain times of day and the drive out of Borrowdale on a Sunday eve etc. but we got around without issue and got parked where we’d planned.

I’m expecting it to be hell.

Don’t worry that’s normal for Maryport

If you’re in Maryport, the Solway coast has some nice bits and it will be quiet. Don’t go to Workington!

Being local to Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater, I’ve no intention of going in or on the water until silly season is over. It’s chaos, poor and inconsiderate driving, killed livestock, people littering and morons thinking local Mountain Rescue Teams exist purely to be at their beck and call when a walk or bike up a mountain goes wrong…and no, they’re not paid, it’s voluntary. Agree local businesses need the financial support, just wish some visitors would be more respectful to our local environment.

just wish some visitors would be more respectful to our local environment.

Unfortunately, people don’t even respect their own local environment. Expecting them to respect other’s is wishful thinking. I’ve seen people who live on my street chuck things out of their car before driving off – luckily I know where they live so I can return their property.

Just returned from a week up in the Lakes, mostly clearing the MiL’s house. Rode Sunday from Ambleside via Langdales and Coniston. Was fine. Monday many trips to Carlisle in a van taking stuff into storage. Tuesday went swimming in Blea Tarn – about a dozen people there – the swimming was refreshing. Wednesday did a quick ride over Hartside then went into Ambleside to eat early evening at The Old Stamp House – much traffic through Rydal and an epic thunderstorm. Thursday – many trips in a van to Carlisle. Friday – up Hartside and to Cross Fell followed by F&C from Angel Lane.
Thought that it was busy in places, but no more than expected, not that I’d normally go to the Lakes in August. Tried to go to Sainsbury’s one day but it was ridiculous, Cranston’s and Booths walked straight in, plenty of space and a good chat with the staff. Even Lakeland Plastics was empty and easy apart from the floaty dressed 60+er year old walking around without a mask on, being told constantly to put one on by the staff and ignoring all of it – seemed strangely upset when I suggested that I didn’t care if she died, but I’d be very annoyed at the cost to the tax payer of her actions.
TL/DR – it’ll be fine.

If you expect quiet you’ll be disappointed but certainly no busier than normal August. Pick your spots and be flexible. I ran up Skiddaw on a poor day and saw 1 other person. That’s unusual.

I live near a “honeypot” location in the Brecon Beacons. I’ve been working at the end of my farm drive this last week and can honestly say there has been more traffic on the road every day this week than we would normally expect on a sunny bank holiday weekend. Bonkers really. Numbers of walkers are well down though so I guess they are just people out for a drive, take a few pics of the countryside and then drive on to the next beauty spot. I imagine it is the same in the Lakes.

Gastromonkey – which bits of the Cumbria Solway are nice? Never actually been to that side and just interested where to go / avoid. I’m already familiar with Workington…… 🙂

Drove through Ambleside yesterday and out on the Grassmere Road. Places was very busy at 9:45am. Carparks busy everywhere, laybys pretty full, cars just parked up anywhere they can tbh on verges. Out over Grisdale Tarn, Patterdale Common, Boredale Hause, Glenridding (packed to tbe rafters), Kepple Cove, Helvellyn and birkside were all busy with walkers, runners but only saw 6 other mtb’ers. There was maybe 50+ at Helvellyn trig with people coming and going up all routes. Plenty sat there having picnics too.

Plenty of space fir everyone out on the hills, but very busy in tbe towns and villages

Was in the lakes from Friday last week on holiday. Windermere around Bowness was an absolute joke. We decided to finish the holiday early and return home. I knew it would be busy but never expected it that bad. A lot of people don’t seem to be wearing face masks upon entering the pubs we visited for food, and very little enforcement from the establishments either.

Was bikepacking round Lakeland 200 route last week it all seemed fine, not too busy got spaces on few campsites easily. Avoided the weekend though.

Well all those tens of thousands of people who would normally be abroad right now are looking for stuff to do in the U.K. tourist infrastructure designed to cope without them. Yes. It is busy. Just like everywhere else in the UK. We’re currently at a center parcs whch is. Or busy as they’re running at a reduced capacity to enable social distancing. But friends and family currently I hit lakes, Cornwall, highlands of Scotland and a few other classic U.K. holiday spots are all reporting it being very busy. Not impossible to socially distant but very busy all the same.

According to Facebook Stonethwaite campsite in Borrowdale has closed due to antisocial behaviour.

Generally the honey pot locations will be busy in the same way that they always have been. Get away from those and you won’t see many people.

Last weekend Malham was heaving, a km away you were lucky to see anyone. Yesterday we went past Aysgarth Falls which had car park full signs everywhere and packed yet biking around Swaledale (with a “leave no trace” bivy last night) away from the road we saw just two people this morning.

[bit late now it seems but still…] In contrast to some others here I’ve just come back from a great weekend. Friday paddleboarding on / in Windermere was peaceful with few people or boats out despite the sunny weather (we went from Low Wood Bay). Saturday at Grizedale, again was only moderately busy, I’ve certainly known it much worse. We were able to turn up and hire bikes without pre-booking (BikeTreks have taken over the hire place) and we only came across a few people whilst out on the trails !? I notice there was always a queue of traffic heading into /through Ambleside but I think that’s the norm.

queuing traffic around ambleside is totally normal for august, although wednesday’s storm made it a bit worse than normal, i ended up going home through hawkshead instead of bowness.

i don’t think its much busyer than mormal really and i’ve been going through bowness to work in ambleside for the last month now, just seems like people don’t seem to care where they park at the moment and all want to go to the busy spots.

The accessible parts are busy – and covered in shit and rubbish. Walk for a couple of hours and you’ll be fine.

(Maybe no more busy than normal but whereas I used to mostly haunt the high fells, I’m now doing much more simple stuff with the kiddos)

…..Yes. It is busy. Just like everywhere else in the UK.

Exactly. The touristy bits (S Wales) around here are packed. We gave up trying to drive down to Mumbles for a coffee yesterday – the queue was about three miles long.

Two weeks ago Windermere was busy but not excessive, and the really touristy things that we visited in the area were pleasingly empty. (Boat trips, zoo, aquarium, etc). Even cafes had plenty of room. The traffic jam I sat in at Ambleside was caused by poorly phased lights, not excessive traffic. That was two weeks ago, though, and the population seems to have tripled since then. 😁

I was walking in the Lakes a couple of weeks ago. Skiddaw, foul weather, not many people. Patterdale, lovely and warm, not many people. I suspect Go-Ape and Coniston may not be so idyllic.