Multi day hike: Keswick to Windermere
This is the first of a series of multi-day hike ideas. This first one is a 3-night trip, totalling roughly 70km, depending on which routes you take (it’s flexible to suit your fitness levels). The route begins in Keswick and finishes in Windermere. These locations were selected primarily for their accessibility by public transport, making this trip more logistically feasible. There are many campsites along the route or beautiful wild camp spots; you can pick these when on the trail to account for the ever-reliable Lake District weather.
Overview of the route
Link to export the route:https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/uploaded-route-fde953d?u=m&sh=jmzor9
DAY 1
The first day begins by heading towards Portinscale from Keswick, then climbing Cat Bells (451m) as the first summit of the trip. This is a family favourite mountain because of the stunning views you get all along the route. You go through some lovely woodlands on the way to the base, and then all the way to the top, you overlook Derwent Water. At the top, you’re greeted with a 360-degree view of stunning lakes and vast mountainous landscapes.
First views of the summit of Cat Bells
Once you’ve topped out on Cat Bells, you carry along the same ridge line, taking the summit of Maiden Moor (575m) and High Spy (646m), the highest point of day 1. This ridge line is absolutely stunning and the view is ever changing as you make your way across the tops. After High Spy, you begin making your way down and cut off leftwards down Tongue Gill; it’s fairly steep, but nothing silly. There is a final bit of elevation as you make your way towards Seatoller, where you are greeted with a fine establishment:
Yew Tree pub (https://www.theyewtree1628.com/)
Here, we chose to eat. I would highly recommend doing so, as the food was great. This is where you can decide to either camp lower down at one of the campsites within Seatoller or Seathwaite. We decided to push on towards Seathwaite and paid to camp at Seathwaite Farm campsite. It cost us £10 per person, and it was worth it because they have hot showers and compost toilets, a luxurious choice compared to a wild camp. Bring some pound coins for the showers.
Seathwaite Farm campsite (https://seathwaitefarmcamping.co.uk/)
A stunning morning sky over Seathwaite Farm campsite
DAY 2
The second day begins with a steady climb out of the valley. Along this route, there are some picturesque spots for a wild dip to freshen you up and shake any morning cobwebs off. The ice-cold water is a perfect way to start the day, and it really fired us up for the climb.
The bulk of the climbing is done pretty steadily as you head out the valley, then you have a few hundred metres of steeper climbing to reach the summit of Esk Pike (885m). Because of the height you gain here, you get some incredible views. The climbing is not over yet, though, as you continue onto the summit of Bowfell (902m). The highest point of the route. Here, you are greeted again with stunning 360-degree views overlooking Scafell Pike (978, the highest point in England), Harrison Stickle (732m), Crinkle Crags (859m) and Pike of Blisco (705m).
Moody skies over Scafell Pike
After all the climbing, your legs will be thanking you as you begin the descent into the great Langdale Valley. This is one of my favourite areas of the Lake District, as you’re surrounded by some of the biggest peaks, deep in the heart of the national park. It’s not short of pubs either, so you can fill your boots with refreshments once you’ve made your way down. The Langdale acoustic music festival happened to be on the weekend that we did it, so naturally, we indulged in some pints and entertainment at the Old Dungeon Ghyll pub. You can take you’re pick when you’re there out of many options:
Old Dungeon Ghyll pub (https://www.odg.co.uk/)
New Dungeon Ghyll pub (https://newdungeonghyll.co.uk/)
Lanty Slee’s pub (https://lantyslangdale.com/)
As for where to sleep, this depends on how you’re feeling. We felt a little tired after the elevation of the day and indulged a little too heavily on food and pints, so we opted to stay on a campsite not far from Lanty Slee’s. After speaking to a local who recommended Baysbrown Farm campsite, we chose to pay to stay there; it was £15 per person, which included hot showers and toilets. Another night of ‘luxury’. They even had a food van serving bacon sandwiches for breakfast the next morning, so it turned out to be a pretty good choice. If you’re feeling fit, the route can be adjusted to account for a wild camp at Stickle Tarn; I’ve camped there previously, and it serves up some serious views. It’s a fairly steep climb up there, but it only takes about an hour depending on your pace.
Baysbrown Farm campsite (https://baysbrownfarmcampsite.co.uk/)
Views from Baysbrown Farm campsite
DAY 3
The start of Day 3 is a push into Grasmere. If you opt to stay in Langdale Valley, the route takes you through Chapel Stile and around Silver How; it’s fairly easy hiking compared to the previous 2 days. If you camp at Stickle Tarn, you’ll have to go over Blea Rigg (545m), then descend through Lang How (400m) and Silver How (394m). Most of the elevation of this section will have been done the night before, though, so it shouldn’t be too taxing on the legs. This will then lead you back onto the route. Once in Grasmere, there are again plenty of options to grab some refreshments. We arrived into Grasmere at 10:30, so we grabbed some coffee and cake at Mathilde’s Cafe.
Mathilde’s Cafe (https://www.heatoncooper.co.uk/pages/mathildes-cafe)
After Grasmere, you join onto the Coffin Route. This is a lovely, well-established trail with some very pleasant hiking overlooking Rydal Water. Once you reach Rydal, you can drop down towards the River Rothay where the Badger Bar awaits you, for you guessed it, another pint.
Badgers Bar (https://www.theglenrothay.co.uk/the-badger-bar)
After Rydal, you follow a trail through some woodlands that takes you into Ambleside. This is one of the most built-up towns in the Lake District, so take your pick of food/drinks venues here. Or you can just continue through if you don’t feel you need anything (who would do that?). I would advise you to fuel up here some way or another, though, as a climb up Wansfell Pike (482m) awaits you after Ambleside. Not the biggest mountain by any stretch, but the route certainly packs a punch after 3 days of hiking. As soon as we reached the summit, we began looking for a wildcamp spot. I would advise doing this because you get some lovely views overlooking the vast Lake Windermere, and from here, your final destination is now in your sights.
Setting up camp for the final night
DAY 4 (home time)
By this point, you’ll either be sad to be leaving the Lake District or very happy that you’re going back to home comforts. The final day is easy hiking descending down Wansfell into Troutbeck Bridge. After turning left past the Sun Inn to join onto Patterdale Road, I would suggest joining onto the footpath to your left, instead of carrying on down Patterdale Road.
Either way, this will lead you to your final destination, Windermere. Here you can grab something to eat/drink while you wait for your train home, wherever that may be.
Logistics
KIT
This hike involves carrying your own gear, including a tent and all your sleeping stuff, prepare as you would for a wild camp. Keeping everything as light as possible is always recommended for multi-day hikes, and I can’t recommend hiking poles enough if you’re putting the miles in over multiple days. They take so much pressure off your joints and make the whole experience so much more enjoyable. I will post a breakdown of the gear I take on multi-day hikes at some point, so if it’s not on the content page, it will be soon.
TRAVEL
As stated at the top, the start and finish points of this hike are very well connected by public transport. I live in Leeds, so for me this included;
To start: Train from Leeds → Penrith. Bus from Penrith → Keswick. (£26 total)
Back home: Train from Windermere → Leeds. (£13)
As this is a Linear route, you will either need to use public transport or park in Keswick somewhere that allows you to park for multiple days and then get a bus from Windermere to Keswick once you’ve finished. I much prefer using public transport, though, as it takes the stress of driving out, and it feels like much more of an adventure when you get to your starting point.
