Lake District
Fell Walking in England
The English are all about walking out in nature. There are places across the island that are reknowned for scenic beauty from the vantage point of a person on foot with a walking stick and knapsack. Perhaps the most famous area boasting of dramatic vistas, comfy Inns, and lots of wilderness (it's a national park) is the Lake District tucked up under the Scottish border in northwest England. Hillwalking in the Lake District is famous because in the 2,362 km2 (912 square miles) of natural wonder you will find 16 major lakes and the highest peak in England, Scafell Pike. In this network of fellwalking tracks, you can design a trek for an hour, a day, or a week. So grab your hiking boots and hit the trails!
Background
If you’ve ever watched British TV or movies, you know that there will always be a shot of folks walking in the countryside with their walking sticks. The English are committed to “taking the air” and going “for a constitutional” which are codes names for walking in the countryside.
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Ironically many people think of London when they think of England, but there is more countryside than there is cityside on the British Isles. And lots of meadows with sheep.
The Lake District is a roughly circular landmass, with steep mountains deeply etched by a spoke-like pattern of valleys with finger-like lakes - largely the result of repeated scouring by glaciers over the last 2 million years. This makes for a varied repertoire of path types, from flat meadowy valley strolls to switchbacked, roughhewn, rocky climbs.
In England the sanctity of walking is preserved legally by designations of “public footpaths.”These are paths on which the public have a protected right to travel on foot. It is likely that many footpaths in the countryside date back hundreds of years. Paths will bring you close to farmhouses, through fields and cow pastures (which to an American might feel like trespassing), over kissing gates, and up steep slopes where only sheep will be found hanging out.
Tourism has been a thing in the Lake District since the 1700’s when the benefits of chilin’ in nature began to attract poets, writers, and artists who settled and popularized the area. Railways provided access to the region in the 1800’s allowing for more visits from casual holiday-makers. In 2022, the National Park registered 18.14 million tourist visitors competing for space on the roads and in parking lots.
Standing atop a fell peak you can look down into the verdant valleys and imagine the glaciers scouring down the craggy rocks into the soft u-shaped dales of today. Sheep dot the hillsides which are covered with short scrub and heather, and the fell tops are barren and rubble-strewn.
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How to book:
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It is super important to understand your abilities and limits and take on hill walking at your own pace. You can do all the research about hiking options and travel arrangements online, but I recommend getting a paper book with maps so you can tuck it into your backpack and have it on hand at all times. It is OK to be conservative about planning travel distances and times - worst case you will arrive to each destination early, affording you extra time to sit and meditate on the beauty of these hills and dales.
Climate:​
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Due to its geographic location and mountainous terrain, the Lake District is the wettest part of England with annual precipitation of more than 2,000 mm (80 in). Average monthly rainfalls are a low of 3.25” in May to a high of 7.75” in December.
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June through September are the months when the snow is not a barrier, the days are a perfect temperature for walking uphill (It never gets hot with highs generally in the upper sixties), and the nights are chilly but not cold (you’ll be too tired from all that walking to do anything but sleep anyway).​​
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Access:
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Roads - if you must drive into the Lake District, you will probably encounter many other motorists wishing to do the very same thing. During the summer, expect traffic. If you are planning to do a multi-day walk, you might want to get dropped off or find another mode of transport to your origin point.
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Rail - you can probably take a train to your point of origin, or a train connecting to a bus. I started in Ulverston, walked for 5 days, and ended in Carlisle. Both accessible by train. The Brits invented the locomotive and do a damn good job of getting you there by rail.
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Bus - don’t worry, if you’re too wet or your feet have blisters you can take a bus the rest of the way to your accommodations! The bus system in the Lake District is comprehensive and dependable (it will not, however, take you up the fells - you will need to do this with your own internal combustion).
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Gear:​
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Plan to dress in layers that can be easily stripped and stowed in your day pack. Insulating and breathable layers will help keep you dry
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It will absolutely rain when you are there, it’s just a matter of how much, so make sure you have appropriate gear
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Waterproof jacket and waterproof pants ​
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Comfortable hiking pants - light, performance fabrics are best. Avoid cotton and denim which stay wet and are heavy
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Waterproof hiking boots - with ankle protection and good tread for traction on slippery rocks
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Waterproof cover for your day pack
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Hat and gloves - even in summer for it can be cold at the peaks and in the evenings
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Walking socks - breathable and lightweight, consider liner socks to help minimize blisters
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Comfortable day pack - sufficient to hold water, food for the day, and extra clothing
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Sun protection - sunscreen, hat or visor, and sunglasses
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Etcetera
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Walking poles
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Gaiters for walking through tall grass
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Food to get you through the day, lunch snacks and energy bars
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Water bottles
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Mobile phone for pictures and those times when you can actually get reception
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Paper maps with description of landmarks along your route
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Compass
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Whistle and flashlight
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First aid kit
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Second Skin to cushion blisters (sorry, it’s inevitable)
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Lodging
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Inn to Inn walking - the great thing about a tourist destination is that private enterprise steps up to meet the demand. Alongside this flow of humans are services that accommodate the swell of visitors and, if you plan and book early, you will likely find places to stay at the end of each day of walking.
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In keeping with the mission to protect the natural splendor of this unique area, there are quaint lodgings that reflect the history and cultural heritage embodied in the villages and hamlets where people have settled over the years.
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You can string together a couple of days trekking or a whole week, walking from inn to inn with just your knapsack on your back. There are courier services that will ferry your other luggage to your next night’s lodging ahead of your arrival, and you will end your day with a meal and comfy bed (and probably some pints of ale to soothe the aches).
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You will absolutely want to plan your walk day-by-day and book your stays well ahead of time, especially in the high season. I booked six months ahead of my September trip but had to settle at least once for a lodging that was adequate but not optimal.
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I used google maps to find my lodgings of choice but you can also find websites to make the task easier.
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Know Your Limits
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Perhaps you are accustomed to walking 10 or more miles at home and figure you can make that your target mileage per day. Traversing the rubble-strewn, rocky stretches of the upper slopes of the fells involves navigating over rough terrain, more difficult than a hike up a loamy forest path and definitely more challenging than urban hiking.
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My first day out from Ulverston was planned to be a 13 mile walk. It looked like mostly flat, agricultural land so I figured - easy peasy. It rained most of the day making the going sluggish, and by mid afternoon I was looking for a bus stop to take me the rest of the way. In that bus shelter I met a couple of rugged, manly Aussie dudes who were also taking the bus the rest of the way. So, shorten your expectations. Besides, you will want to stop frequently to take photos, enjoy the scenery, and breathe in the serenity - and that takes time.
To help you make decisions about your trip
Recommendations
Pisa and Viareggio
Easy to access regionally from Lucca and worth the trip are Pisa, well known for the tower but there is more to see, and Viareggio, a typical seaside town for summer fun at the beach.
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In Pisa one must brave the tidal wave of vendors hawking tourist junk to get to the Piazza Miracoli with the cathedral, the tower, camposanto, and museum, etc. Good insta opps! The harbor is also an opportunity to see interesting architecture and scenic views, although the parking is madness in summer, so park once and walk.
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Viareggio is a short 20 minute train ride from Lucca. There is also a non-stop bus to take you there. A typical sesaside Italian town, the Main drag along the beach sports haut couture shops and sidewalk cafes. The beaches are mostly privately owned and you must rent an umbrella and chaise for the admission to the expanse of beachy waterfront. The mediterranean is not a warm bathtub as some might imagine - coming from California this was a small disappointment to us, but the water is a delightful refreshing respite from the heat and humidity of summer.
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Sheep
The English countryside is a perfect environment for sheep and they are a ubiquitous presence in the Lake District. In medieval England, wool was a major part of the national economy. Everyone who had land raised sheep for this purpose.
By the fifteenth century, England was exporting raw wool as well as wool cloth. It wasn’t until the 1960’s when cheaper goods and non-wool fabrics were being produced elsewhere that wool fell out of favor in the markets.*
Even though the number of sheep in English meadows today is on the decline, you can hardly take a photo without a woolly one in it. So what are all these sheep doing there?British farmers are raising sheep for lamb meat production to generate revenue since other products like wool and raw milk offer lower profitability.
Don’t think about where those baby sheep will end up when you are enjoying the white-dotted meadows in the Lake District. Of course, it is possible that they keep them as a tourist attraction...
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*https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Wool-Trade/
Keswick
As the commercial center of the Lake District tourism scene, Keswick deserves it’s own section. If you are short of supplies or in need of that waterproof jacket, you can find it in Keswick, as well as restaurants, inns, parks, cafes, and museums. There is a stone circle and a lake, too. I spent a delightful rainy afternoon sitting at a table in an upper story cafe with a pot of tea and scone with clotted cream and jam.
