Things to See and Do in The Lake District

Welcome to The Lake District dot eu, the site dedicated to the stunning Lake District of northern England. Find local Lakeland things to see and do plus other info with our pages.

If the lake District is short of anything, it certainly isn't the number of places of interest to visit. Lakeland is a treasure trove of towns, villages, historic sites, ruined monasteris, grand houses, museums big and small, local craft centres and so on through a seemingly endless list; and that doesn't include the stunning beauty of the landscape that greets you at every turn.

The historically important sites to visit range between those that are little more than low stonework and outline walls on the ground, to structures and buildings that are in ruins but whose purpose is recognisable, and to buildings that have withstood the test of time and are still intact today. Some are free to visit and some have an entry fee; some are well signposted and others have to be searched for in the surroundings.

If it's homes and houses of the past that you'd like to visit then you might wish to see Mirehouse, near Keswick, which is a home still in family hands and which dates back to the late 17th century. The Townend Statesman's House, at Troutbeck, near Windermere dates back to the early 17th century and is a beautifully preserved example, complete with furnishings, of a wealthy farming family. Between Wrynose Pass and Cockley Beck, about 12 miles to the west of Ambleside, you can find the ruined farmstead at Gaitscale which was inhabited in the late 17th and the 18th century but, for as yet unknown reasons, was a ruin by the early 19th. On Barnscar, on Birkby Fell, can be seen the remains of roundhouses and enclosures for animals, in a settlement dating back to Roman times but not of Roman origin. Brantwood House, near Coniston, and once the home of John Ruskin, is open to the public as a museum dedicated to the life and work of Ruskin but also, in the grounds of the house, is a reconstructed 'bark peeler's hut'. This was the temporary summer home of men, and their families, whose job it was to supply the tanneries with bark 'peeled' from the oak trees before they were coppiced. Blackwell, just south of Bowness on Windermere, is where you'll find the slightly more up to date 'holiday home' of a wealthy Manchester industrialist. This home was completed in 1900 and is a fine example of the 'arts and craft' movement.

When we think of the Lake District our minds tend to think more of its beauty and of leisure activites and we can forget that it had itsown important place in the times of the Industrial Revolution. The mighty cotton mills of Lancashire had a never-ending need for bobbins and a large percentage of these came from the lake District. Stott Park Bobbin Mill, near Newby Bridge, and dating from 1835, is now a working museum where you can still see bobbins being made. Another mill, Howk Bobbin Mill, at Caldbeck, also helped to meet those demands. It closed in 1924 but is now part of a conservation project to protect the industrial heritage. If it's the remains of a Roman Fort that you want to see, then go no further than Ambleside. Once on the supply route from Ravenglass, excavations have revealed the foundations of important buildings, granaries, gates and defences, for visitors to wander around. The remains of another Roman fort can also be seen about 14 kms north east of Ravenglass, at the west end of Hardknott Pass.

In the northern part of the Lake District you can visit Force Crag Mine, where lead was mined as long ago as Elizabethan times. Swinside Stone Circlen near Broughton in Furness is one of the finest in Britain. It dates from Neolithic times and has 55 stones. Most notable of all is Castlerigg Stone Circle, dating back 5,000 years. Not far away are the remains of the late Bronze Age settlement at Threlkeld. Further to the east is the White Raise Cairn, a burial mound on Askham Fell.

Other places of interest include Dalemain House, near Penrith; the remains of Myers Lead Mine near Hartsop; and the ruins of Shap Abbey, dating back to 1200. Back to industrial history and a visit to Rusland Tannery, near Newby Bridge is interesting. Visitors can see the main tannery building, dating from the mid 1700s, where the hides were scraped and soaked in the tanning pits before emerging as leather. Not far from Coniston are dozens of old copper mines dating back to the 1600s; the remains of many can be seen along the valley. Still with industrial sites, the Duddon Iron Furnace, near Broughton in Furness, dating back to 1736, is the oldest such site in northern England. It is a charcoal fired iron blast furnace. A conservation programme has saved the original buildings including the furnace stack and the storerooms.

This list is very far from complete, as there is so much to see, discover and enjoy in this beautiful part of England. Visit some of the more well known sites but also find the thrill of discovering those hidden gems, for yourself.