out and about

Things to do

There are many, comprehensive guides to the local area and the Lakes and specialist guides for activities and interests.

Cumbria Tourism's golakes.com website is a good place to start.

My own favourite walks, events, activities and places include;

Walks - on Claife Heights, this wooded ridge between Hawkshead and Windermere offers good, quiet, unchallenging walking all year and is rewarde by views of Windermere and Ambleside, especially from the sunmmit of Latterbarrow.

In the woods above the house - these National Trust owned woods are gorgeous at any time of year, but in the spring are carpeted with bluebells.  They are home to extensive wildlife, it's not uncommon to see deer, buzzards and jays and to hear cuckoos.

Esthwaite Water is a privately owned fishery but does welcome visitors on a lakeside walk and to take out small boats for fishing or viewing the birdlife. At the time of writing (2016) ospreys have nested, and reared chicks at Esthwaite for each of the past 5 years. www.ospreysafari.com

Tarn Hows is a pretty, tree fringed tarn, with National Trust carpark around 10 minutes drive from Green End. ww.nationaltrust.org.uk/tarn-hows-and-coniston

The Langdales, Coniston, Ambleside, Rydal and Grasmere are all within 20 minutes drive from Hawkshead.

Grizedale Forest is a magnet for wildlife and art lovers and thrill seekers alike featuring red kites, sculpture trails, zip wire adventures and daredevil mountain biking routes. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale

Galleries and museums - the Beatrix Potter gallery is in Hawkshead village and her home, Hill Top is in nearby Sawrey.  The National Trust manage both of these properties. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hill-top

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beatrix-potter-gallery-and-hawkshead

John Ruskin's home at Brantwood http://www.brantwood.org.uk/ is sited on the shore of Coniston and William Wordsworth's Dove Cottage is at Grasmere. https://wordsworth.org.uk/visit.html

Sports events and agricultural shows

Green End House is a great base if you're competing in (or spectating) at the host of sporting events held locally including the Great North Swim http://www.greatrun.org/great-swim/great-north-swim, the Hawkshead trail run http://www.lakelandtrails.org/hawkshead/, Brathay marathon https://www.brathay.org.uk/marathon-welcome and myriad cycle and triathlon races.

Hawkshead hosts it's own agricultural show in August http://www.hawksheadshow.co.uk/; the sports events at Grasmere http://grasmeresports.com/ and Ambleside http://www.amblesidesports.co.uk/ are well worth attending too.

I love my food and drink and will happily point you in the direction of all sorts of treats from cafes and restaurants to pubs and breweries.

My current favourites are the Drunken Duck at Barngates (dining pub and brewey) http://drunkenduckinn.co.uk/, Chesters by the River http://www.chestersbytheriver.co.uk/index.html, Lake Road Kitchen http://www.lakeroadkitchen.co.uk/, Old Stamp House http://www.oldstamphouse.com/, The Samling http://www.thesamlinghotel.co.uk/, Forest Side http://www.theforestside.com/ and on and on and on....Cumbria is wonderful for foodies!