Villas in Lake District

Grasmere and Ambleside suit fell walkers, Penrith suits Ullswater, and Grange-over-Sands suits a quieter week by Morecambe Bay. Our Lake District homes are holiday cottages spread across Cumbria, several outside the national park, so check the map before you book. Expect rain in any month, and allow around five hours by car from London.

Where

Villas: 19
From, per week: £1,477
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: By road from London, allow around five hours to Windermere or Penrith via the M6. Avanti West Coast trains from London Euston reach Oxenholme in under three hours, with a change for Windermere, and Penrith a little later. Manchester is the nearest major airport, around an hour and a half to two hours' drive away.

Where to stay in Lake District

Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere (central lakes)

This is the busiest part of the Lakes and where most of our cottages are. Lake cruises run from Bowness and from Waterhead at Ambleside, and Ambleside is a base for Loughrigg Fell and Stock Ghyll Force. Grasmere has Dove Cottage, where Wordsworth lived, and its gingerbread shop. Windermere is the only town here with a railway station, on the branch line from Oxenholme.

Best for: First visits, lake cruises and fell walks from the door

Not for you if: You want quiet roads in August: Bowness and Ambleside jam up in the school holidays and parking is scarce.

Kendal and the eastern fringe (Bretherdale)

Kendal is a working market town of grey limestone, with Abbot Hall art gallery by the River Kent and the mint cake it is known for. Oxenholme station, on the West Coast main line, is just outside. Bretherdale is a small side valley in the hills near Tebay, a few minutes from the M6, with Shap and the eastern fells close by and very little traffic.

Best for: A market town base with the M6 and main line close by

Not for you if: You want lake views from the window: Kendal is about 20 minutes from Windermere, and Bretherdale is quiet hill farming country.

Penrith, Morland and the Eden valley (for Ullswater)

Penrith is a red sandstone market town with a main line station, and Pooley Bridge at the foot of Ullswater is around 15 minutes away. The Ullswater steamers run from there to Glenridding, the start of the Helvellyn paths. Lowther Castle and its gardens are close by. Morland is a quiet village in the Eden valley to the south-east, on a stream beside an old church.

Best for: Ullswater, the eastern fells and easy access by train

Not for you if: You want to walk to the fells: Penrith and Morland are outside the national park, so most walks start with a drive.

Braithwaite and Cockermouth (north lakes)

Braithwaite sits at the foot of the Whinlatter Pass, a couple of miles from Keswick, with paths straight up Barrow and Causey Pike. Whinlatter Forest has marked bike trails and walks. Keswick has the Derwentwater launches and the Theatre by the Lake. Cockermouth, about 20 minutes west, is a Georgian market town with Wordsworth's birthplace, and Bassenthwaite Lake and Buttermere are both within half an hour.

Best for: Walkers and mountain bikers near Keswick and Derwentwater

Not for you if: You need a station: the nearest trains are at Penrith, about 40 minutes from Braithwaite.

Ulpha, Walney and the Furness side

Ulpha is a scattered hamlet in the Duddon Valley, among the quietest corners of the park, with narrow roads over Birker Fell to Eskdale and the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway. Walney Island is joined to Barrow by a bridge. South Walney nature reserve has a grey seal colony, and the west shore faces open sea. Coniston is around 40 minutes from Barrow.

Best for: Quiet valleys, seals and shoreline walks away from the crowds

Not for you if: You want classic lakeside scenery: Walney is a flat coastal island by the town of Barrow-in-Furness, not part of the national park.

Grange over Sands and Cartmel (Morecambe Bay)

Grange-over-Sands is an Edwardian resort with a long promenade along Morecambe Bay and a station on the coast line to Barrow. Cartmel, about five minutes away, has a medieval priory, a small racecourse and the shop that made sticky toffee pudding famous. Holker Hall is nearby. Guided walks across the bay sands run in summer with the official guide. Bowness is around half an hour by car.

Best for: Couples who want a seaside promenade, gardens and good food

Not for you if: You want a beach to swim from: Morecambe Bay has quicksand and fast tides, and the shore is mud and saltmarsh.

When to go to Lake District

The Lake District is one of the wettest parts of England, so pack waterproofs in any month. May, June and September usually bring the best mix of long days and quieter paths. The summer holidays are busy, with traffic queues around Bowness, Ambleside and Keswick and full car parks by mid-morning. Autumn colour peaks in October. In winter the high fells can hold snow and ice, days are short, and some cafés and attractions cut their hours.