We can recommend a most excellent amble in Ambleside. Excellent ambles are of course available all around as Ambleside is at the top of England’s biggest lake Windermere, but for a particularly scenic stroll, potter along the 13-mile Ambleside to Ferry Head stretch of the Windermere Way (the full walk, around the lake via Loughrigg Fall and the town of Windermere, is only 45 miles; share this fact bracingly with the kids).
We can recommend an additionally excellent activity in ambling – and camping – in Ambleside: ten pubs are clustered within a mere quarter mile, and if you’ve hiked a goodly part of the Windermere Way we wouldn’t judge anyone for having a pub crawl. Ambleside campsites are also a heady base for mountainous types on bike or foot: the 18-mile Langdale Loop starts and finishes here, and folk flock to Ambleside all year round to tackle the crags of Langdale and stock up on climbing gear. And fret not if your idea of a most excellent holiday involves having a most excellent rest: steamer cruises depart from Ambleside to see the sights less strenuously – and we do believe we’ve mentioned the ten pubs within a quarter of a mile?
