Lake District Cultural Highlights

Holidaying in the Lake District National Park? Its history is as rich and diverse as its peerless scenery – inspiration for many a poet and artist – is dramatic. As well as countless magical walks and hikes, the region is crammed with pretty villages, family-friendly attractions and enigmatic cultural landmarks. Combine that with the roster of outdoor festivals and cultural events, and you have plenty to see and do all year round. Here are some of Pitchup’s favourite Lake District attractions and annual events.

Grasmere

Where: LA22 9PZ
Admission: The village is free to enter. Book the museums in advance
Open: 24/7

Overlooking its namesake lake, cute-as-pie Grasmere is a photogenic labyrinth of pebbledashed cottages, Victorian villas built in green-blue slate, spa hotels, trendy art galleries and cafés selling Lakeland treats such as gingerbread and shortbread. 

The village is a popular hub for hiking and cycling on Loughrigg Fell, as well as shorter walks along the River Rothay. Its lakeside setting amid rugged fells certainly charmed the Romantic poets and especially William Wordsworth, who first made his home at tiny whitewashed Dove Cottage (now a museum dedicated to his works) and later lived at the rather grander Rydal Mount, also open for tours. 

Good to know: True Wordsworth aficionados can visit his grave in St Oswald’s churchyard; his beloved wife Mary is laid to rest next to him.

Hill Top House and Garden

Where: Near Sawrey, LA22 0LF
Admission: Tickets start at £16
Open: 10am–5pm Saturday to Thursday (April to October)

Much-loved children’s author Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top in 1905 following her success with ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’. From the moment she moved into this mellow-stoned 17th-century farmhouse, it inspired her beguiling stories and illustrations, and the lush cottage-style gardens and cosy period interiors – styled as though Potter has just left the room – will be familiar to all fans of Tom Kitten and Jemima Puddle-Duck. After revisiting your youth here, you can refuel in the pubs and cafés of pretty Hawkshead village, where that other famous Lakeland writer William Wordsworth went to school.

Good to know: Book tickets well in advance to guarantee entrance to Hill Top. Parking is free but the car park is very small.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Where: Castle Lane, Underskiddaw, Keswick, CA12 4RN
Admission: Free
Open: During daylight hours

Thanks to its spectacular setting on a low plateau encircled by undulating fells and with a backdrop of peaks including Helvellyn, Skiddaw and Blencathra, Castlerigg Stone Circle is the most-visited ancient site in the Lake District. 

You’re free to wander among the stones, thought to be at least 5,000 years old – making it even older than Stonehenge. A rough circle of 38 vast slate slabs, some reaching 7.5 ft (2.3 metres) in height, in turn embrace an inner rectangle of 10 additional stones. No one really knows why this Insta-ready neolithic circle was constructed, but it may have had religious or ceremonial functions.

Good to know: The site is often grazed by sheep so please keep any dogs under control.

Muncaster Castle, Gardens and Estate

Where: Ravenglass, CA18 1RQ
Admission: Tickets start at £16
Open: 10.30am–5pm every day (late March to early November) 

Overlooking the River Esk and oozing history from every medieval stone, handsome Muncaster Castle dates from the late 13th century and has been in the same family for over 800 years. Added to and augmented down the centuries, today it’s a one-stop family attraction encompassing audio tours of opulent and gilded state rooms, 77 acres of wonderfully landscaped gardens with woodland walks, and flying displays at the Hawk and Owl Centre. In summer there’s a schedule of reenactments and alfresco theatre performances, with themed events throughout the year.  

Good to know: Gorgeous any time of year, the gardens are at their colourful best in spring when swathes of scarlet rhododendron flowers are in full bloom.

Events - Keswick Mountain Festival

Where: Crow Park, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5DJ
Admission: Starting from £20
When: 17-19 May 2024

Where better to celebrate the glories of outdoor life than at Crow Park, overlooking the stunning shores of Derwentwater? Keswick Mountain Festival sees the coming together of international athletes and mountaineers in a three-day jamboree encompassing anything from extreme swimming to mountain biking and triathlon events. And there’s something for everyone in the family to enjoy, with schedules including motivational speakers like Alastair Humphreys (the self-professed ‘micro-adventurer’) and concerts by indie bands; the festival also has an artisan market showcasing the best of Cumbrian produce and crafts.

Good to know: Get ahead of the game by booking your Keswick campsite in advance.

Events - Grasmere Sports

Where: The Showfield, Stock Lane, Grasmere, Cumbria, LA22 9SL
Admission: £15 per adult, £5 per child on the day
When: 25 August 2024 (Sunday of the late August bank holiday weekend)

A fantastically popular tribute to the traditional sports of the Lake District, Grasmere Sports is held on the banks of the River Rothay and features hound trails and fell running as well as bringing ancient sports like Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling to an enthusiastic public. Possibly introduced by Viking invaders, this form of wrestling sees contenders dressed in long johns and T-shirts as they grapple with their opponents to throw them onto the grass.

Good to know: There’s bags of fun for the kids too; they can participate in their own sports day and enter their beloved pets into the fun dog show.

Cumbrian Cuisine

Once chiefly famous for Kendal Mint Cake (said to give hikers an energy boost, this sugary confection accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary up Everest in 1953), the Lake District National Park is now rightly renowned for its exceptional artisan produce. With their secret blend of spices, Cumberland sausages now have Protected Geographical Indication status, as does Herdwick hogget, acclaimed by chefs to be some of the finest lamb in the land.

When it comes to the sweet stuff, Grasmere gingerbread has been made to the same delicious recipe since the 1850s, and moreish sticky toffee pudding was the brainchild of a Lakelands chef in the 1960s.

Good to know: If you fancy a fine-dining experience, you may like to know that Lake District restaurants hold more Michelin stars than any UK region apart from London.