Top Destinations. Coniston Water, South Lakes, Grizedale Forest, Rydal Falls, Lake Windermere.
This Summer me and Andy met up with some of my fellow van friends and DIY roadies Lisa and Colin, you can find them at @SHED_WITHABED. Or through my Instagram account posts at @VANLIFEWITHLUCI.
I originally had met Lisa through our love for the outdoors and adventure activities. We meet to go Paddleboarding on an icy winter morning in February in the Peak District and have friends ever since.
We deicide to go wild camping in the Lake District to mark the start of their van build and had a wonderful time exploring the Southern and Central Lake District.
Meeting at the East shore of Coniston Water. We parked the vans in the National Trust’s forest car park 5 minutes North of the Activity Center. There are clear no camping signs here to not stay overnight as we arrived some folks, who had were being camping overnight by the looks of it were being told to leave swiftly. However, we used this day parking space as a basepoint for our adventures as it is a 20 meter walk across the road to the pebble shoreline to cast off a paddleboard and head into the water.
After blowing up our paddleboards and having a catch-up with a coffee we set off for a swim and a paddle. Coniston is a beautiful body of water 5.5 miles long which is perfectly framed by an outline of surrounding fells, including the famous Old Man of Coniston. Coniston Water itself was used to transport slate and ore from the many mines worked in the Coppermines Valley and I noticed that after swimming in the water my skin felt soft as the water is naturally filtered as it flows into the lake.
The lake has little wind and was perfect conditions for a paddle despite being a drizzly day. My top top would be watch out for when the boats and passenger ferry whizzing by causing waves on the lake.
We then left for a drive through to Rydal and to visit the waterfalls, which are a few km walks through the Rydal Hall Estate.
The house itself is a beautiful traditional 16th-century house and the grounds designed by Thomas Mawson in 1909 host lots of sculptures and forna from around the world.
The South of the ground also hosts a sculpture trail that is assessable for children and leads to a grotto. I would also suggest popping into the Viewing House, the first-ever viewing platform built in Britain which overlooks the lower falls through a cute little window perfect in any weather.
After a waterfall dip and tour around the stunning grounds, we left Rydall and headed to park up for the night and enjoyed a game of cards and listening to the birds and wildlife.
Early Sunday morning I woke up to head into Ambleside village center to check out the high street and famous National Trust Bridge House. We then ventured up to Grizedale Forest to take the Grizedale Tarn Trail. A lovely steep walk in sections passing over the Centenary Bridge, and the forest’s current Clockwork Art exhibition.
There was a diverse array of newly planted coppice, forest and the tarn itself had a beautiful tarn where the bubbles are not from fishes, but the realise of natural methane. But that doesn’t stop the lily pads, dragonflies, and a host of insects and wildlife local to the area from thriving. You might occasionally hear the whizzing of a large zip line GoApe runs throughout the forest.
After lunch out of the van, we headed to the Southside of Lake Windermere at Lakeside. The site is all owned by National Trust and well managed. There is an old Victorian boathouse and the pleasure steam train stops there on its tour around the lake. A popular spot for swimming due to its warmer, shallower water as the lake flows out into the River Leven. It didn’t disappoint and the buoys were well marked and well used. A little busy on a Sunday afternoon our party still enjoyed a swim and soaked in the green and charming views that Windermere has to offer with pretty boats and yachts hosting their sails in the harbor.
Windermere is a great place for a swim and a giant ice cream, which can be brought out of the Boathouse cafe at the National Trust. Parking can be found at Fell Foot Park but at £10 a day as a flat rate for non-National Trust members it is worth staying for a few hours.
After a wonderful weekend spending time with friends and exploring lakes, forests and waterfalls we said goodbye to each other and headed out of the Lakes with a heavy heart and hopeful promise to visit again soon and see the North and Eastern lakes next time.
Top 3 Tips for Van Adventures in the lakes
CHECK ROUTES if you are using a sat nav ensure you have it set to the correct width of your van, as some roads are very narrow and steep.
PARKING can be very expensive as it is a well-visited and accessible part of the UK from lots of cities. Therefore,
STAY OUT OF SIGHT. Overnight camping on the lakesides can be difficult as you are more likely to be moved on by police or locals as you are more visible. The roads around the Lakes are well-traveled and monitored, so keep a backup plan and check out overnight friendly carparks with toilets and cheap campsites in advance.
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