Unwind in the Lake District: Your Perfect Non-Hiking Weekend Getaway

Whilst the Lake District is known for it’s walks (for all levels), sometimes you want a relaxing weekend without hiking up a hill. This itinerary is perfect if you want to explore the lakes, and get a feel for the culture and food of the area (and get a scenic view or two in as well)!

This itinerary is specifically looking at the south lakes – windermere and ambleside being the main focus! So leave your walking boots at home, and unwind in the Lake District…

How to spend three day weekend in The Lake District

Where to stay in The Lake District

There is a whole host of amazing places to stay in the lakes, but if you’re wanting to unwind, then a spa hotel will be your best option!

Beech Hill Hotel & Spa has views overlooking the lake, including hot tubs, and an incredible restaurant as well. You can read all about the Beech Hill Hotel & Spa in my review here

Day one in The Lake District

So you’ve arrived in the gorgeous Lake District, with the rolling fells and peaceful lakes (and hopefully some sunshine!). Where to first?

Head to the Windermere Jetty Museum to learn about the history of Windermere and the boats that sail on there. This is a gorgeous museum, with incredible exhibitions. Don’t forget to have a cuppa or some lunch in the cafe here, where you will have picturesque views over Windermere. In the summer season, you can also hop on one of the heritage boats for a ride on the lake.

After looking around the museum, walk or drive down to Brockhole on Windermere. There is so much to do here, from mini-golf, to go karts, to walks. Or be more daring and head on the tree top treks and take the big zip line down to the shore of the lake.

The cafe and restuarant here are amazing, and offer a wide variety of options from cakes to fine dining!

Day two in the Lakes : picturesque views of Windermere without the hike

After waking up with views of Windermere from Beech Hill Hotel & Spa – kick off the weekend with a few hours in the spa, to really relax you.

To get the best views of Windermere, without too much of a walk, head to Claife Viewing Station. You can get here using the windermere ferry to get to the south shore, and in 10 minutes be at the viewing station. It was actually one of the first purpose-built monuments to entice early tourists to the area to enjoy scenic views.

After enjoying the view, you can walk to the courtyard to Joey’s Cafe. This cafe is gorgeous – with so many vegan options as well. Get cosy inside, or enjoy the outdoors in the courtyard. They even have dog ice cream (which my border collie loved).

If you’ve driven to Claife Viewing Station, take the short drive up to Wray Castle, another national trust property. There’s also a 4-mile lakeshore path so you can walk to the castle if you do feel like a little walk!

Wray Castle has panoramic views of Windermere, and has a really interesting history. Built by a surgeon and an heiress from Liverpool, the castle was always meant to be a home. There are plenty of walks here, as well as a 19th century local photography exhibition which is free to enter. Oh, and Joey’s Cafe is here too!

In the evening, head to Ambleside and have dinner and a cinema trip to Zeffirellis!

Day three in The Lake District : heading home via Kendal

Wake up on your final day and head to Homeground Coffee + Kitchen for breakfast. Not only is the food incredibly instagrammable, it also tastes insane!

After breakfast, head over to Blackwell arts & crafts house, where you can explore the perfectly preserved Arts and Crafts. The house was designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, and is absoloutely stunning. It’s well worth a visit, and there are guided tours through the day as well.

In the afternoon, drive towards Kendal and stop off at Low Sizergh Barn which has an incredible farm shop so you can stock up on some tasty souveniers. If you’re lucky, you might even catch the cows going to the milking parlour!

After a stop at Low Sizergh, head on over to Sizergh Castle, which has beautiful gardens, a second hand bookshop, cafe and lots of walks. It’s an incredibly calming place, and if you love gardens, you will love it here!

So there’s your 3 day, non walking, itinerary for a weekend in the lake district! For more lake district content, click here, and don’t forget to follow along on instagram for microadventures, good food and slow living!