Our guide to luxury holidays in the Lake District

Home to mountain passes, ancient tarns, sweet-scented bakeries, and storied fells, this pocket of Cumbria calls to wildlings. Make afternoon reveries a reality with our Unique guide to luxury holidays in the Lake District.

Welcome to Wordsworth country. The wild expanse of the Lake District is Britain's answer to the Alps; a region where days are spent seeking summits, sipping hot chocolate, and wild swimming in Swallows and Amazons waters. With boots laced, pocket maps at the ready, and hands still sticky from Grasmere gingerbread, these hills can make a mountaineer out of the slickest of city-dwellers. A land of first prizes, the Lake District is England’s largest National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site (spanning a staggering 2,292 sq km) and home to both its highest mountain and deepest lake, Scafell and Wastwater.

With the sheer scale of the region in mind, mapping out your ideal Lakeland escape might feel somewhat mystifying, which is why we’ve covered the best places to eat, top things to do, and all the must-not-miss sights in our guide to luxury holidays in the Lake District. But for that, you’re going to need a base; from rural idylls channelling Narnia-esque interiors to 16th-century farmhouses taking Scandi-design to new heights, there’s never been a chicer place to hang up your walking wares, pop dumplings on the stew, and plan a route over a pot of tea. This is the Lake District – but not as you know it.