3-Day Lake District Tour from Edinburgh - 3 Days

At 8:30 a.m. we leave Edinburgh and drive south through the Scottish Borders, with spectacular views of the Galloway Hills and the Southern Uplands, on our way to the first stop of the day: the Victorian spa town of Moffat. You proceed south across the border into England from Moffat and head to the ancient Cumbrian market town of Penrith. Here you will have the opportunity to have lunch and visit the ruins of Penrith Castle, which played a key role in preventing the Scots from invading the border. You drive to the Lake District National Park after lunch, along the northern shores of Ullswater, described as the most beautiful lake in England, where you can take a forest walk to see the mighty Aira Force waterfall.
We then drive to Keswick, stopping outside the city to visit the enigmatic standing stones of Castlerigg, the site of ancient rituals believed to have happened more than 5,000 years ago. Then you have a short drive to Keswick, a vibrant market town, where you will be dropped off at your accommodation.

You drive along the winding country lanes after breakfast to ride along Ullswater’s southern shores, taking breaks to take in the magnificent views of this spectacular lake. You stop at Lake Windermere to continue south over the narrow and winding Kirkstone Pass, where you have the choice of taking a leisurely cruise on the lake or simply eating lunch while enjoying views of the mountains and lakes.
We will drive around the southern tip of Windermere after lunch and on to Coniston Water and shortly afterwards you arrive at the picturesque conservation village of Hawkeshead, where grammar school was attended by the poet William Wordsworth.
After free time, we’ll take the narrow country lanes north towards Grasmere to explore the village. You’ll have free time to visit Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage, or enjoy the peace and quiet of the Rothy River’s Wordsworth Daffodil Garden. We will return to Keswick late in the afternoon.

You will be picked up from your hotel and head to the Whinlatter Forest Park and the Whinlatter Pass and some of the most dramatic scenery the Lake District has to offer. Through the rural village of High Lorton, along the quiet winding lanes to the shores of Crummock Water and Buttermere and on to the Honister mountain pass, your journey takes us. You will visit the old slate works, where a small number of Cumbrians continue to make their living, stopping between the mountains. You proceed through the woods of Borrowdale, passing Derwent Water on your return to Keswick after refreshments, where there is free time for lunch and shopping.
You commence your return journey after lunch by heading towards Penrith and then north towards the border. You make a stop in the town of Biggar, a royal burgh since 1415, after crossing into Scotland. It is a leisurely drive from here back to Edinburgh through the rolling border hills. Arriving at 7:30pm or so.