Things to do in Ambleside, Lake District

Hire from Waterhead Pier (1 mile from town). £12 an hour for a wooden rowing boat on Windermere. The north end of the lake is the quiet end.

3 miles south at Hawkshead Hill, LA22 0NG. The Lakes' most-celebrated pub restaurant — own brewery, valley views, fire in winter. Book weeks ahead.

3 miles, easy, through Wordsworth country. Includes Rydal Cave — a flooded quarry cave you can walk into. Quiet even on busy weekends.

20-minute drive south to Bowness. Guided night kayak trips June–September. Wetsuits provided. On clear nights, bioluminescence in the water.

Wordsworth's home for 37 years — the gardens are still as he designed them. Smaller, quieter and more atmospheric than Dove Cottage. £10 adult.

Half-day walk into the Langdale Valley. 5 miles through woodland to a broad, powerful waterfall, finishing at Elterwater village. Pub lunch at the Britannia Inn.

20-minute drive west. The most dramatic valley in the Lakes — no through road, just fells, a pub at the end (Old Dungeon Ghyll) and proper silence.

The best local Cumbrian produce in the area — cheese, cured meats, baked goods. Pair with a coffee at the café overlooking Loughrigg.

Ambleside's local-favourite pub. Real ales, good food, proper atmosphere. The kind of place locals stay all afternoon.

Ambleside Watersports at Waterhead Pier hire SUPs, kayaks and rowing boats. The northern end of Windermere is quieter than Bowness. From £15/hour.

17th-century cottage built directly on a stone bridge over Stock Ghyll. Free to view. Possibly the quirkiest little building in England. 2 min from market cross.

Wordsworth's home for 37 years. Gardens still laid out as he designed them. Smaller and more atmospheric than Dove Cottage in Grasmere.

Loughrigg is a Dark Sky Discovery site. Local outfits run guided summer evening walks for stargazing on clear nights. June–September.

Original Beatrix Potter illustrations you've never seen — many done as scientific botanical studies. Roman finds. Strangely brilliant. LA22 9BL.

A flooded slate quarry cavern you can wade into — a few inches of water, daylight pouring through the roof. Free, halfway round the Rydal Water walk.

Free to view, 2 minutes from the market cross. The tiny 17th-century cottage built on a stone bridge — one of England's most photographed buildings.

Free entry, always open, 1,900 years old. Walk out from Waterhead along the lake shore. Genuinely atmospheric in low evening light.

Riverside green space, playground, open lawns. Free Sunday parking nearby. Best picnic spot in central Ambleside.

3-mile easy circular walk. Wordsworth's lake, Rydal Cave halfway round, lake-edge path through woodland. £3 parking, the walk itself is free.

Free, 4-mile circular, 2 hours, 335m summit with panoramic views over both Grasmere and Windermere. The best free thing to do in Ambleside on a clear day.

Massive covered food hall, café with fell views, indoor shopping. The local rainy-day default. Easily two hours undercover. Free entry. LA22 0DW.

20-minute drive south. Stunning modern building on the water, restored steam launches, café with lakeside terrace. Two-hour wet-weather plan.

25-minute drive. Giant grass-roofed arts and food centre. Cinema, exhibitions, climbing wall and one of the best food halls in Cumbria. Free entry.

Town-centre four-screen indie cinema. Pizza restaurant, jazz bar and café in the same building — easily half a day of dry. LA22 9AD.

25-minute drive south near Bowness. National Trust. Original 1900 fittings, lakeside café, contemporary craft shop. Underrated rainy-day option.

Ambleside centre. Real ales, occasional live music, dogs welcome. Where locals end up after work — the actual heart of the town's evening.

A four-screen indie cinema, a pizza restaurant, and a jazz bar — in one building. The closest the Lakes get to a proper night out. Central Ambleside, LA22 9AD.

Dark Sky Discovery site, 20 minutes' walk from town. Drive up to the lay-by or walk from Rothay Park. Head torch on, blanket, flask — extraordinary on clear nights.

3 miles from town. The lake in the last hour of light is extraordinary — quiet, still, the fells reflecting. Park at Rydal village and walk five minutes in.

Long-established Ambleside favourite. Eclectic menu, generous portions, good wine list. The local pick for a properly Ambleside evening out.