Rainy Day in the Lake District

It will rain. The Lake District has the highest rainfall in England. Here is the plan.

First option: walk anyway

With proper gear, a rainy day walk in the Lakes is one of the best experiences the place offers. The waterfalls are at full flow. The crowds are gone. The valleys have mist. The light is different from a clear summer day. What changes is the experience, not the quality. You need: waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers (not optional), proper boots, gloves, a warm layer. With those, drizzle and light rain are entirely comfortable.

Best wet weather walks

• →Aira Force (CA11 0JS): spectacular after rain, 2-mile circuit, NT café, any age
• →Sourmilk Gill and Easedale Tarn, Grasmere: the waterfall doubles in size after overnight rain
• →Grizedale Forest (LA22 0QJ): tree cover makes this the most comfortable wet walk in the Lakes
• →Stock Ghyll Force, Ambleside: 20 minutes from the town centre, excellent after heavy rain

Best museums

• →Windermere Jetty Museum (LA23 3JH): the best museum building in the Lakes, boats on the water. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
• →Pencil Museum, Keswick (CA12 5NG): unexpectedly good. 2 hours. Not expensive.
• →Keswick Museum and Art Gallery (CA12 5NJ): free entry, local natural history and literary connections.
• →Brantwood, Coniston (LA21 8AD): Ruskin's house with woodland gardens. Half a day.
• →Dove Cottage and Wordsworth Museum, Grasmere (LA22 9SH): literary history, guided tours.

The pub option

A good Lake District pub in October with an open fire and a proper cask ale after a walk in the rain is one of the better evenings available anywhere. The Old Dungeon Ghyll in Langdale (LA22 9JU) is the gold standard. The Wasdale Head Inn (CA20 1EX) requires more of a drive but is worth it. The Kirkstone Pass Inn (LA23 1LU) is atmospheric on a stormy day, situated on the pass between Windermere and Ullswater.

For families in the rain

• →Go Ape, Grizedale Forest (LA22 0QJ): operates in most conditions, book ahead
• →World of Beatrix Potter, Bowness (LA23 3BX): under-8s, about an hour
• →Keswick leisure centre (CA12 5NB): public pool with family swim sessions
• →Rheged near Penrith (CA11 0DQ): cinema, climbing wall, soft play

Damian Roche

Founder, Churchtown Media. Builder of TheLakesGuide.co.uk, TheLakesWildlife.co.uk, and HikeTheLakes.com. Southport-based. Regular Lakes visitor for decades.