The Lake District: England

[cj1717]

We are planning a trip to the Lakes District in England and from there to Southampton.

I'm not sure about transportation needs. Will we need to rent a car?

I know the train system is very good and we can get down to Southampton via train.

Thanks in advance!

 

[braumeister]

I love the Lake District but there is a lot to explore there and I can't imagine doing it without a car. As long as you can handle driving on the "other" side of the road, I would recommend renting one. But get the smallest one you can -- those roads can be very narrow and without shoulders (drystone walls on both sides).

 

[euro]

I love the Lake District but there is a lot to explore there and I can't imagine doing it without a car. As long as you can handle driving on the "other" side of the road, I would recommend renting one. But get the smallest one you can -- those roads can be very narrow and without shoulders (drystone walls on both sides).

Agreed. Rent a car. Yes, there is SOME public transport, but many of the really nice spots pretty much require a car. Southampton is pretty easy to navigate with public transportation.

 

[Souschef]

We used Mountain Goat tours, and they were great! We did a half day tour including Beatrix Potter's home and we did a full day 8 lakes tour.
We stayed at the Burn How hotel in Windermere in one of their cottages.
You can take a steamer across the lake and take a steam train from Lakeside pier.
There is a train from the main line that takes you to Bowness, which is right on Lake Windermere.


I have attached a trip story edited from a longer one to give you some ideas.