Ambleside

Ambleside has been an important market town since at least the Middle Ages, chartered in the 17th century by King James II and holding a rich commercial heritage ever since. Much of the contemporary commerce in Ambleside is oriented towards activewear to help you explore the surrounding mountainscapes, including Adventure Peaks, the Climbers Shop, or Mountain Footwear. Stock up on all the outdoors essentials then embark on one of the constellation of scenic walks that embark from the town including Kirkstone Pass, a mountain pass and the Lake District’s highest road pass that traverses Ullswater Valley with picturesque views of Brothers Water. Visit Kirkstone Pass Inn as you travel through, a traditional whitewashed building dating to the 15th century and which is the third-highest public house in England!

Or, staying in Ambleside, go to the Hayes Garden Centre for some adorable garden and home decor (as well as a delightful café), or the Old Courthouse Gallery to perouse some local art in a historic setting. Then, you can tuck into a hearty meal at the 18th-century Ambleside Inn and sample popular Cumbrian dishes like tattie pie, Cumberland sausage, and sticky toffee pudding.

The Armitt Museum, originally known as the Armitt Library, was founded in 1912 in accordance with the will of Mary Louisa Armitt, an English polymath and philanthropist who resided with her sisters in the village of Hawkshead from 1886 onwards and passed away in Rydal village in 1912. Originally established to “create a collection of books of scientific, literary and antiquarian value”, it was opened to the public in 1912 and has since developed into a holistic local history of the Lake District, with the contemporary museum space featuring interactive experiences as well as a reference library that harcons to the collection’s original function. The library contains over 11,000 books.

An area of the museum is dedicated to Beatrix Potter. Here, the desk she used to paint at and some of her mycological sketches and watercolours are on display. Other items include Herbert Bell’s landscape photography; a collection of works by the Dada artist Kurt Schwitters, a German refugee who settled in Ambleside; and the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, a collection of various objects dating as far back as the Neolithic period. 

Ambleside’s most recognisable building is undoubtedly Bridge House. Long a muse for visiting artists such as J. M. W. Turner, the idiosyncratic home hovers over Stock Beck and was built in this way by the Braithwaite family in the 17th century as a way to avoid paying land tax. Originally an apple store, it is now a National Trust property free to the public, sparsely decorated with period furniture. Continue following the beck to find some idyllic riverside cafés ideal for a light snack: Rattle Ghyll Deli sells a health-oriented selection of world foods and local sandwiches and pies for unbeatable prices, while the Giggling Goose Café sells cakes, teas, and coffees.

Keep following the stream out the city and you’ll arrive at Stock Ghyll Force, a 70ft waterfall that ranks among the Lake District’s most spectacular. On the descent you may also encounter Stagshaw Garden, an informal National Trust woodland garden filled with rambling pathways and charming collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, camelias, and many more. The garden covers steep hillside down which a small woodland beck cascades and from which sweeping views of Windermere can be enjoyed.