The Lake District by Steam

Make your own way to our hotel in Penrith where you’ll meet our tour manager. Enjoy a relaxing evening and dinner served in the hotel’s restaurant.

Today our coach takes us to Hutton-in-the-Forest. This 17th century hidden gem is home to Lord and Lady Inglewood; you will find fantastic architecture, interiors, and outstanding gardens. We will enjoy a guided tour inside, with time to explore the Gardens. From here we travel into the northern area of the Lake District National Park, and to the pretty Market town of Keswick, situated by Derwentwater. We enjoy plenty of time to explore the Town, and maybe have a spot of lunch, before heading to the shores of Derwentwater for a Cruise this afternoon. After which you will return by coach to the Hotel.

After breakfast our coach takes us to England’s largest lake, Lake Windermere. We join at Lakeside where we board our steamboat for the journey halfway up the lake to Bowness. Here we explore this pretty little tourist town, enjoy some free time to have lunch at your leisure. We head back onto our steamboat and continue up the lake to Ambleside where our coach will take us to the quaint village of Grasmere. Best known for its association with William Wordsworth, we include entrance to the Wordsworth Museum and Dove Cottage – Wordsworth’s first home within the Lake District and the seat to his most famous and best-loved poetry. We have some free time here, where you can explore at your leisure, or sit back and admire the views. Later, our coach takes back to our hotel. 

Today's journey takes us to Holker Hall & Gardens where we will enjoy a guided tour of Holker Hall, owned by the Cavendish Family. This 17,000-acre estate has plenty to see with beautiful gardens, the Cascade, and a marble statue of Neptune. There is also 200 acres of parkland which are a member of the British Deer Farms & Parks association. With free time at leisure for lunch and to enjoy the grounds before we head to Haverthwaite, for our roundtrip on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. This 3.2-mile track was originally constructed during the 1850’s and 60’s as the Furness railway. Due to decline in the iron industry and the Great War the service closed in 1938. 1946 saw the summer passenger service reintroduced which remained open until 1965. After negotiations and a refurbishment, the railway re-opened in 1973 and has remained open ever since. After our relaxing journey onboard the train, we re-join our coach and head back to the hotel for dinner this evening.

After a leisurely breakfast it’s time to check out of the hotel and make your way home.

Please note: We cannot guarantee that all our rail journeys will be steam hauled and the running order of the itinerary may change depending on availability. The final itinerary will be confirmed in your final Travel Documents.