Cockermouth

Literary pilgrims arrive clutching well-thumbed copies of 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud', only to discover Wordsworth's birthplace is just the beginning. This Georgian market town sits where the rivers Cocker and Derwent meet, creating a proper Lakeland gateway that's refreshingly free of the tourist coaches that clog Windermere.

Wordsworth House dominates the main street with its National Trust yellow signs, but wander beyond and you'll find a working town that hasn't completely surrendered to the heritage industry. The brewery - Jennings - has been here since 1828, and their bitter remains excellent despite corporate takeover. Market day still brings farmers down from the fells, though the high street shops struggle against out-of-town retail parks.

From here, the northern Lakes spread out like a geological textbook. Ling Fell and Broom Fell provide gentle introductions to fell walking, while the more ambitious can tackle Whinlatter or even distant Kirk Fell. The forests - Jenkin Gill Plantation and Horseshoe Wood among them - offer easier rambles when the weather turns.

Getting here couldn't be simpler: the A66 brings you straight from Penrith, while the scenic route over Whinlatter Pass from Keswick takes twenty minutes of proper Lake District driving. The West Coast railway line stopped calling years ago, so it's car or bus from Workington.

Staying at one of the holiday parks scattered around the edges makes perfect sense. You're fifteen minutes from Keswick's tourist honeypot, yet close enough to Cockermouth's decent pubs and shops for supplies. The fells start practically at your caravan door.