Penrith

Railway workers built this market town where the Pennines meet the Lake District, and it still feels like a proper working place rather than a tourist honeypot. Red sandstone buildings line the high street, while Penrith Castle's crumbling walls remind you this was once a frontier town defending against Scottish raids.

The town sits perfectly for fell walking, with Bonfire Hill and Brownhow Hill offering cracking views across to the high fells without the crowds you'll find further into Lakeland. Greystoke Forest spreads east of town - miles of walking through ancient woodland where you can actually hear yourself think. St Michael's church anchors the old part of town, its weathered stones telling centuries of border history.

Penrith makes a brilliant base precisely because it's not trying too hard. The M6 brings you here easily from anywhere in the north, while the West Coast railway line connects you to Glasgow or London. You're twenty minutes from Ullswater's eastern shore, half an hour from Keswick if you fancy the tourist trail.

Camping nearby gives you the best of both worlds. Pop into town for proper shops and pubs that don't charge Lake District prices, then retreat to your pitch surrounded by the forests and fells. The countryside here feels wilder than the honey-trap valleys further west - Summerground Crags and the various plantation woods like Jacobs Moss and Parsons Park offer walking without the queues at Buttermere car park.

It's an honest place that doesn't oversell itself. That's exactly why it works.