Windermere

Steam trains chug past your window on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway as England's largest natural lake stretches endlessly ahead. This is Windermere at its finest - a proper Lake District town that refuses to be just another tourist trap. The water dominates everything here, and rightly so.

Zip World Windermere offers the most exhilarating way to see the lake from above, though the queues can be murder in summer. Better to head to Brockhole on Windermere for a more civilised introduction to the area - their visitor centre sits in gorgeous grounds with lake access that beats the crowded town jetties hands down.

Walking is what brings most people here. The surrounding fells provide proper hiking, but the woodlands offer gentler alternatives. Crag Wood and Oakthorpen Wood are particularly lovely for families, while Cockshot Wood gives cracking views without the lung-busting climbs. Holehird Tarn makes for a peaceful diversion when the main lake gets too busy.

Getting here is straightforward enough - the A591 runs straight through from junction 36 of the M6, though parking in town can be a nightmare during peak season. The train from Oxenholme connects to the national network, but you'll still need wheels to properly explore.

Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks makes perfect sense. You avoid the town centre accommodation prices and parking hassles while keeping the entire southern Lakes within easy reach. Ambleside is twenty minutes north, Kendal the same distance southeast, and the western valleys like Coniston are all doable day trips. Plus you can actually hear the dawn chorus instead of tour buses starting up at 7am.