Tucked Inside Lake District National Park Is A Quaint Town With Scenic Walks, Tasty Local Eats, And Roman Ruins

The Lake District National Park is famed around the world for its moody mountaintops, its inky lakes, sweeping woodlands, and landscapes that inspired poets as legendary as Coleridge and Wordsworth. But along with the wild and wonderful show that Mother Nature puts on, this corner of northwestern England also hosts some seriously enchanting little towns and villages, one of which goes by the name of Ambleside.

Lovely little Ambleside is a town of dark, slate-rock buildings and characterful local cafés that's invariably been hailed by Visit Lake District as the "true Lake District" and "the jewel in Lakeland's crown." It's hardly a surprise that it gets busy during peak periods, but it's also not simply a tourist trap. There's layer upon layer of history to uncover here, from the town's earliest days as a Roman settlement right up to its boom days as a medieval wool-trading center. Hiking routes shoot out to conquer high fells and ring nearby lakes. And it's a bit of a foodie hub to boot, a place where you'll find everything from hearty British pubs to cutting-edge Thai kitchens packed into the town center.

Ready to start exploring all that? Manchester Airport (MAN) and Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) are each prime gateways to the village. They are both a little under two hours' drive to the south, with the M6 motorway offering an almost direct line from the arrival halls to the Lake District National Park. It's also not much further to drive in from the low-cost hub of Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), which is just two to three hours to the southeast.

Just take a glance at where Ambleside is located: It's right in the heart of Lake District National Park, with the beauty of Lake Windermere stretching to the south and countless summits rising all around. The upshot? It's a great stepping stone to a big selection of the hiking that makes the Lake District so dang popular with ramblers, with both challenging and easy-going routes on the doorstep, many of which begin right in the heart of the town.

Veteran walking-guide publisher Cicerone picks out the 6.25-mile trek up Loughrigg Fell as one of the top paths to check off the list when in Ambleside. It can be done as a circular loop around a ridge on the northwestern cusp of town. The path begins on wide country lanes before turning onto rough stone tracks that eventually lift you up above the valley, where views of undulating mountains and glinting lake waters open up all around.

Meanwhile, multiple people on the r/LakeDistrict subreddit recommend the Fairfield Horseshoe as a fine option for hikers who don't have access to their own car. It's quintessential Lake District stuff, leaving Ambleside from the north to loop around a series of peaks and troughs over the course of a touch over 10 miles. Along the way, it showcases a swirl of some of the region's most famous ridges, including the knife-edge outline of Helvellyn, along with sightings of multiple lakes, with Rydal Water on one side and Windermere on the other.

There are more picturesque villages and quaint towns in England's Lake District than you can shake a hiking guide at. Ambleside is consistently counted among them, noted for its handsome Victorian-style core and access to hiking trails. It's also known for its abundance of taste-bud-tempting eateries, which have helped establish Ambleside as a bit of a hub for a new style of sophisticated Cumbrian cooking in recent times.

That's evidenced by the presence of restaurants like Lake Road Kitchen, a Michelin-starred establishment that fuses the best of homegrown Lake District produce with a flurry of Eastern spice and umami — expect tasting menus that place cuts of fallow deer alongside smoked tuna and local black puddings with Sichuan pepper. The good news is that fancier joints like that sit happily in the company of hearty cafés that do cakes and brews, and those all-important pubs, such as the Golden Rule, a cozy spot with real ales on tap.

Away from the cafés and bistros, you'll spy out historic cottages and landmarks at every corner here, too, but there's arguably nowhere more immersive than the Ambleside Roman Fort just south of town. Just like the historic ruins in nearby Ravenglass, the well-preserved Roman remains seen at Ambleside date back nearly 2,000 years. Today, you can walk among the remains of the main food storage buildings and garrisons, and even see the footprint of the large home of the fort's former commander.