8 Lakes Afternoon Tour — Spectacular Scenery and Late Light

Ullswater and Patterdale in autumn colour from Boredale Hause — **Ullswater**Where Wordsworth saw his daffodils

Grasmere village centre in summer, before the crowds arrive — **Grasmere**Gingerbread since 1854 — in the quiet last hour

Castlerigg Stone Circle under a rainbow with Blencathra beyond — **Castlerigg**Ancient stones, older than Stonehenge

Derwentwater from Surprise View above Borrowdale — **Surprise View**Derwentwater appears beneath you all at once

Ashness Bridge, the packhorse bridge above Derwentwater — **Ashness Bridge**The most photographed bridge in the Lakes

Looking down the Kirkstone Pass road towards Windermere — **Kirkstone Pass**The highest road pass in the Lakes — 1,489 feet

Thirlmere from the slopes of Helvellyn — **Thirlmere**The drowned valley

Rydal Water from Nab Scar — **Rydal Water**Small, still, and Wordsworth's

Brothers Water from the ridge north of Hartsop Dodd — **Brothers Water**The quiet lake below Kirkstone

Bassenthwaite Lake from Dodd — **Bassenthwaite Lake**Seen from Surprise View — the only one called a lake

Windermere from Brant Fell viewpoint — **Windermere**The last light on the way back

Snow-capped Skiddaw seen from Borrowdale in winter — **Skiddaw in winter**White tops, black water, low sun

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The best of the Lake District, in one afternoon

By six you will have crossed the highest road pass in the Lake District with the valley opening out behind you, stood inside a ring of stones older than Stonehenge as the sun gets low, watched Derwentwater appear beneath you without warning, and bought gingerbread in Grasmere after the coaches have gone. And you will be back for dinner.

Highlights

Eight lakes, breathtaking mountain views and long sweeping valleys in one afternoon
A small group — seven guests at most, not sixteen or nineteen
The drive over Kirkstone Pass, with views down to Brothers Water
The Ullswater shore, where Wordsworth saw his daffodils
Castlerigg Stone Circle, older than Stonehenge
Surprise View and Ashness Bridge, above Derwentwater
Grasmere and its gingerbread last, as the village empties
The late light along Windermere on the way back

No driving. Just sit back and enjoy the afternoon.

“We’re so glad we weren’t driving.” Our guests often tell us so.

See the scenery, not the road

The mountain roads are narrow and steep. Your driver watches the road, so you can watch the views.

Feel safe all afternoon

Experienced, qualified drivers who know every pass and bend, in every kind of weather.

Sit back and relax

No route to plan, nowhere to stop to find. Just enjoy the afternoon.

Why it makes such a good afternoon out

Seven guests — not sixteen, not nineteen

Other lakes tours run sixteen- and nineteen-seat buses. Ours takes seven: a guide who can hear your question and answer it, room to move, and no queue for the door at every stop.

Gingerbread after the crowds

We run the loop the other way round from the morning tour, on purpose, so Grasmere comes last — in the shop's quiet final hour, when the queue has gone and the village has emptied.

An experienced local guide

Someone who lives in Cumbria and knows these roads in rain, snow and low sun — and who will change the route on the day if that is what the weather asks. You get the Lakes, not a script.

Photo opportunities all afternoon

Kirkstone with the valley behind you, the Ullswater shore, Castlerigg as the sun gets low, Surprise View, Ashness Bridge. Afternoon light is the photographer's light, and your guide knows the angles.

A UNESCO World Heritage landscape

The whole afternoon runs through the heart of the Lake District World Heritage Site — inscribed for its landscape, its farming and the writers and painters it inspired.

One price, nothing to add

Every stop, pickup and drop-off. The only thing you might pay for on the day is your gingerbread.

The best of the Lakes in an afternoon, with seven guests instead of sixteen or nineteen — and Grasmere to yourselves at the end of it.Why people choose the afternoon

What's included, pickup and practical details

Included

An experienced local driver-guide
Commentary in English
A comfortable licensed minibus, seven guests at most
Pickup and drop-off
Every stop, and all vehicle costs

Not included

Food and drink — there is no meal stop on a half-day tour
Gingerbread, if you want some
Gratuities, at your discretion

Pickup points and times

We collect from three points at set times, and drop you back at the same point. Times are approximate — please be there ten minutes before your pickup time.

Windermere Railway Station

Outside the railway station, Windermere LA23 1AH

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2:00pmback around 6:00pm

Bowness Pier

At the Windermere Lake Cruises ticket office, Bowness Pier, Bowness-on-Windermere LA23 3HQ

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back around

Ambleside Library

Outside the library, Kelsick Road, Ambleside LA22 0BZ

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back around

Maps and directions for each pickup point

The afternoon on a map

Tap a lake or a stop to see it. The route can change with the weather and the roads on the day.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

1 The eight lakes
Stops along the way
Mountain passes
P Pickup points
The usual route

Good to know

Duration: Around four hours. We leave Windermere at 2:00pm and are back at about 6:00pm.
Price: £79 per person.
Group: Seven guests at most.
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour, for a full refund.
Children: Aged seven and over on the scheduled tour. Younger children may be possible on a private tour, by arrangement.
Walking: Gentle — viewpoints, the lakeshore and short strolls from the minibus.
Comfort stops: Some comfort stops along the route, where possible.
Luggage: Hand luggage only, unless agreed with us in advance.
On board: For everyone's comfort and safety, no food, hot drinks or sticky drinks on the minibus.
Access: A step is available to help you in and out of the minibus. The minibus is not wheelchair accessible. If you have mobility needs, please contact us before booking.
Dogs: Not on scheduled tours. A well-behaved dog is welcome on a private tour by prior arrangement. Assistance dogs are always welcome.
The roads: Kirkstone is steep and winding. If you are prone to motion sickness, take your usual precautions.
What to wear: It is the Lake District. Wear sensible shoes, and bring a waterproof with a hood, whatever the forecast says. The afternoon runs in all weathers.
Winter: Winter afternoons are short and the light goes early, so please contact us for winter dates before booking.

Your afternoon in the Lakes

The route changes with the weather and the roads on the day, so the lakes don't always come in this order.

Windermere

England's largest lake

Brothers Water

The quiet one

Ullswater

Wordsworth's daffodils

Bassenthwaite Lake

Seen from Surprise View

Derwentwater

From Surprise View

Thirlmere

The drowned valley

Grasmere

Gingerbread, after the crowds

Rydal Water

Small and still

Mountain views and valleys

Breathtaking mountain scenery all afternoon, with long sweeping valleys between — up out of the Windermere valley over Kirkstone Pass, the highest road pass in the Lake District, with the valley you have just left spread out behind you and Brothers Water ahead. The view that stops every first-time visitor.

Castlerigg Stone Circle with the mountains behind

Stones and mountains

A ring of enigmatic stones on a plateau surrounded by mountains — Castlerigg is older than Stonehenge, with a better view: Skiddaw, Blencathra and the Helvellyn range in one turn of the head, with the sun getting low on all of them.

Water, from above

Surprise View, where Derwentwater appears beneath you without warning and Bassenthwaite lies beyond it, and Ashness Bridge with Skiddaw behind it. Photo opportunities at every one.

Wordsworth's lakes

On the Ullswater shore, the stretch where he and Dorothy saw the daffodils in April 1802; then Grasmere and Rydal Water, the lakes he lived beside for most of his life, and his grave in Grasmere churchyard. Your guide will show you where.

Grasmere village, quiet at the end of the day

Gingerbread, as the village empties

Sarah Nelson's gingerbread has been baked to the same secret recipe beside St Oswald's churchyard since 1854. Through the middle of the day the queue reaches down the lane. We arrive in the shop's quiet last hour, when the coaches have gone. The same gingerbread, without the queue.

The stories

A drowned valley, a ring of stones nobody can fully explain, and the only one of the lakes actually called a lake. Your guide tells them on the day.

What our guests say

Rated Excellent by our guests on TripAdvisor, Viator and Google, where you can read every review, unedited.

★★★★★
"We did the afternoon 8 Lakes tour and the Beatrix Potter morning tour the next day. Both were exceptional. The Kirkstone Pass, with the valley opening out behind us, was one of the most dramatic drives I have ever had — and I was very glad not to be the one driving it."
Susan & Andrew K. · London

★★★★★
"We have been to the Lake District three times before and thought we knew it reasonably well. This tour showed us a completely different Lakes — Castlerigg, Surprise View, Ashness Bridge, Brothers Water. Places we had no idea existed."
Richard & Jane T. · Bristol

★★★★★
"Castlerigg in the late afternoon light, with the mountains all round, is something I will not forget. And Grasmere at the end of the day was so quiet we had the churchyard to ourselves."
Helen M. · Edinburgh

Private tour: the same eight lakes, just for you

The same tour, run privately: your own guide and minibus, collected from your accommodation in Kendal, Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside, Grasmere or Oxenholme, on the date that suits you, with nobody in the minibus you didn't bring. Well-behaved dogs, and children under seven, by arrangement.

With six or seven of you, a private afternoon costs less per person than the scheduled tour.

£459 per group up to 7 guests · half day

Enquire about a private 8 Lakes afternoon

Or make it part of a bespoke tour

This tour can be added to, or adapted as part of, a bespoke tour — tailor-made for each individual booking, around the places and the people you most want to see.

Find out about bespoke tours

Questions people ask before they book

What is the best way to see the Lake District in an afternoon?

Let someone else do the driving. Guests often tell us how glad they were not to be driving: instead of watching narrow, winding mountain roads, you can watch the scenery. In four hours this tour takes in eight lakes, breathtaking mountain views and long sweeping valleys, Kirkstone Pass, Castlerigg, Surprise View, Ashness Bridge and Grasmere, with an experienced, qualified driver-guide at the wheel.

Can you really see eight lakes in four hours?

Yes. Windermere, Brothers Water, Ullswater, Bassenthwaite Lake, Derwentwater, Thirlmere, Grasmere and Rydal Water. The route runs in a loop through the central and northern Lakes rather than doubling back, so one lake leads to the next, with proper stops at Castlerigg Stone Circle, Surprise View, Ashness Bridge and the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop. Bassenthwaite is seen from Surprise View, laid out beyond Derwentwater.

Why is the Gingerbread Shop the last stop?

Because through the middle of the day the queue at the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop reaches down the lane and the village is full. We run the afternoon loop the other way round from the morning tour, so we reach Grasmere in the shop's quiet last hour, after the coaches have gone. The same gingerbread without the queue, and the churchyard, with Wordsworth's grave, almost to yourselves.

What is the difference between the afternoon and morning 8 Lakes tours?

Same eight lakes, same stops. The afternoon tour runs the loop the opposite way — over Kirkstone first and back through Grasmere last — and finishes with the late light along Windermere. The morning tour gets to Grasmere before the crowds and has the cooler, clearer light. Choose whichever fits the rest of your day.

How does this compare with the 10 Lakes Tour?

The 8 Lakes is a four-hour half day at £79 per person. The 10 Lakes Tour is a full day of around eight hours at £169, adding a lake cruise, the Borrowdale loop to Buttermere and Crummock Water, and an hour for lunch in Keswick. It runs from late March to late October; through the winter the 10 Lakes Winter Tour runs instead. If you have an afternoon, take the 8 Lakes. If you have a day, take the 10.

Can I combine this with a morning tour the same day?

Yes, and many guests do. Our morning tours are back in Windermere in time for lunch, and this tour leaves at 2:00pm. The most popular pairings are the Beatrix Potter Morning Tour or the Wordsworth Morning Tour. Contact us if you would like to book both.

Is Kirkstone Pass all right if I am nervous of mountain roads?

Kirkstone is steep and dramatic — the highest road pass in the Lake District — but it is a proper road, driven every week by an experienced, qualified driver who knows it in all weathers. Guests who were anxious beforehand very often tell us afterwards how glad they were not to be driving it themselves. If steep roads worry you seriously, contact us before booking and we will tell you honestly what to expect.

Is the tour suitable for children?

Children aged seven and over are welcome on the scheduled tour. Four hours is a good length for them, the stone circle and the gingerbread go down well, and the walking is short and gentle. We don't take children under seven on any scheduled tour; on a private tour it may be possible by arrangement.

What time does it start and finish?

We leave Windermere at 2:00pm, with pickups at Bowness and Ambleside, and are back at about 6:00pm. Winter afternoons are short and the light goes early, so please contact us for winter dates before booking.

Through the year

Every season has an afternoon worth having. Winter afternoons are short — contact us for winter dates.

Spring March – May

Daffodils on the Ullswater shore where Wordsworth saw them, lambs in every field, and the hillsides greening from the bottom up. The lakes are full and the waterfalls are loud.

Summer June – August

Long light — it is still bright when we drop you back. The viewpoints have emptied by the time we reach them, and Grasmere is yours at the end of the day. The late light on Windermere on the way back is the moment afternoon guests remember.

Autumn September – November

October along Thirlmere and Rydal is as good as autumn gets: bronze bracken, gold birch, and low afternoon sun raking across all of it. Fewer people, softer light, and the mountains clearer than they are all summer.

Winter December – February

Snow on Skiddaw and Helvellyn, low sun on Kirkstone, the lakes like glass and the last light going pink on the tops. Winter afternoons are short — contact us for winter dates.

Local guides, based in Kendal

Every tour is led by one of a small team of local guides — Tim, Gillian, Sandra and Steve — who live in Cumbria and drive these roads in every season. The team rotates, so we can't promise a particular guide, but whoever you get will know these eight lakes in rain, snow and low sun. We are based in Kendal, our minibuses are licensed for private hire, and we are fully insured.

This page was checked by Phil in October 2026.

Read before you go

Photographs: hero Kreuzschnabel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Russel Wills (CC BY-SA 2.0), Richard Sutcliffe (CC BY-SA 2.0), HeritageDaily (CC BY-SA 4.0), User:Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0), Stephen Darlington (CC BY-SA 2.0), Smudge 9000 from North Kent Coast, England (CC BY-SA 2.0), lakes Mystery Ray (CC BY-SA 4.0), Graham Robson (CC BY-SA 2.0), Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0), Bill Boaden (CC BY-SA 2.0), Peter S (CC BY-SA 2.0), TXGemGem (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. Placeholder photography — to be replaced with our own.