Let us be honest about the Lake District: it rains here, and sometimes it rains with real commitment. The fells are as green as they are precisely because of it, and there is an old local line that there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. The good news is that a wet day in the Lakes need not be a wasted one. There is a deep well of things to do under cover, from the genuinely thrilling to the wonderfully cosy, and some are best enjoyed with the rain drumming on the roof. Here is how to turn a grey forecast into a good day out, and maybe even a memorable one.
Go underground
When the tops are lost in cloud, one of the best answers is to go beneath them. At Honister, high on the pass between Borrowdale and Buttermere, a working slate mine runs guided trips deep into the mountain, where you are sheltered from anything the sky can throw down. The more adventurous can tackle a via ferrata of fixed cables, ladders and rope bridges across the rock faces, an exhilarating way to spend a few hours that barely notices the weather. It is a fine reminder that some of the Lake District’s best experiences are not on the fells at all, but inside them.
Museums and indoor attractions
The Lakes are unusually rich in characterful museums and family attractions, many of them just the thing for a wet afternoon. On the shore of Windermere, the boat museum brings the lake’s history to life under cover, with gleaming vintage launches and steam boats. Families with younger children will find the World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness a sure-fire hit, bringing all the Peter Rabbit tales to life indoors, complete with Mr McGregor’s garden and Jemima Puddle-Duck’s woodland glade. Nearby, the Lakes Aquarium lets you walk through a tunnel beneath the water and meet the creatures that live in and around Windermere. And over in Keswick, the pencil museum tells the surprisingly gripping story of how the humble pencil was born here in the sixteenth century, after graphite was discovered in the nearby hills. On a wet day in peak season these indoor favourites are understandably popular, so it is worth booking the busiest of them ahead to be sure of getting in.
Follow the footsteps of the poets
Rain has a way of suiting the Lake District’s literary side. This is the landscape that shaped William Wordsworth, and his former homes, with their gardens and firesides, make an atmospheric visit on a drizzly day, all the more evocative for the weather at the window. Beatrix Potter’s Lakeland farmhouse offers a similar pleasure, a glimpse into the life behind the much-loved little books. A morning among these places, followed by a long lunch, is one of the more civilised ways to sit out a shower.
Take to the water anyway
It might sound odd, but a rainy day can be a fine time for a boat trip, because the cruise boats on Windermere, Derwentwater, Coniston and Ullswater are comfortably covered, with seating inside and often a hot drink to hand. Watching the rain stipple the lake and the cloud drift across the fells from a warm, dry deck is a particular kind of contentment, and you still get to see the scenery you came for. It is sightseeing with the roof on.
When you just want to be cosy
Not every wet day calls for an outing. Some of the best are spent close to home, and the Lakes are well set up for it. A morning browsing the independent shops and galleries of Keswick, Ambleside or Grasmere, an hour over coffee and cake while the rain does its worst, or an afternoon in a snug pub with a fire going and the papers, are all part of the rhythm of a Lake District break. For families, the all-weather attraction at Rheged near Penrith gathers a cinema, soft play, a café and galleries under one grassy roof, ideal when small people need running about and the sky will not allow it.
The cosiest plan of all
In the end, the simplest answer to a rainy day is a comfortable base with a good view of it. There is real pleasure in a warm holiday home with the fells half-hidden in mist beyond the window, a board game out and something slow cooking, waiting for the cloud to lift. Browse our places to stay and find a home from home where even the wettest Lakeland afternoon feels like part of the holiday.