2 nights (one day) in the Lake District

We wanted to get away from the city for a quick break so headed up to the Lake District. At Euston we took the Avanti train to Oxenholme. bought standard class tickets but upgraded to first class using an app called SeatFrog for just £35! We picked to stay in Kendal which is a nice small town but cheaper than more central lakes locations. The bus to windermere takes just 20 minutes and is usually open top. After a good night sleep we headed out to explore the lakes. We took the open top 599 bus to Grasmere (about 1hr). Here there is lots of cute little shops and cafes. The Grasmere Tea Garden is a great place for a coffee looking over the river. There is also the famous Grasmere Gingerbread shop which is worth a look. Back on the bus we headed for Ambleside. After browsing the shops we walked to the pier and took a trip on Lake Windermere to Bowness. Beautiful scenery and very relaxing. At Bowness there is loads of shops, cafes, restaurants, the Peter Rabbit Exhibition and lots of places you can hire a boat and cruise out on the lake yourself. After too much shopping (and some local ice cream!), we headed back to Kendal for dinner. To get around the lakes we bought a Bus & Boat day ticket from the bus driver. This was £20 for adults and gives all day travel across the lake district and a single journey on the Windermere Lake Cruises boat. Well worth it.