I’ve visited the Lake District in summer and winter, but I think autumn might be my favourite time to explore this spectacular part of the country. True there’s more of a risk that it’ll be rainy which unquestionably makes the fabulous walking opportunities rather more soggily challenging (we were very lucky and had dry weather for the entirety of our trip), but the pay-off is the chance to revel in the mountains, woodland and vegetation in all their magnificent autumnal-coloured glory.

Covering 912 square miles, the Lake District is greedily both England’s largest National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Filled with breath-taking landscapes, picturesque villages and more places to stay in and eat at than you could shake a walking pole at, it’s obviously impossible to see it all in just three days. Resisting the temptation to over-cram our itinerary and not leave enough time for the R&R we were both craving, we chose to do a selection of walking and driving which I hoped would give my lovely fella - who had only been to the Lake District once before as a young child - a satisfying and enjoyable reminder of its myriad delights. And which I’m delighted to report did exactly that.

We travelled up from London to Lancaster by train - so much more relaxing than doing the long drive - and then hired a car for the three days of our stay. Whilst you certainly can get around the area on public transport (predominantly buses) it’s easier to see more if you have your own wheels.

Our base was close to the southern end of Windermere at the very lovely Storrs Hall Hotel,

right on the shore of the largest of the Lake District’s sixteen lakes. (Here’s a fun pub quiz fact - there’s actually only one official lake in the Lake District - Bassenthwaite Lake - the others are all ‘meres’ or ‘waters’). At 10.5 miles long, 219 feet at its deepest and containing 300 billion litres of water, Windermere is not just the biggest in the Lake District, but the largest lake in England. Keen to see it from every possible angle, we strolled along its banks, climbed high above it and pootled out on its water in a boat.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. For the sake of clarity, and should it be useful to you if you’re thinking of spending a few days in the Lakes, here’s what we did on each day of our visit with hopefully enough information that if you wanted to follow in our foot-and-car-steps, you could.

Day One - Gummers How (for views of Windermere), Ambleside and Grasmere

Keen to get the best possible view over Windermere we headed to Gummer’s How, a short steepish walk that rewards you with a vast outlook not just over the lake but, on a clear day, several counties and even all the way to the sea. Turning uphill from Fell Foot Brow, there’s a car park at the start of the walk which begins in light woodland and has some steep rocky sections before you reach the top where you can enjoy the dizzying sight of the lake below you fringed with temperate rain forest, some of the rarest habitat in the world.

Enjoying the view from the top of Gummer’s How

After clambering back down, we drove to Ambleside, a pretty market town filled with shops, myriad eateries and buildings constructed from the local stone and slate that are the hallmark of the area. The River Rothay flows through Ambleside and from the car park at the southern end of town we strolled along its banks, crossing a curved footbridge and heading for Loughrigg Terrace, a high, narrow path offering terrific views across to Silver How on one side and Grasmere, one of the area’s smaller lakes, Helm Crag and Dunmail Raise on the other.

Looping back through Deer Bolts Wood and down to the shore of the lake, we wound our way back to the river and the car.

Dinner that evening was a delicious affair at the Wild Boar Inn where the gravy that accompanied my perfectly cooked lamb was so good I simply had to mop the plate with my finger. Honestly, it would have been rude not to.

Day Two - Boating on Windermere, circular drive from Windermere via Keswick with Elterwater walk on the way

Having done train and car, it felt necessary to add boat to our list of transport experiences, especially since the hotel was just five minutes drive from Windermere Lake Cruises where we had the option of joining one of their several daily guided cruises. We decided we preferred to captain our own vessel and instead hired one of their self-drive electric motor boats in which we duly headed out onto the lake at the boating equivalent of a sedate walking pace (they’re very sensibly speed-restricted). An hour (you can hire them for up to two) was enough to get a water-top view of the surrounding area and a close-up snoop at the grounds of the amazing lake-side houses we had by now passed several times going to and from the hotel.

At the helm of our not very speedy speed boat

After a quick stroll around Bowness on Windermere - the largest town in the Lake District National Park - we started on a circular drive that promised views of five lakes and some spectacular scenery. And boy did it deliver. (What follows is a reasonably detailed breakdown of the route simply because if you do have a car and the time to do it, I really couldn’t recommend it more enthusiastically)

Driving back through Ambleside we continued on the A591 towards Rydal. But before the village we ducked down the winding, dry-stone wall edged road to Elterwater, the starting point of our walk for the day.

From the back of the car park, we followed the path alongside Great Langdale Beck to the shores of Elterwater, a quiet lake with lots of small bays and a wooded, reedy shoreline.

Crossing an open meadow and then walking through woodland we passed the dramatic Woodburn Bridge before reaching Skelwith Force, a small waterfall gushing down a rocky section of the beck. The walk ends at the excellent Chesters Cafe, with its equally excellent shop, where we had a welcome drink and cake, (their website is rubbish, but this gives you a great flavour of what it’s like) before retracing our steps back to Elterwater village.

Back on the A591, we picked up the driving route through Grasmere, a beautiful village with links to the Romantic poets including William Wordsworth who is buried in the church there. The landscape on the drive past the lake and onwards to Keswick is glorious, huge fells towering over the narrow valley, each one criss crossed with dry-stone walls climbing improbably up their vertiginous sides.

Keswick, sitting at the foot of Skiddaw and just above Derwent Water, has the usual appealing helping of shops, restaurants and pubs, as well as a great general market every Thursday and Saturday, and the unusual feature of one of the earliest Stone Circles in the country nearby.

Leaving Keswick we headed towards Penrith on the A66, then turned onto the A5091 signposted to Troutbeck and Ullswater. At the A592, we turned right towards Windermere. This section of the road winds through the countryside for 18 miles and offers yet more memorably jaw-dropping views, not least as it twists its way down towards Ullswater, the second largest of the Lake District’s lakes and the one that inspired Wordsworth’s poem I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud with its famous ‘host of golden daffodils’.

Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District.

Dinner was at BAHA - an Asian BBQ restaurant in Windermere. Not as good as the Wild Boar, but very tasty nonetheless.

Day Three - Kendal

The need to return our car and be on the train home (boo) by late afternoon was the imperative behind our final day’s schedule. Lingering as long as possible in our room with its gorgeous view of the lake,

It was hard tearing ourselves away from this view

when we finally extracted ourselves we drove south west to Kendal where we spent our remaining time wandering it’s attractive streets and exploring its pretty parks and the splendid ruins of its 12th century castle, which at one point in its history was lived in by William Parr, grandfather of Henry VIII’s sixth wife Catherine Parr (the one who outlived him).

Reviving ourselves with a ridiculously delicious sourdough pizza at Marra, a cosy cafe/restaurant hidden down a tiny side alley off Braithwaite Brow we reflected on how lucky we felt having somewhere as sensationally beautiful to enjoy as the Lake District just a few hours away from home.