i really have a love for the outdoors and up to now have only been to peak district. next summer i want to go to lake district but dont no where to base myself. I would like to go to striding edge but want to see as much as i can wile im out there, does anyone no any good places to camp so i dont have to keep getting in the car. many thanks
First... you want to see as much as possible... but at the same time you want a base. Why not forget the base and just concentrate on seeing as much as possible. It's the sort of area where you only need to pick a starting point and a finishing point, and the rest is completely up to your own imagination.
Second... you're taking a car... which means that whatever you do, and wherever you go, your ultimate destination is always going to be your car. Leave the car at home and you can choose any destination, anywhere in the Lake District.
Car-camp. You can park at a campsite, and then travel light around that location. For Striding Edge, a popular location is the Glenridding campsite. Upside is your pack is lightest, you can pick cheaper gear. Downside is you restrict to distances from your camp. Patterdale does good routes to the east also (Highstreet).
Backpacking totally. Don't even bother with the car. Get train and then bus and then go free. e.g. train to Windermere, bus to e.g. Limefitt and then go to High street and then descend into Glenridding, then over Striding Edge, and descent and camp in say Ambleside, or to east of Keswick, etc, etc
Mixed-mode. Merge the two together, so drive, pitch, then do short 2-day trips returning to the car and then drive the car around.
I evolved from 1 into 3 into finally 2. In the Lakes there are buses which will jump you between the boring bits. So what Paddy said. Don't even think of a car, just travel light and do a circular route. The campsites are not so far apart so you can do them each night, or wildcamp and dip into civilisation every few nights, to clean yourself and your gear and buy some food.
Personally for Striding Edge, etc. I'd camp at Brotherswater (Sykeside - google it) great campsite if a little pricey. If you then want to move somewhere else the NT sites are excellent, particularly Wasdale for gable, Scafells, etc. For Skiddaw I'd camp either at the Caravan Club site in Keswick or the site in Braithwaite is good too, easy for Grisedale Pike as well. If you go down the public transport route there are really good bus services throughout the Lakes from Windermere Station so if you wanted to mix camping on the hills with the odd campsite you could work out a route going pretty much anywhere.
Thanks for all your posts. i will be travelling over there in the car as i think this makes it more simple. i want to be based on a camp site so i dont need to carry as much weight so i would like it to be at a good location. up to now i want to visit striding edge and Scafell. I thought maybe i could spend a few days based at a camp site then move on to another for a few days. Normally when i stay at peak district i base myself on a camp site so i dont have to carry as much weight and dont have to worry about the car but take a small tent with me and wild camp but then can go back for a shower the next day. Can you wild camp in the lake district or is it like the peak district so you not really supposed to.
I have camped several times at the NT campsite at the end of Great Langdale and always liked it, also it has the advantage of being next to the Old Dungeon Ghyll which is a fantastic pub. Not great for Striding Edge but if you are taking your car can simply nip across to your start point.
You can get from Glenridding over Striding Edge, past Dunmail Raise over the ridge and descend into Gt Langdale, in a day. Not the easiest of walks, but do-able. Bloody knackering if you're carrying heavy gear. Or stay in B&B in Grasmere en-route and make for 2 easy day walks. Oh the liberation of not having a car base.
Two days at Glenridding, two days at the NT site in Langdale, two days at the NT site at Wasdale Head. That would give you a pretty good taste of hat the Lakes has to offer.
