Lake District Full-Day Tours: Top 5 Unmissable Experiences

The Lake District, located in northwest England, really is a gem with some pretty spectacular scenery that folks come from all over to see. It has gleaming lakes, rough hills, and charming towns that almost beg you to explore it properly. That said, getting around and seeing everything can actually be a bit of challenge. This is where a full-day tour could be very helpful, giving you both someone to handle getting you around plus some great local insights. I thought I would put together a guide to the top five tours in the Lake District, highlighting exactly what they offer and hopefully helping you pick just the perfect one.

1. Mountain Goat Full Day Sightseeing Tour

Mountain Goat Tours is so known for its smaller group sizes, so, you might actually get a more intimate kind of experience. The driver doubles as your guide, so it almost makes you feel like you’re sightseeing with someone who loves the place. One of their signature tours, the full-day sightseeing adventure, really shows off the best of the Lake District. They tend to include places like Grasmere, known very well for its gingerbread, plus spots that offer beautiful views of places like Lake Windermere.

The benefit with Mountain Goat, anyway, is that the smaller group usually means a more personalized experience. I went on a tour a couple of years ago, so to speak, and it made such a difference to actually be able to ask questions and easily chat with the guide as we went along. They really helped get across local stories plus some hidden gems that weren’t exactly in brochures.

2. Lakes Super Tours: Ten Lakes Spectacular

Now, Lakes Super Tours could be more for those that seriously want to cover a lot of ground. Their “Ten Lakes Spectacular” tour tries its best to do exactly what the name suggests: shows you ten different lakes in the Lake District. You might stop at spots like Ullswater and Derwentwater, two of the region’s prettiest bodies of water where they offer some brilliant views.

This tour might be better if you, like your truly, like to see as much as possible in one go. It’s very extensive, anyway, but that means you might only get a snapshot of each location, basically. Still, for first-timers, that is that who would like a good overview, this tour can really show you what the Lake District is all about. And if there’s one spot you particularly enjoy, you, in a way, always have the option of going back later for a second look.

3. Windermere Lake Cruises: Full Lake Cruise and Lakeside Towns

Okay, so this is that while Windermere Lake Cruises are known for their cruises, they do offer a way of checking out the region from a completely different angle: from the water. The full lake cruise typically includes stops at multiple towns, such as Bowness-on-Windermere and Ambleside, anyway, offering some opportunities to explore and maybe, just maybe, do a bit of shopping or grabbing a bite to eat.

The boat trip, almost, lets you relax while soaking in the scenic views, so to speak, plus you have the freedom of disembarking in different towns to actually do a little exploring. Also, for anybody with limited mobility, the cruises, I find, are an ideal way to actually see quite a bit without putting too much stress on their joints.

4. Viator: Lake District National Park Day Trip from Liverpool

Now, if you are starting out somewhere like Liverpool, this tour by Viator just might be a way of doing a full-day trip over to the Lake District. These kinds of tours tend to offer a comfy ride to and from the park, plus you almost certainly get taken to a whole bunch of must-see sights. You get to sit back plus relax while someone takes charge of all the logistics.

I used a similar tour last summer, in fact, and the convenience really was that I got picked up and dropped off without, literally, having to figure out a train timetable or drive myself. Also, the tour guides sometimes give tips that you would usually only get from a local, telling stories about the places you pass by as you are passing them.

5. Private Guiding Services

If going your own way sounds good, anyway, then that is that you may want to go for private guiding services. Loads of local companies offer bespoke tours, and this means that you are almost always able to design the day the way you want to. If you have interests – photography, hiking, history, perhaps, almost – you get the chance to mold the tour to that.

One time, very recently, I hired a private guide when I was hoping to take photos of the Lake District at sunrise. The guide was a bit of a photography whiz too, really, and, for example, knew precisely where to go to get some brilliant shots. Private tours can be a bit costly, obviously, anyway, but that could be a worthwhile outlay if you are after a completely tailor-made experience. You might get to discover hidden spots that other groups will usually never see, for instance.