After the Blackpool Marathon: The Lake District

The Route: Blackpool → the Lake District (Windermere, Ambleside or Keswick) Logistics: By car, roughly 1 to 1.5 hours depending on destination; by train, a change is typically required, with journeys to Windermere taking around 2 hours from Blackpool North. Marathon Month: April Duration: 2 nights

Blackpool ──(1-1.5 hrs by car, or ~2 hrs by train)──> Lake District (Windermere/Ambleside/Keswick)

The marathon's own course is about as flat as UK running gets, and the Lake District, within striking distance by car or rail, offers about as complete a contrast as England's geography allows. April in the Lakes: the fells are into spring, with longer daylight and generally settled, if changeable, weather compared with winter.

Nights One and Two: The Lake District

Windermere and Bowness, England's largest lake, offer boat trips and lakeside walking well suited to legs still recovering from the marathon, with flat paths along much of the shoreline. Ambleside, at the lake's northern end, is a good base for gentler walks with mountain scenery close by without requiring a serious hike. Keswick, further north around Derwentwater, offers a similar combination of lake, town and fell access, with Catbells a popular, relatively short hill for anyone wanting more of a challenge on the second day.

Where to stay: Old England Hotel, on the lakeshore in Bowness, puts a runner directly on the water with easy access to boat trips. In Keswick, the Skiddaw Hotel sits centrally, close to Derwentwater and the town's own shops and restaurants.

Where to eat: Bowness and Ambleside both carry a good spread of restaurants suited to an easy dinner after a day of gentle walking or a lake cruise. In Keswick, the town centre offers a similar range within walking distance of most central accommodation.

Getting Home

The return drive to Blackpool retraces the same 1 to 1.5 hour route; runners travelling by train should allow for a change en route back to Blackpool North.