Shooting On Location in the Lakes… a 1 Day Lake District Itinerary

Are you looking for a 1 day Lake District itinerary? Are you looking for things to do near Windermere? Or are you trying to find some easily accessible views near Windermere and some hidden gems in the Lake District? Well read on, and join us as we start from Windermere and set off on a 1 day Lake District itinerary...

We wanted to make an advert to promote TrovenTrip, so where better to head than the best locations in the Lake District for some beautiful and dramatic landscapes!

The biggest National Park in England, the area is known for its glacial lakes, rugged mountains, and many historic literacy links to famous writers such as William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter… perfect to capture some good footage and get writing inspiration!

1 Day Lake District Itinerary...

1. Homeground Café
2. Queen Adelaide’s Hill
3. Rydal Mount & Gardens
4. Rydal Hall Grot & Waterfall
5. Castlerigg Stone Circle
6. Bassenthwaite Lake
7. Midtown Milkhouse



Where to eat in Windermere... Homeground Café

We need a substantial breakfast for the long day of filming ahead though, so our day starts off at the fantastic Homeground Café in Windermere, recently named as one of the best places in the UK for brunch.

Everything on the menu sounds great, and the various plates being brought out to the other tables make the choice very difficult! After much debating we go for the Eggs Benny and Homeground Sarnie, with a cappuccino and a latte, which turns out to be a great choice!

The Eggs Benny is delicious… the salty and spicy ham hock complimenting the sweetness of the hollandaise sauce and sourdough bread perfectly, and the Homeground Sarnie is a huge and fancy bacon and egg sandwich, with hash browns and avocado smash. Along with the great coffee, it has set us up perfectly for the day…

But Sneha being a sweet tooth, she could resist the temptation of trying some amazing looking sweets over the counter and we grabbed the Peanut Butter Cake and the Cinnamon Swirl as a take away!

Easy to reach view near Windermere... Queen Adelaide’s Hill

The first filming location we go to is a viewpoint on the edge of Lake Windemere and only a couple of minutes’ drive from the town. It’s a spot Paul’s been to in the past and knows that despite the easy access and amazing views it offers, it’s always surprisingly quiet.

We only got our new drone delivered yesterday so haven’t had much of a chance to test it out yet, but now seems as good a time as any to try!

And believe it or not, the hike to this hilltop is the shortest walk ever and you get some amazing views! It’s as short as a 5 min walk from the Rayrigg Meadow car park… keep your eyes on the lookout for a gate at the back of the car park and you can follow the path up the hill to the top.

The views over the lake and the surrounding mountains are incredible, with 2 benches at the top for you to sit and take in the views. If you’re in the area and want a great view in a short amount of time with little effort, not many places can beat here.

Where did William Wordsworth Live... Rydal Mount & Gardens

Our second location is not just somewhere to shoot, but also somewhere to gain inspiration. Rydal Mount was the home of William Wordsworth, one of England’s most famous writers and poets.

Wordsworth lived at the house from 1813 until his death in 1850, and today operates as a museum of the writer. The house is very pretty from the outside, and you explore the inside on a guided tour.

We’re the only ones on this tour, so the guide leaves it very much to us for what we want! He gives us the low-down on Wordsworth… how he spent most of his time out wandering the gardens which he loved and cared for so much, while thinking of how to write his next poem. Something Paul feels an affinity too… getting out for a walk in nature is always the best way to clear your head and come up with some ideas when struggling to write a blog (not that he’s comparing himself to Wordsworth for the record!). And how his wife was much more of a socialiser, always hosting people in the house.

After the many interesting stories, including one of Wordsworth conversing with Shelley (the writer of Frankenstein) for hours on end in the study, the guide leaves us to it to explore the rest of the house on our own.

After which we head outside to the gardens to get some shots for the ad in the same places where some of the best poetry in history was thought up and written (just watch out for the steps… Paul nearly tripped on them while acting like William himself! )

The gardens are huge and we’re on quite a tight time schedule, already running a bit late due to the longer than planned breakfast and the heavy traffic between Windermere and Ambleside on the way here. So we don’t fully explore, just having a quick wander around to admire the stunning flowers and plants of all types of species.

Tickets for the house and gardens can be purchased online or from the on-site shop and cost £12.50 for adults. The parking is free if you buy the tickets to the house, you just need to mention at the till.

The house is really very pretty and feels so calm just walking around the garden.. in fact we would say that stating it as a garden is an understatement, as it has the woods, lake view, long walkways, orchard, cliff view and loads of places to sit and relax. No wonder Wordsworth could write such amazing poems at this place!

Hidden Gem in the Lake District... Rydal Hall Grot & Waterfall

After getting our shots in the garden we have one more place to explore here before moving on to our next location. And this one is more of a hidden gem… somewhere off the beaten track which many visitors would not know is even there!

Over the road from Rydal Mount is Rydal Hall, a hotel set in a huge old manor house. But it’s not the hall we’re interested in, it’s the secret Grot and waterfall hidden in the 30 acres of grounds where we’re headed.

Built in 1668 as a viewing spot for Rydal Falls, it was a favourite spot for Wordsworth who wrote about it in one of his poems, ‘An Evening Walk’.

As you approach the Grot from the footpath you can’t see the waterfall, so when you open the door, it’s spectacularly framed by the large window on the back wall… a stunning view! And a great place to take our next set of shots!

If given an option Sneha would just sit in that small cottage the whole day enjoying the view… but she was almost kicked out politely by the number of visitors waiting to enter! 

The gardens and Grot are free to visit… you can find it by following the path in front of the hall and entering a small gate to the right just before a bridge. Follow the path as far as it goes, and double back on yourself following the beck under a bridge until you reach the Grot.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Despite the weather forecast today has turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, so the next part of our day is all the more spectacular. We’re driving half-an-hour north from Ambleside to Keswick to see Castlerigg, one of England’s and Europe’s earliest stone circles.

While the stones themselves are not quite as impressive as Stonehenge, it’s thought they date anywhere from 200 to 1000 years earlier, and it’s the backdrop to the stones which makes these so special. With Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Grasmoor and Blencathra, some of England’s highest mountains surrounding the stones, it is a very atmospheric and dramatic setting.

But before we even get there, we have to drive through the valley of these mountains and along the shores of Thirlmere. Which gives a good opportunity for some driving action videos!

At Castlerigg our idea is to get the drone out again, but as we’re setting it up it seems like 5 coaches turn up and it suddenly becomes the busiest place in the Lake District! With far too many people around to fly, we make do with some photos and videos of us roaming the circle, checking out the stones and amazing views in all directions! And it works as a good spot to take a pause from our advert shooting and grab the yummy snacks we had picked up in the morning!

The only lake in the Lake District... Bassenthwaite Lake

Our final planned stop is another half-an-hour drive away but anyone who’s been to the Lake District before knows that a lot can happen on such a drive!

We take what looks like the scenic route when presented with the options by the sat nav, and as we’re winding our way up a steep narrow country lane, a lay-by appears on the righthand side of the road. There must be a reason there’s a small parking place here, so we stop to investigate!

We take the camera and drone and go through a gate into the field and start our ascent. It seems we’re going up Ullock Pike, a fell which sits on the ridge of the much larger Skiddaw Mountain. We can't spot anyone in the vicinity… to our surprise even the sheep are quite far off… we climb further up and when we feel that we have reached close to the top of the hill and can see the mountains in front of us, we turn and all that we say is “Wow! Worth the climb”

The views out over Bassenthwaite Lake are amazing, and the quiet hill is a prime spot to get the drone out again for some more aerial shots. We would rate it as one of the best places to visit in Lake District if you are hunting for the less crowded and most unexplored places!

And interesting fact... Bassenthwaite Lake is the only lake in the Lake District! All of the others are actually meres or waters... Bassenthwaite being the only one with Lake in it's name!

Lake District Milkshake Farm... Midtown Milkhouse

With the unplanned stop done it’s back to the car and we continue on our way to our last stop of the day, Midtown Milkhouse.

This is a bit of a different location from the amazing views we’ve been visiting for the rest day… it’s a dairy farm which has opened up to serve farm fresh milk 24/7 from vending machines, and they have a syrup bar so you can mix your own milkshakes!

It’s a really cool concept and a fun way to finish our day, capturing some photos and videos as we make and drink our milkshakes.

It’s been a great day exploring the Lakes and getting loads of footage for our first ever advert, and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading the behind-the-scenes story of it! Whether making an advert or not, the locations were varied and amazing all in their own right, and our trip would make the perfect day out itinerary for visiting the Lake District and seeing some of the best places it has to offer!

Let us know what you think to the finished ad in the comments below…

Troven Moments

1. The Grot and waterfall at Rydal Hall… what an amazing, peaceful and serene place! It would be great to set up there all day and write some blogs!
2. The surprise view from the short walk up Queen Adelaide’s Hill… great stunning views for such little effort!
3. Homeground Café… delicious food and coffee, just what is needed to set you up for a day exploring the Lakes!
4. Must visit… the unknown viewpoint on Ullock Pike overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake… what a view!