Crooklands

Crooklands makes a practical, low-fuss base for exploring the southern Lake District, largely thanks to its position right by junction 36 of the M6. The Crooklands Hotel itself, a former 18th-century farmhouse turned 31-bedroom coaching inn, is the main option in the hamlet, with a bar, two restaurants and function space, and rooms geared as much towards business travellers and wedding guests as holidaymakers. Its character comes from the original beamed ceilings and open fire rather than any lakeside or fellside setting; this is a stopover and touring base rather than a scenic destination in its own right.

Because Crooklands is so small, most visitors who want a wider choice of hotels, guesthouses or bed and breakfasts head the short distance into Kendal, which has a proper range of accommodation from budget chains to independent townhouse hotels, or towards Milnthorpe and the villages around the edge of the Lyth Valley, which offer a mix of country inns and farm-based stays. Booking around the Westmorland County Show in September, or during the main summer holiday weeks when the southern Lakes are busiest, is worth doing well ahead, since Crooklands' limited stock and its position on a main road into the national park mean rooms can go quickly.

For anyone touring by car, staying in or near Crooklands cuts down considerably on drive times to Windermere, Kendal, Levens Hall and Sizergh Castle compared with basing yourself further into the Lakes, while usually working out cheaper than accommodation actually within the national park boundary.

Crooklands itself is tiny, so most days out mean a short drive in one direction or another. That said, there is more within a few miles than the hamlet's size would suggest, and the walking straight from the door is genuinely good.

• Lancaster Canal towpath — the canal runs right past Crooklands Bridge and gives easy, flat, traffic-free walking or cycling in either direction, past the old aqueduct over Peasey Beck and out into open farmland.
• Levens Hall and Gardens — an Elizabethan house around 2.8 miles away, famous for its topiary garden, one of the oldest in the world, first laid out in the late 17th century, plus a working steam collection and deer park.
• Sizergh Castle — a National Trust medieval pele tower and Tudor house about 5 miles north, with extensive gardens, a rock garden and parkland walks, and a long history tied to the Strickland family.
• Lakeland Wildlife Oasis — a family-run zoo near Milnthorpe, roughly 6 miles away, with meerkats, snow leopards, reptiles and an indoor tropical house, popular with younger children.
• Kendal — the historic market town of Kendal is about 4.5 miles north, with its ruined castle, Kendal Museum, the Brewery Arts Centre and the Abbot Hall art gallery, plus the usual run of independent shops and cafes on Highgate and Stricklandgate.
• Farleton Fell and the Helsington and Whitbarrow limestone country — a short drive away, this stretch of the southern fells offers limestone pavement, juniper scrub and views across Morecambe Bay, popular with walkers and, on the Farleton Crag side, paragliders.
• Southern Lake District access — Crooklands is close enough to the M6 and the A590/A591 corridor that Windermere, Bowness and the southern end of the national park are all within a 20-30 minute drive.

The Crooklands Hotel is the obvious focus for food and drink in the hamlet, with both a contemporary evening restaurant and a more traditional coaching-inn bar and dining area serving pub classics alongside daily specials. There is no separate village pub or cafe beyond the hotel, so for wider choice, Kendal and Milnthorpe both offer a good spread of cafes, restaurants and takeaways within a few minutes' drive.

Crooklands has no campsite of its own, but its position close to the southern fells and the limestone country around Farleton and Whitbarrow makes it a reasonable jumping-off point for campers heading further into the Lyth Valley or towards Kendal and the national park proper. As anywhere in England, wild camping is not a legal right and pitching up on open fell or farmland without the landowner's permission is technically trespass, whatever the informal tolerance sometimes found deeper in the Lake District; anyone wanting to camp near Crooklands should use a proper site or seek permission directly.

The terrain around Crooklands itself is gentle, low-lying farmland and canal-side path rather than fell country, so this is not somewhere associated with classic Lakeland wild camping. The nearby limestone hills, Farleton Fell, Hutton Roof and Whitbarrow, are more rugged but still largely private farmland or nature reserve, where camping without permission is not appropriate. Campers are better served treating Crooklands as a stopover en route to established sites further into the Lyth Valley, around Kendal, or in the honeypot camping areas of the southern Lakes around Windermere and Coniston.

The best camping season here runs from late spring to early autumn, broadly May to September, when longer days and drier ground make both the canal towpath walking and any fellside routes further afield more comfortable; Cumbria's weather can turn wet and changeable at any time of year, so waterproof kit is always worth packing. For those who prefer a roof and four walls without booking a hotel, glamping options such as shepherd's huts, pods and small-scale canvas lodges are increasingly common across South Lakeland and the Lyth Valley, offering a softer introduction to the area's countryside than a tent on open ground.