Staveley

Staveley sits where the busy A591 gives way to something altogether calmer, tucked into the valley of the River Kent almost exactly halfway between Kendal and Windermere. It's a working Lakeland village rather than a picture-postcard one, built around a 19th-century bobbin mill that once turned out wooden bobbins for the Lancashire cotton trade. That industrial history is still visible in the stone mill buildings that line the riverbank, even though they now house cafes, workshops and one of the country's best-known bike shops instead of water wheels and machinery.

What draws people here today is the setting rather than any single sight: Staveley is the natural gateway to the Kentmere valley, a long, quiet dale that runs south from the high fells of High Street and Ill Bell down to the village itself. Walkers heading out for the Kentmere Horseshoe, one of the classic high-level rounds in the Lake District, typically start from Staveley or the hamlet of Kentmere a couple of miles further up the valley. Cyclists know it just as well, for gentler reasons, the village has become something of an unofficial capital of Lake District mountain biking, with trails threading up into the Kentmere and Longsleddale valleys and a cluster of businesses built around two wheels rather than the road.

Top things to do in Staveley

Staveley punches well above its size for a village of a few thousand people, largely thanks to Staveley Mill Yard, the old bobbin mill complex that has been quietly reinvented over the past two decades.

• Staveley Mill Yard - the former bobbin mill on the banks of the River Kent, now home to independent shops, workshops and cafes housed in the original stone mill buildings.
• Wilf's Cafe - a Staveley institution since 1997, set inside the mill with decking over the river, popular with walkers and cyclists refuelling before or after a day on the fells.
• Wheelbase - one of the largest bike shops in the country, with hundreds of bikes on display, professional fitting and hire, reflecting the village's status as a mountain biking hub.
• Kentmere Valley - the quiet dale running south from the high fells, reached on foot or by bike directly from the village, with classic walks radiating out in every direction.
• Kentmere Hall - a fortified 14th-century pele tower a couple of miles up the valley, built with walls several feet thick to withstand cross-border raids in more turbulent centuries.
• The Kentmere Horseshoe - one of the longest and most remote ridge walks in the Lake District, taking in High Street, Ill Bell and Yoke, usually approached from Staveley or Kentmere village.
• River Kent - the river that gives Kendal its name flows straight through Staveley, with riverside paths and spots to sit and watch it below the old mill.

Getting to Staveley

Staveley has its own railway station on the Windermere branch line, with trains running from Oxenholme (on the West Coast Main Line) via Kendal, making it one of the easier Lake District villages to reach without a car - Windermere is a few minutes further up the line, Kendal a few minutes back the other way. By road, the village sits just off the A591, the main route between Kendal and Windermere, with Kendal around four miles to the south-east and Windermere a similar distance to the north-west. The M6 at Kendal (junction 36) puts Staveley within easy striking distance of the motorway network, while Manchester and Liverpool airports are both a little under two hours' drive away.

Best time to visit Staveley

Late spring and early summer bring the Kentmere valley into its best form, with the fells green underfoot and long daylight for tackling the Horseshoe or the higher mountain bike trails. Summer is busiest, particularly around Wilf's Cafe and the Mill Yard at weekends, but Staveley never feels as pressured as the honeypot villages further into the National Park. Autumn brings russet colour to the valley sides and good conditions for walking, while winter can turn the surrounding fells properly wintry - useful to know if the Kentmere Horseshoe is on your list, as the high ground here is serious mountain terrain whatever the season.

Where to stay in Staveley

Staveley itself has a modest choice of accommodation, from village inns with rooms to bed and breakfasts within walking distance of the Mill Yard, making it a practical, less crowded base than Windermere or Bowness for exploring the southern Lakes. Self-catering cottages and farmhouses are dotted around the village and up towards Kentmere, popular with walkers and cyclists who want to step straight out onto the fells or trails. For a wider choice of hotels, Kendal and Windermere are both a short drive or train ride away, while camping and glamping options can be found scattered through the Kentmere valley and surrounding countryside for those who prefer to be closer to the hills.

Food and drink in Staveley

Wilf's Cafe is the village's best-known address, serving food made on the premises from a converted mill building overlooking the River Kent, and it draws walkers and cyclists in roughly equal measure. Hawkshead Brewery set up its main production site in the Mill Yard in 2006, having outgrown its original home in Hawkshead village, and remains a well-known name in Lakeland brewing even as its beer hall here has since closed. The Eagle & Child and the Duke William Hotel are among the village's traditional pubs, serving as reliable spots for a pint and a meal after a day on the Kentmere fells, while the wider village has a handful of smaller cafes catering to the steady flow of walkers and cyclists passing through.