Staveley

Staveley's own hotel and B&B choice is modest, in keeping with its size, but that is part of its appeal: it offers a quieter, more local alternative to staying in Windermere or Bowness while remaining only a few minutes away from both by train or car. Rooms here tend to come with village inns and small guesthouses rather than large hotels, many of them well used to the walkers and cyclists who pass through on their way to or from the Kentmere valley, and often within easy reach of Wilf's Cafe and the Mill Yard for an evening meal or a pint.

For a wider range of hotels, from budget stays to country house options, Kendal and Windermere both sit within a few miles and a few minutes' drive or train ride, making it easy to base yourself in Staveley for the walking and cycling while still having a bigger choice of accommodation close at hand. Self-catering cottages and farmhouses around the village and up towards Kentmere suit those wanting more space or a longer stay, particularly groups planning to tackle the Kentmere Horseshoe or spend several days exploring the bike trails that fan out from the village. Booking ahead is worthwhile in summer, when the combination of walkers, cyclists and Lake District tourism more generally puts pressure on the limited number of rooms in and around the village.

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.

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.

Camping around Staveley means camping in serious hill country: the village sits at the foot of the Kentmere valley, with the high ground of High Street, Ill Bell and Yoke rising to the south and east, so most sites here are geared towards walkers and cyclists rather than families looking for a beach holiday. Wild camping is not automatically legal in England, and unlike parts of Scotland there is no general right to pitch a tent on open land without the landowner's permission - even on fell and common land around Kentmere, so stick to recognised campsites, farm pitches or glamping sites unless you have express permission from whoever owns the ground.

Established sites tend to be small and farm-based rather than large holiday parks, reflecting the character of the valley, with pitches for tents and camper vans scattered between Staveley and the hamlet of Kentmere itself. Many are aimed squarely at the walking and mountain biking crowd who use Staveley as a springboard onto the fells, offering secure bike storage, drying rooms and early breakfasts rather than swimming pools and entertainment programmes. Glamping has taken hold in the valley too, with wooden pods and shepherd's huts offering a warmer alternative to canvas for visitors who still want to wake up looking at the fells rather than a housing estate.

The best camping weather runs from late spring through early autumn, when the valley is at its greenest and the high routes like the Kentmere Horseshoe are in reasonable condition underfoot, though conditions on the fells above can change quickly at any time of year and campers heading up onto open ground should always come prepared for wind, rain and sudden drops in temperature. Outside the main season, several sites close altogether or reduce to a handful of hardy pitches, so it's worth checking directly before turning up between October and March. Whatever the time of year, Staveley's position right at the valley mouth means a short walk or pedal from your pitch gets you straight onto quiet Lakeland paths, without the crowds that build up around the bigger honeypot villages elsewhere in the National Park.