Lake District · Nightlife

Cumbrian ale, slate floors and a fire. Kitchens across the villages stop serving around 20.30, so eat before you drink.

The two places with anything open past eleven. Bowness is the livelier and the tackier; Ambleside is where the walkers drink.

A market town with a theatre by the lake and more outdoor shops than pubs, which is saying something.

Much of the park has very dark skies, and Ennerdale and Wasdale are the darkest. Take a torch with a red filter.

Open-water swimming is legal and popular in most of the lakes. The water rarely gets above 17C even in August; get out before you are cold.