Posted by Guy C. on January 26, 2005 at 01:16:44 from 24.127.62.156 user Astronomer_Guy.
In Reply to: Weather question posted by Jim McDowell on January 25, 2005 at 22:59:25:
For your choices, I would recommend May over August, simply because you'll have fewer crowds to deal with.
I've visited the Lakes at many different times, given my exceedingly irregular travel schedule (I "commute" between the US and Rome, often via the UK grabbing a few days in the North when I can) and I've never had a bad time -- even counting three days of continual hard rain a few Julys ago. But as with everything in life it's always useful to pack a large dose of patience and good humor.
The "tourist season" -- which means more people, yes, but also more places open to visit and stay at -- has been getting longer every year but there are still times of the year when it may be difficult to find a place to stay once you get off the beaten track. I was surprised just a few years ago to hike from Ambleside into Coniston the week before Christmas, only to find that all the hotels and B&Bs in Consiton were closed for the season.
Still, I love the Lakes in the winter. My very first trip was in March of 1976 and I wound up hiking through waist-deep snow on the fellsides en route to the Black Sail Youth Hostel. Seeing Orion's legs cut off by the fell tops (it was dark before 6 pm) is something I will never forget. (Oddly, WH was the only book of the canon I had not read at that time, never having found it in a library or used book store in the US. I bought the Puffin of it during that trip. Of course, now it is my favorite; tied with the other 11...)
On the other hand, though August is the height of the season you don't have to walk very far to get away from people. And there's a certain charm even to the bustle of Bowness then -- if only for the contrast once you leave it below and behind you!