The Most Scenic Drives in the Lake District with Vauxhall

Visiting the Lake District has become an annual trip now. Whilst, I’m no expert on the area, we were fortunate to spend a week in the Lakes exploring in the new Vauxhall Grandland X. We were kindly loaned this car for our adventures in the Lake District and it was perfect for navigating the country roads. You can read about our full trip to the Lake District here. In today’s blog post, I’m going to be sharing some of my favourite and most scenic drives we came across during the Lake District. I do have to admit, wherever you go in the Lakes, it’s really is just stunning but there are some epic drives!

As I mentioned, we were loaned the Vauxhall Grandland X to test around the Lake District. I actually don’t drive so I’m not THAT clued up with the technical abilities of a car but Stefan is and he was ever so impressed with the car. The SUV Crossover had so many handy features making it an excellent drive for a trip such as this one. The Grandland X is larger than what we are used to but it had an amazing sized boot for all our things and overall, it would be a great size for a family.

It’s also quite a tech-savvy car with a built-in Sat-Nav and also connects to the Vauxhall On Star service which can provide a Wi-Fi hotspot and in the event of an accident will automatically contact the emergency services. That’s a great feature if you are in the middle of nowhere. Other features we particularly liked were the excellent parking sensors, lane departure system, automatic lights, cruise control and my personal favourite; heated seats! It may be a nice drive but it’s all about keeping the passenger (ME!) happy! We really did love having the Grandland X for our adventures in the lakes and driving around some of the most scenic routes.

Kirkstone Pass & “The Struggle”

I could probably write a whole blog post about this route as it’s certainly a drive you don’t want to miss whilst visiting the Lakes. This route is essentially Ambleside to Ullswater via a very difficult and steep road and one of the greatest and highest views in the area. Starting from Ambleside, you’ll need to start the route on Kirkstone Road otherwise known as “The Struggle”. The start of this route is nearby to the famous Bridge House. The Struggle is well, quite simply a Struggle. It’s a very steep route with many blind stops and mainly single lane traffic but once you reach the top it’s worth it and there is even a pub!

Kirkstone Pass is the highest mountain pass which you can drive on. The views are incredible from the top over Lake Windermere and you can have a drink at the Kirkstone Pass Inn! If you continue to route along to Ullswater, the scenic views just keep on coming. Driving towards Glenridding, you’ll be surrounded by mountains and greeted by the incredible views of Ullswater. Kirkstone Pass is an unmissable scenic drive.

Lake Windermere loop

Along Lake Windemere, you’ll find many of the Lake Districts popular destinations. Whilst you can actually take a ferry across the mile-long lake, we actually really enjoyed driving along the lakeside in a circular loop. I don’t believe you can do a full loop of the lake but we drove from Ambleside to Hill Top Farm (Beatrix Potter’s House) on the western side via Newby Bridge and there were some stunning sights of Lake Windermere.

Great Langdale

On our first evening in the Lake District, we had an amazing stay at the Brimstone Hotel & Spa. I couldn’t recommend this place enough. It really was an incredible hotel and the staff there were ever so helpful with sharing different routes around the Lakes. The hotel was in the Great Langdale area and although they were very small roads to navigate, they did offer some incredible views. We had to pull over a few times to take some photos as it just was so breathtaking.

Ullswater loop

Ullswater is another favourite place of mine within the lakes. We’ve driven around Ullswater many times and following on from the Kirkstone Pass Route you could take in the views of Ullswater too. Driving from Glenridding to Pooley Bridge you’ll come across some lovely sights out on the lake. We’ve also taken the opportunity to pull over and have a picnic on the banks of the water and it was just so beautiful. It’s also worth mentioning that Aira Falls is on this route and worth checking out.

Have you experienced any of these scenic drives in the Lake District?