The UK does a pretty fine act when it comes to autumn; those piercing blue skies, sharp frosty air, flame-coloured trees, and drifts of crisped leaves that cry out to be crunched.
The Lake District, however, takes it a step further by adding great mirrors of water that reflect the surrounding tawny landscape to mesmerising effect. Some of the fell-tops may be dusted with snow, too. Ok, it oftens rains but that can lend a romantic mistiness.
While the area is never empty of visitors, in autumn there are fewer which means less people to dodge when going round attractions or climbing the popular fells or trying to frame that view.
Autumn also means hearty things on the menu – game, roast vegetables, comfort puddings – plus an easier chance to bag a place at one of the area’s thirteen Michelin-starred restaurants (one of which, Heft, has just added bedrooms). And then there are those things that can only happen when the days are shorter: canoeing and wild swimming in the dark, ending a walk in the pub as dusk falls, and a whole festival devoted to dark skies.
Prices drop, too, with many hotels and inns offering tempting deals. If you’ve always fancied that swish place, or that cosy inn with the toasty fires, now is the time to see what’s on offer.
Whatever you choose to do, your packing list must include hats, scarves, gloves and, obviously, waterproofs. Then you’re all wrapped up and ready to go.