How to Play the Best Golf in the Lake District
The Lake District is England's most beautiful golf scenery, if not its most famous golf: scenic moorland at Windermere and Keswick, honest value at Penrith and Ulverston, and the great Silloth links a short drive north on the Solway coast. Here is how to get on each one, what to expect to pay in 2026, and how to pair the lakeland views with a true links day.
Photograph: Windermere Golf Club, Cumbria, via Google
The short answer
Golf in the Lake District is about setting as much as architecture. The National Park is mountain and lake country, so there are no championship links inside it; the golf within the Lakes is scenic moorland and parkland, headed by Windermere, a much loved course voted the best in south Cumbria, with Keswick in the northern fells, Penrith on the eastern moor and Kendal and Ulverston on the southern edge. Every one is friendly, walkable and good value, and the views are the point.
For golf of genuine national class you look just beyond the park. Silloth on Solway, a top fifty links in Britain and Ireland, sits on the Solway Firth a short drive north, the best course in Cumbria by a clear margin, and there is honest seaside golf at Grange over Sands and Seascale on the coast. The smart Lakes trip pairs the scenery inside the park with a links day out on the coast. Pick a base near Windermere or Keswick, and the rest falls into place.
Lake District golf: how to get on, 2026
| Course | How to get on | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windermere | Visitors welcome, most days, book ahead | Mid range; confirm directly | Moorland in a World Heritage setting, voted best in south Cumbria |
| Keswick | Visitors welcome, book ahead | Value to mid | Parkland in the northern fells, just over 6,200 yards |
| Penrith | Visitors welcome, days of notice | Around 32 pounds, 37 weekends | Rolling moorland with fine views, on the Cumbria Golf Pass |
| Ulverston | Visitors welcome, book ahead | Value; Cumbria Golf Pass | The county's best parkland, southern Lakes; pass covers three courses for 90 pounds |
| Grange over Sands | Visitors welcome every day | Value; confirm directly | Seaside parkland on Morecambe Bay, southern edge of the Lakes |
| Silloth on Solway | Visitors welcome, book ahead | Around 52 pounds per day | Genuine top fifty links, Solway coast, a drive north of the park |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 and change by season and without notice. The Cumbria Golf Pass bundles several courses at a discount. Always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking. See our Lake District green fee guide for the full picture. Check tee time availability.
How access works, course by course
Windermere is the one to build the trip around. A moorland course laid out above the lake in a UNESCO World Heritage setting, it has been voted the best course in south Cumbria by National Club Golfer and ranked among the most enjoyable in England by Golf World, a tight, hilly, characterful round with views over the fells at every turn. Visitors are always welcome, and a little notice secures a tee time. It is short by championship standards but a genuine pleasure, and the obvious centerpiece of a Lakes golf weekend based around Windermere or Bowness.
The rest of the lakeland set is friendly and good value. Keswick, a parkland just over 6,200 yards in the northern fells, is well laid out and beautifully placed; Penrith is rolling moorland on the eastern edge with fine views and a green fee around 32 pounds; and Kendal, Ulverston and Grange over Sands round out the southern Lakes, the last a seaside parkland on Morecambe Bay. The Cumbria Golf Pass, which bundles Ulverston, Kirkby Lonsdale and Penrith for around 90 pounds, is the value play for a multi course trip. None of these clubs asks for the advance booking and handicap paperwork the famous English courses require, so they slot easily into a touring holiday.
For golf of national class, drive out to the coast. Silloth on Solway, an hour or so north of Keswick on the Solway Firth, is a genuine links of the highest order, ranked in the top fifty of Britain and Ireland, fast, firm and breezy, with a green fee around 52 pounds per day that is one of the great value rounds in British golf. We profile it in full as the best course in the county. Pair a Silloth links day with the scenery inside the park and you have the complete Cumbrian golf trip. Play May to September for the best of the weather, but pack for rain whatever the month, because this is the Lake District.
Plan your Lake District golf trip
Tell us whether you want the scenic moorland inside the park, a links day at Silloth on the coast, or a relaxed value tour on the Cumbria Golf Pass, and roughly when. One concierge sorts the tee times, the base near Windermere or Keswick and the coastal links day, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Lake District golf questions
What is the best golf course in the Lake District?
Windermere is the best loved golf course in the Lake District itself, a beautifully laid out moorland course in a UNESCO World Heritage setting that has been voted the best in south Cumbria and among the most enjoyable in England. The greatest course in the wider county, though, is Silloth on Solway, a top fifty links in Britain and Ireland on the Solway coast a short drive north of the National Park. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Are there links courses in the Lake District?
Not within the National Park itself, which is mountain and lake country, so the golf inside the Lakes is scenic moorland and parkland at Windermere, Keswick, Penrith and Kendal. For true links, drive to the Cumbrian coast: Silloth on Solway to the north is a genuine top fifty links, and there is honest seaside golf at Grange over Sands and Seascale. Pair the scenery inside the park with a links day on the coast for the best of both.
Can visitors play golf in the Lake District?
Yes, easily. The Lake District clubs are welcoming and good value: Windermere, Keswick, Penrith, Ulverston, Kendal and Grange over Sands all take visitors, most days, often without the advance notice the famous English clubs require. The Cumbria Golf Pass bundles several courses at a discount. Indicative green fees run from around 30 to 60 pounds; always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in the Lake District?
May to September gives the warmest, driest weather and the longest days, the best window for the moorland and the views, and the busiest spell for the wider tourist season. April and October are quieter and good value but can be wet, and the Lakes are famously rainy, so pack for weather in any month. The coastal links at Silloth drains well and plays year round.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, access and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.