Bucket list experience:
Photo Ursula Lawrence
For several centuries, the mines around Honister were known for producing distinctive, grey-green Borrowdale slate, which was widely used for building and decorative architecture across Britain.
Slate is still mined here, but these days most of the shafts are silent, and can be explored on evocative underground tours that explore the area’s mining history, and give a unique insight into the weird, dark world the miners inhabited. The guided tours delve deep into the maze of murky caverns and tunnels beneath Fleetwith Pike.
If a regular mine tour isn’t quite enough, it’s also possible to join a Via Ferrata-style climbing tour, involving fixed cables, ladders, rope bridges and even a zip line. It’s great fun, but be prepared to get wet.
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Destination Guide >Tours last roughly 90 minutes. Head torches and hard hats are provided, but it is wet and cold underground, so wear warm layers, waterproofs and decent footwear. Tours run several times a day and can be booked in advance online.
Mine tours run two or three times daily from late February to December. You should aim to arrive 30 minutes ahead of your scheduled tour time.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[13 miles]
One of the very best of the Lake District’s boutique hotels, a reinvented country mansion, brimming with wit, style and invention. In prime position for exploring the Lakes..
Official star rating:
Great Langdale, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[13.2 miles]
The Lakeland version of a deluxe ski lodge, offering supremely plush rooms, a lavish spa and a very private location on a Langdale estate. It’s also adults-only – making this an ideal place for couples looking for a place to pamper themselves.
Official star rating:
Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[13.4 miles]
A large, lakeside hotel not far from Grasmere, with a variety of rooms to suit all kinds of visitors – families, couples, walkers and weekend breakers will all find a happy home here.
Official star rating:
Windermere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[19.3 miles]
A charming, cosy boutique hotel, perched on a private hillside on a 67-acre estate, with an excellent restaurant and grandstand views across Lake Windermere.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)
Imposing mountains, wild landscapes, tranquil lakes and picturesque towns combine to make the Lake District uniquely beautiful, and one of the best places in Britain for walking, climbing, boating and biking.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Buttermere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[5.9 miles]
Spectacular scenery and a tranquil waterside location combine on this 4.5-mile circular walk around Buttermere Lake.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 2 hours
Wasdale, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[6.4 miles]
Climb up to the highest point in England for a memorable view of the Wasdale fells – and a special sense of achievement. But don’t expect to be on your own if the weather’s fine
Best for ages: 13+ | Free | Full day
Keswick, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[12.1 miles]
The most dramatic stone circle in all of England, standing on a lonely hilltop near Keswick for the last 3,000 years, and surrounded by a natural amphitheatre fells.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
Grasmere, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[13.4 miles]
Take a guided tour around Wordsworth’s charming cottage near Grasmere to get a fascinatingly personal insight into the poet’s life and times – and don’t miss the brilliant museum next door.
Best for ages: 180+ | £12
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Keswick, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[0.1 miles]
Thrilling rock climbing made more accessible – an adventure course of cables, rungs, ladders and bridges.
Best for ages: 10+ | £60 | 3 hours
Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[12.6 miles]
The region’s most picturesque and charming village. Grasmere is set on the shores of its eponymous lake and cradled by green fields and fells. William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard of St Oswald’s – you can see the poet’s tombstone.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 3 hours
Ambleside, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[12.8 miles]
Sarah Nelson’s gingerbread is an institution in Grasmere: it’s been made to the same recipe since 1854. It’s wonderfully quaint – the frilly outfits worn by the shop staff are something from a bygone age.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free | 3 hours
Cockermouth, Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK)[18.7 miles]
One of the only distilleries in England that makes its own whisky, this boutique spirits maker also produces its own gin and vodka. Tours explore the alchemical art of distilling and offer the chance to taste the latest batches.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 3 hours
