Lake District wedding photographer Robin Goodlad

Beautiful, luxury creative documentary wedding photography, showcasing the landscape of the Lake District 

The Lake District, a landscape which has inspired so many

The Lake District national park is a breathtaking part of Cumbria, with incredible mountains and fells, deep and tranquil lakes and tarns, beautiful woodlands. It is an area made famous by the likes of the poets William Wordsworth, John Ruskin, Samuel Coleridge, and the writers Beatrix Potter (the creator of Peter Rabbit), Arthur Ransome (of Swallows and Amazons fame, which was set around Windermere) and of course the legendary fell walker Alfred Wainwright, all people who were inspired by, and celebrated the incredible natural beauty of the Lake District. If you choose to get married in the Lake District, including the landscape should perhaps be a big part of it, after all, that is surely one of the reasons you have chosen to get married here in the Lakes. 

Lake District elopement weddings

The Lake District is perfect for elopement and small weddings, with many intimate venues, or even the option to marry out in the fells, or on the shore of a lake. As well as larger weddings I love photographing these smaller more intimate elopement style weddings, please have a look at my pricing page for more information. 

Wedding venues

There are so many superb locations and wedding venues to get married in the Lake District, such as Lodore Falls in Borrowdale, the Inn on the Lake,  Cragwood, Askham Hall, Lingholm, Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, The Daffodil Hotel in Grasmere, indeed anywhere. All of them have the perfect feel, whether it’s a venue on the shore of one of the lakes with it’s own jetty, perhaps even incorporating one of the Ullswater, Windermere or Derwent steamers and boats, or deep in the mountains and fells. My favourite weddings are those out in the wild, where we can get some incredible portraits and reflections by the lakes of Derwentwater, Windermere, Elterwater, Ullswater or a mountain tarn perhaps, and with backdrops of the iconic mountains of the Langdale Pikes, Scafell Pike, or Helvellyn, the options are endless. In Autumn, the colours in the leaves are simply breathtaking too, which makes the Lake District the perfect place to head with a camera to capture the changing seasons.  

“Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest, always there will be the exhilaration of the summits”

Alfred Wainwright 

The Lake District – a mecca for adventure

The Lakes isn’t just great for weddings, there is so much more to do as well, and if you are having an elopement wedding, then there is plenty to keep you and your guests entertained and occupied, let me be your guide!

Photography in the Lake District

The Lake District is a stunning landscape, so it stands to reason that it is the perfect place to come with your camera, and immerse yourself in the landscape, As an established landscape photographer, I know many of the best places to head to for the perfect sunrise or sunset, or mountain view. Great locations include the iconic Blea Tarn with the Langdale Pikes behind, the Buttermere pines, the jetty on Derwentwater, and Tarn Hows. Autumn and Spring are the best months to visit, when the morning and afternoon light is softest at the time known as golden hour, in spring the daffodils are in full bloom, while in autumn, the trees turn incredible shades of yellows, oranges, reds and browns, perhaps even with some mist in the valleys, or snow capped mountains if you are lucky. For rainy days in Cumbria, then the best place to head to is the rivers and waterfalls, for long exposures of the likes of Aira Force, Stock Ghyll Force, and Scale Force. Or you could of course just go shopping in Ambleside or Keswick!

Hillwalking, fellwalking and mountaineering

There is no place like the Cumbrian Lake District if you are a lover of the outdoors, thrill-seeker, or search for adventure. For several years I myself worked at the Outward Bound Centre in Ullswater, and know the area very well. There are walks and rambles for walkers of all levels, from lazy walks around the accessible trails around lakes such as Tarn Hows, or wanders round the lake shore, perhaps with a trip back on the Ullswater steamers, to the medium sized fells of Loughrigg, Hallin Fell, Helm Crag, and then on to bigger hills such as the Langdale Pikes, or Coniston Old Man, then there are the majestic and challenging mountains of Scafell, Bowfell, Helvellyn, and many scrambling or climbing routes up these crags for the more adventurous. If you love fell running, why not link all the fells together in the Bob Graham Round!

Cycling

There is so much for the keen cyclist in the Lake District, from the forest trails at Grizedale Forest and Whinlatter Forest, which cater for mountain bikers of all levels, to the steep and challenging Lakeland passes of Honister, Hardknott, Wrynose, at 30% incline these roads are not for the faint hearted, and coupled together they form the route of the infamous Fred Whitton Challenge, a 1113 mile road cycle sportive, which takes in all of the Lakeland mountain passes!

Food and accomodation

The Lake District boasts a huge wealth of accomodation choices, and a wide range of superb local food. As a hotspot for tourists, there are many superb hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses and Air Bnb’s, such as Armathwaite hall, the Gilpin, The lakeside Hotel, the Eltermere, Lodore Falls Hotel, and cosy pubs such as the Britannia Inn at Elterwater (a firm favourite of mine!).  No visit to the lakes would be complete without sampling the local food, with the mightly Cumberland Sausage being a must, as well as a visit to the Grasmere Gingerbread shop, or a taste of iconic Kendal Mint cake whilst out on the fells. For real foodies, nothing quite surpasses the 3 Michelin Star L’Enclume in Cartmel, run by chef Simon Rogan, or the exceptional Forest Side in Grasmere.

The Lakes also boasts some amazing small breweries, with superb ales from Jennings, The Hawkshead Brewery and Cumbrian Ales.