Travel expert and journalist Simon Calder has warned against Brits visiting the Lake District and instead opt "for somewhere that’s less travelled like Northumberland".

On ITV’s This Morning, Bank on Dave headed to the NEC to explore some motorhomes at this year’s Caravan and Motorhome Show.

While there, he caught up with Calder who warned about the UK's love of motorhomes.

Bank on Dave asked Simon which areas of the UK had the most motorhomes and the expert said: “Well in some parts (of the UK), it’s too popular!”

He added: “So Cornwall, the last thing you want is a convoy of motorhomes or caravans going round those tiny lanes.

“Same in the Lake District. The North Coast 500, incredibly popular among motorhomes, this is around the far north of Scotland, a beautiful run and a motorhome is a really handy way to see it.”

Simon continued: “The locals aren’t particularly impressed so I would go for somewhere that’s less travelled like Northumberland or the Scottish borders, absolutely lovely.”

The Lake District is one of the UK’s top holiday destinations but the beloved region can become a little overcrowded in peak season.

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Parking in the Lake District

More than 20,000 parking fines were handed out to drivers in 2023 including over 1,000 on a single road in south Cumbria - Glebe Road in Bowness.

A freedom of information (FOI) request showed Westmorland and Furness Council issued 20,969 penalty charge notices (PCNs) in 2023 as of December.

Mayor of Windermere and Bowness Town Council Leith Hallatsch previously told us: “Parking is a major concern for our local residents. The issue of illegal and inconsiderate parking has a real impact on their ability to go about their daily lives and for the emergency services to respond to incidents. The problem, fundamentally, is a lack of legal parking spaces in our town.

“Tourists drive for hours to get here on a sunny bank holiday and when they find all the car parks full they resort to parking illegally out of sheer frustration.

"The issuing of tickets does not prevent this from happening again as the next sunny weekend it is a whole different group of tourists who arrive.

“What is needed is a strong vision and leadership by the authorities responsible for tourism and highways such as the Lake District National Park and Westmorland & Furness Council to invest in park and ride facilities, and other ways to limit the number of cars coming to the area to the number of available parking spaces.”