If you're planning trip over Kirkstone Pass folks the resurfacing has been completed, you could drive a F1 car up it. Sadly the Inn is still closed for refurbishment. The Struggle going down (not resurfaced but OK by Lakes standards). A just awful few hours
It's a special place to be fair, the flip side being riding (canoeing) my motorbike to and from work 5 days a week. Those Lakes don't get filled by magic. I have the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland and Dumfries on my doorstep too so can't complain I was in Lincolnshire a few weeks ago, as flat as a billiard table.
Yes, having Dumfries and the Solway Coast is an added bonus. Sadly, most of the towns along the coast are now a shadow of the vibrant towns which they were a few decades ago.