Kate Middleton's brother James has candidly shared memories of him and Kate in the Lake District when they were younger.

Known for preferring family holidays to lavish ones abroad, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are big fans of Cumbria's crown jewel.

She and her siblings would spend every summer visiting a particularly quaint corner of the Lake District - the charming village of Coniston.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, James Middleton described his childhood summers in the Lake District.

He said: "The Lake District. It stems from my childhood, reading Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, and as I got older, Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.

"As my family and I spent time on Coniston Water and Windermere, it was almost like we were living the stories in real life.

"I’d have visions of having my own 'Timmy' — the dog in the Famous Five — and imagined that we could go on adventures together.

"Every school holiday we would stay anywhere from a weekend to a week there, in sun or snow or rain, and because there was no electricity in the family cottage it was a real adventure — hiking in the mountains and playing in the Lakes.

"There was a point at which I was in a very bad place, and I disappeared for a few days, and went to seek solace in the snowy Cumbrian mountains. I went up with the dogs and I had a thermos flask of soup, some cheese and a flapjack.

 

"There was nobody about, it was silent, bar the distant bleats of a herd of sheep. I got to the top and I cried; I shouted; I unleashed so many emotions. And I felt like there was this mountain of mental health struggles; depression and anxiety that I was finally, maybe, beginning to get to grips with and take control of.

"There was also this feeling of pleasure of being up there with the dogs and seeing them excited and happy to do whatever I wanted to do. I realised there was this potential light at the end of the tunnel."

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Where is Coniston and why is it popular?

Coniston village is popular with hikers and ramblers because it is near the Old Man of Coniston, one of Cumbria's most popular fells.

The village has a range of shops, pubs and places to eat, including the Crown Inn.

Coniston also has its own local brewery - Coniston Brewery.

Other nearby attractions include The Ruskin Museum and Tarn Hows, an accessible walking route in the Lake District.

Coniston is a five-and-a-half-hour drive from London and a two-hour drive from Manchester.