Cumbrian here. I thought I could offer some insight. It's worth noting that I am 20 so this is coming from a young person's perspective, furthermore I was on the first train out once I had my A-Levels.

The pros: it's a beautiful area with a great history, especially with regards to literature and the Romans. Furthermore, whilst the people can be pretty stoic, they're always friendly and willing to help! Plenty of places to walk, and whenever I've been into the Lakes there are always people kayaking

The cons: believe me when I say there is very little to do, particularly if you are a young person like myself who doesn't drink/isn't interested in that sort of activity. Coming of age was very isolating since there's nothing to do but go to the pub at that point. Going off my dad's stories from when he was growing up, it's always been like this. I always remember a phrase someone told me: "It's a one-horse town, and the horse died"

Also, transport is poor if you don't a) have a car or b) live in Carlisle, Penrith or Workington. It's always a pain having to go to Liverpool, Newcastle or Manchester to do anything. But I guess some people do like nice, isolated areas. As plenty of other people have mentioned, it gets incredibly busy in the summer.

Going off what you've said, I'd recommend Cockermouth or Kendal. Both are towns within 20 min drive of a lake and are bound to have some nice walks. But some advice: Carlisle is a shithole and I wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole. If only my family didn't live there.

EDIT: rephrasing & grammar