www.golakes.co.uk

Spring 2010 Newsletter for travel writers

Easter Extravaganza

When spring has sprung there’s no better place to be than the Lake District, Cumbria. Whatever the weather this

Easter there’s plenty to keep visitors entertained.

The Lake District

Fools Day and Easter Family Fun, Muncaster Castle, April 1st, 3rd-5th Muncaster Castle and Gardens was voted number one in The Independent’s top 50 Best Spring Days Out, and on Thursday 1st April it’s time for some Tom Fools Day fun at Muncaster. There’ll be madness and mayhem with performances by the Fool of Muncaster 2009, Will Tease. The day will also see Foolish Football with Muncaster mascot Max MeadowVole – visitors can score a goal and win a prize. Alternatively pelt a Pennington, a chance to pelt a member of the family who live at Muncaster with wet sponges, eggs and flour bombs – all for a small charge, in aid of a local charity. Also over the Easter weekend there’s another chance to see Will Tease show why he was the Festival of Fools winner last year. www.muncaster.co.uk

The Great Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt, World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, Bowness-on-Windermere March 31st-April 10th

An annual favourite, families have the chance to take part in the north of England’s biggest Easter Egg Hunt, with 100 specially commissioned eggs hidden across the whole of Cumbria. The event is free to enter, and there’s a chance to win a very special prize. The fun starts at 10am on March 31st when a map on the website will show the locations of all the eggs. Each limited-edition egg can be kept by the finder, and they’ll also get a family ticket to the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. 10 special eggs will offer a two-night break in a Lake District Hotel. Follow the progress of the Easter Egg Hunt by visiting the Map page on the website or by following peterrabbiteggs on Twitter. www.golakes.co.uk/beatrixpotter/egg-hunt.aspx

Easter Egg Trail, Holker Hall, near Grange-over–Sandss April 2nd, 4th and 5th The beautiful gardens of Holker Hall, which merge into parkland framed by the Lakeland Hills, are the impressive setting for an Easter Egg Hunt this holiday weekend. This grand stately home has been home to the Cavendish family for more than 400 years, and now the public are welcome to enjoy the rose-coloured neo-Elizabethan mansion and its grounds. Once the children have followed the clues to find eggs in secret hideaways and have worked out the magic word to win chocolate prizes, the grown-ups can find more edible treats in the food hall and restaurant. Easter egg hunt entrance free with a Garden ticket. Adult garden ticket £6.50, child (6-15) £3.50. www.holker-hall.co.uk

Easter Continental Market, Carlisle City April 1st-5th The historic city of Carlisle takes on a European theme when dozens of French, German and Italian stallholders arrive in the Lake District for one of the city’s regular Continental Markets. Specialist produce and gifts from near and far make this a welcome addition to the already excellent shopping available in Carlisle, from boutique chic to high-street shops – and the award-winning Market Hall, one of the few remaining covered Victorian Markets in the country. www.historic-carlisle.org.uk/historiccarlisle/

Easter Eggstras at Brockhole – Lake District Visitor Centre April 2nd, 5th Peter Rabbit’s not the only famous long-eared animal in the Lake District. This Easter, visitors will be hunting the Brockhole Bunny, as well as following Easter trails and learning more about the National Park. On Sunday April 4th there’s a chance to use the natural surroundings to inspire a unique piece of art in the drop-in Taste of Creativity craft sessions (£1 admission). Young visitors can lose themselves in an adventure playground set among the trees, with rope walks, slides, swings, scramble nets and zip wires, while the less-energetic can explore the gardens, including a 30-acre Arts and Crafts garden designed by Thomas Mawson and boasting views over Windermere and the Langdale Pikes. www.lake-district.org.uk/activities-for-kids/brockhole-visitor-centre.php

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Places to stay and dine in the western Lake District

It’s one of the Lake District’s least explored regions yet the western lakes has plenty to offer visitors from miles of

beautiful coastline to unique heritage sites and attractions for all the family. We’ve outlined a few suggestions of

things to see and do in this area that are a little unusual or quirky.

Where To Dine

Horse and Farrier Inn

A 17th century Inn boasting stunning views over towards the Helvellyn Range,

the Horse and Farrier Inn stands in the picturesque village of Threlkeld just 4 miles

east of Keswick. It also serves a range of Jennings Ales, which are brewed 17

miles up the road in Cockermouth. Depending on the time of year, you might

delight in a half of Cocker Hoop, Sneck Lifter or Old Smoothy to name but a

few... all welcome after a hard day’s walking. The brews also feature in the

restaurant menu – the speciality dish is Farrier Lamb Shoulder, braised in

Jennings Ale and served on a bed of chive mash. A bar menu also offers a

selection of pub favourites.

www.horseandfarrier.com

The Shepherds Arms Hotel

Ennerdale is the most remote of the Lakes. It lies on the Coast to Coast

route, and is quite inaccessible, which is probably much of the charm of

the Shepherds Arms Hotel at Ennerdale Bridge, which started life as a

coaching inn in 1704. Popular with walkers and cyclists, it’s the place to

stop for hearty bar meals and home-cooked locally-sourced produce,

and a decent selection of beers. www.shepherdsarmshotel.co.uk

Quince & Medlar Vegetarian Restaurant, Cockermouth

Vegetarians can sometimes feel they’re a bit of an afterthought when they

dine out, but not at the Quince & Medlar. This vegetarian restaurant offers fine

dining, creative dishes, and organic wines – all in a wood-panelled, candlelit

dining room next to Cockermouth Castle. With a number of awards including

National Vegetarian Restaurant of the year 2003, the menu changes bi-

monthly, featuring local, seasonal produce. Dishes may include Sticky

Lemongrass Rice wrapped with ribbons of Nori seaweed served chilled with

Tamari & slices of avocado, Spinach Cream Cheese & Wensleydale Gateau

with slices of sweet potato & plum tomato, oven baked & served with a Dijon

mustard sauce and Date & fig sponge pudding with toffee sauce. www.quinceandmedlar.co.uk

The Little Ramekin, Allonby

Cumbria’s Cool Coast is gaining a reputation as a great location for

windsurfing and kite surfing. The Little Ramekin bistro is upping its cool

credentials yet more. Opened two years ago, the menu features locally

sourced food (specialising in fish) that is organic where possible, all to be

enjoyed in a quaint seaside village atmosphere. Time it right and diners

can enjoy a famous Solway sunset as they linger over supper. www.wheresbest.co.uk/venue/21505/The-Little-Ramekin/

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Where To Stay

Stanwix Park Holiday Centre, Greenrow, Silloth, Wigton

This award-wining holiday centre is just a short stroll away from a sandy beach,

yet close to Carlisle and the many attractions of the Lake District. There’s plenty

of room for campers and caravanners, who have their own laundry and

campers kitchen available, but there are also two and three bedroom super-

size caravans available to let. With Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sauna,

steam room, gym, ten-pin bowling, and an entertainment centre, there’s plenty

on offer for families visiting the Lake District. The camp offers two options for

nightly entertainment; families with children are welcome at the Sunset Inn

Family Club, while The Sky Bar and Dunes Cabaret Club is the option for a more

adult evening’s entertainment. www.stanwix.com

The Lodore Falls Hotel, Borrowdale, Keswick

The Lakeland poet, Robert Southey wrote a famous onomatopoeic

poem in 1820 (www.golakes.co.uk) about the Lodore Falls, which lie

behind the Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa. As well as its very own waterfall,

and stunning lake and mountain views, the hotel, on Derwentwater near

Keswick, also has its own Spa and beauty salon, where friendly therapists

offer everything from eyebrow shaping and massages to full and half-day

pampering packages. The hotel also offers special Spa breaks, which

include dinner, bed and breakfast and beauty treatments. www.lodorefallshotel.co.uk

Gardener's Cottage, Millholme House, Bootle, Near Ravenglass

Nestling against a Victorian mansion house and set in four acres of mature

walled gardens and woodland with a river running through it, Gardener’s

Cottage is full of 18th century character and rustic charm. This cosy cottage

offers walks from the doorstep up to the lower Lakeland fells, a waterfall, which

is an ideal spot for picnics, and some spectacular coastal views (you can even

see the Isle of Man on a clear day). Sleeping two to four people (plus a baby)

the cottage doesn’t sacrifice mod cons for all its character. You’ll still find a

dishwasher, satellite TV and DVD player. When the weather’s fine a secluded

Victorian courtyard offers a place to sit and enjoy a barbecue, while a log-

burning stove will keep it cosy in the evenings. www.millholmehouse.com

Moresby Hall, Moresby, Whitehaven

Stay in your own little piece of history at the Gold award-winning Moresby

Hall, one of the county’s most historic houses. The Grade 1 listed country

guest house was built in the early 17th century, and has been described

as “one of the most important buildings” in Cumbria by English heritage.

Set in a semi-rural location, with its own delightful walled garden,

imposing Moresby Hall is only two miles from the Georgian market town of

Whitehaven with its picturesque harbour. Grand though it may look, the

owners put the emphasis on relaxation, and owner Jane Saxon also offers

cookery demonstrations in the Smallbone demonstration kitchen. In the

winter there are huge open fires, and the orangery, built in 2008, is an

additional area for guests to relax. www.moresbyhall.co.uk

www.golakes.co.uk

West’s best-kept secrets

The Lake District is a popular destination, but even seasoned visitors will find something new if they look to the Western

Lake District. These are some of our favourites:

Who needs Australia? Surf’s up on the Cool Coast!

The Lake District’s not just for walkers and climbers. The Western Lake

District has a host of wonderful beaches that are perfect for wind surfing –

in fact the area is rapidly becoming known as the Cool Coast. There are

93 miles of coast, and one of the most popular spots for more

experienced windsurfers is Allonby Beach, which has the distinction of

being one of the windiest beaches in the country. The ancient village of

St Bees has one of the most popular rural beaches in the country, and is

also the spot for the start of the Coast to Coast walk. Anyone looking for

even more adventure should look to the Cool Coast to try their hand at

Kite Surfing.

www.destinationcumbria.co.uk/airactivity.cfm?id=6

Secret village

Ravenglass is the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park. For years

it was the haunt of smugglers, and is still quite a secret today. Close to the UK’s

highest peak (Scafell Pike) and deepest lake (Wast Water), it was once a

thriving port, thanks to the fact that it is built on the estuaries of three rivers. That

was 250 years ago – now those estuaries are a sanctuary for birdlife and of

course bird watchers. The village also has the distinction of being the starting or

finishing point for a number of walks including Lakeland to Lindisfarne and

Ravenglass to Scarborough. With the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, and

Muncaster Castle and its World Owl Centre on its doorstep, Ravenglass offers

something for visitors whatever their interests. Ravenglass has a mainline train

station, yet is far enough away from major towns to avoid becoming

overcrowded, even at the height of the summer season.

www.ravenglassvillage.co.uk

Wordsworth House and Garden, Cockermouth

Did you know Wordsworth died on his birthday? St George’s Day this year marks

the 160th anniversary of the death of the man who penned “I wandered lonely

as a cloud”, and the 240th anniversary of his birth. A visit to the Georgian

Wordsworth House in Cockermouth where William Wordsworth grew up with his

parents, four siblings and a number of animals, should shed more light on the

Lake District’s most famous son. The National Trust has brought the past to life at

Wordsworth House, where visitors may encounter some of Wordsworth’s servants

undertaking their daily chores – there’s even a chance to join in. Gift aid entry:

(Standard Admission prices in brackets): adult £6.20 (£5.63), child £3.10 (£2.76),

family £15.50 (£14.02). Reduced rate when arriving by public transport.

www.wordsworthhouse.org.uk

Drowned village

The Thirlmere Reservoir, to the east of the A591 at Thirlmere, Cumbria,

hides a secret. Underneath its waters lie the remains of two villages –

Wythburn and Amboth. Originally two small lakes, the valley was

dammed to make one central reservoir to supply Manchester back in the

late 1800s. A small whitewashed church is all that remains of the village of

Wythburn – Wordsworth once called it “Wythburn's modest house of

prayer”. It's free to use the reservoir for canoeing, sailboarding and

dinghy sailing, and much of the surrounding woodland is open to the

public: there are also extensive areas of open fell above the woods.

About four miles from Keswick, Thirlmere offers stunning views up to

Helvellyn and Dollywagon Pike.

www.english-lakes.com/thirlmere.html

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Literary Lakes

Unsurprisingly, with its stunning views, imposing lakes, mountains and hills, the Lake District has been an inspiration for

any number of writers and artists. Here’s just a handful of the writers and their works that owe it all to The Lakes.

Wordsworth

William Wordsworth, author of the most famous poem in the English language "I

wandered lonely as a cloud”, was born in 1770 in Cockermouth, and lived in

the Grasmere area all his life. After a visit to his birthplace, Wordsworth House in

Cockermouth, where the 18th century is brought to life, the Lakeland visitor

should next stop at Dove Cottage, Grasmere, where Wordsworth wrote much of

his work and where his sister Dorothy wrote her Grasmere Journals, detailing life

in the cottage. A Wordsworth Museum is located opposite. Lastly, Rydal Mount

and Gardens, which lies between Ambleside and Grasmere boasts stunning

views of Lake Windermere and Rydal Water. William and his wife Mary lived

here for 46 years. It is also possible to stay at the only house Wordsworth ever

owned. He bought White Moss House, at the northern end of Rydal Water, for

his son in 1827, and it stayed in the family until the 1930s. It is now run as a small

hotel (www.whitemoss.com).

www.wordsworthlakes.co.uk

Swallows and Amazons

Arthur Ransome wrote the first Swallows and Amazons book in 1931. He

had spent many holidays in the Lake District and was educated in

Windermere. Following a spell living in Russia during the Revolution, he

settled in the Lake District, where he wrote his stories about the Walker

and Blackett children, and their adventures set around Wild Cat Island.

The first stop for any Swallows and Amazons fan should be the Museum of

Lakeland Life in Kendal, which has a special exhibition about the writer

and his works. Here, there are maps showing possible locations for those

mentioned in the books – and it’s also home to the Arthur Ransome

Society.

www.arthur-ransome.org

Beatrix Potter

Movie fans can track down some of the locations featured in the film Miss

Potter, starring Renée Zellweger: filming took place at Loughrigg Terrace,

Loughrigg Tarn, Grasmere and Yew Tree Farm, Coniston. Beatrix Potter, is, of

course, famed for her tales of small animals such as Peter Rabbit and Jemima

Puddleduck, all illustrated with beautifully detailed drawings. Beatrix Potter

holidayed in the Lake District as a child and these times influenced her work –

Squirrel Nutkin sailed on Derwentwater and the Tale of Johnny Townmouse is set

in Hawkshead. With the money made from her stories, Miss Potter bought Hill

Top Farm, as well as other farms and estates in the Lake District, and also

became an expert Herdwick sheep breeder. When she died in 1943 she left her

farms and land to the National Trust, and there are plenty of opportunities to

follow her footsteps in the Lake District today, whether at Hilltop Farm, the

Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead, or at the World of Beatrix Potter at Bowness

-on-Windermere

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-hilltop.htm

Postman Pat

Postman Pat creator John Cunliffe lived in Kendal for six years, and the

Cumbrian countryside provided much of the inspiration for the setting of

the stories of Pat and his black and white cat, Jess. The village of

Greendale, where Pat and his friends live, was inspired by Longsleddale,

a valley in the east of the Lake District, while the Greendale Post Office

was based on Beast Banks post office, in Kendal. The post office is now

closed, but a plaque on the building marks its claim to fame.

www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/features/cumbria_on_film/postman_pat.shtml

www.golakes.co.uk

Getting There Travellers setting off from the Midlands will find it takes only three hours to drive to Keswick, while from Manchester it’s just a two-hour journey, making it an ideal destination for a weekend break. Keswick is close to the M6, just north of Lancaster and south of Carlisle. Drivers from London and the South East should find themselves in Keswick in no more than five hours, but might like to consider taking the train to Penrith, where a bus service will take them the final 17 miles into Keswick. From Yorkshire, a journey on the historic Settle to Carlisle line, considered to be the most scenic railway in England, is an enjoyable way to start a trip into the Lake District www.golakes.co.uk

One for the kids Kids can meet the only Canadian Lynx in the United Kingdom, along with a cat that likes to swim at Trotters World of Animals in Keswick. Children will love the fact that animal handling is actively encouraged at Trotters, with audience participation events held throughout the day. As well as some unusual sights such as a Mandrill and the Asian Fishing Cat, there are also favourites including meerkats, lemurs and otters. With amazing flying displays, which offer the chance to see a vulture, flying over your head and indoors and outdoor play areas, there’s plenty to keep children happy – and tire them out – at Trotters World of Animals. www.trottersworld.com

24 hours in Keswick

Where to eat Kick off the walking boots and slip into something smarter for a visit to the only restaurant in Keswick to hold two RAC Blue Ribbon Dining awards and two AA Rosettes. The Highfield Restaurant boasts four international chefs creating dishes using the best seasonal local produce. The menu changes daily and includes such delights as juicy Grilled Scallops in Smoked Pancetta flavoured with lemon grass, and Loin of Gloucester Old Spot Pork cooked on the bone, with a Colcannon Potato Mash, Sweet Apple Compote and a Seed Mustard Cream Sauce, while vegetarians are not left out, with imaginative dishes such as Crisp Spiced Vegetable Strudel with Minted Cucumber Yoghurt. www.highfieldkeswick.co.uk Vegetarians (and everyone else) are wonderfully catered for at Keswick’s Wholefood Café, The Lakeland Pedlar. A warming bowl of steaming homemade soup is perfect at this time of year, or get set for a day in the great outdoors by starting the day with a Full Veggie Breakfast. www.lakelandpedlar.co.uk

Where to stay A Victorian Country House set in four acres of beautiful grounds; the award-winning Hazel Bank has a host of awards to recommend it. Standing proudly in the central Lakeland Fells in Borrowdale, with spectacular views out across the Borrowdale Valley, Keswick, Hazel Bank has recently been refurbished with new luxury beds and en-suite bathrooms. As befits a guest house with a Visit Britain Gold Award and an AA Red Rosette for Fine Cuisine, guests can look forward to a candlelit dinner in grand surroundings after a hard day’s walking. The car can be left behind, because so many walks start right from the doorstep, but you’re only six miles from Keswick. www.hazelbankhotel.co.uk

Keswick Culture Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan – everyone has their favourite James Bond, and if you’re a fan of Ian Fleming make time to visit the Bond Museum, which only opened last year. It houses one of the largest private collections of original James Bond props, costumes and vehicles in the world. Aside from the action and the girls, the Bond films are famous for the cars – and there’s plenty on show at the Bond Museum, including the Aston Martin DBS used in Quantum of Solace and the Lotus Esprit S1 underwater submarine used in The Spy Who Loved Me. www.thebondmuseum.com Movie and car lovers should also pay a visit to the sister museum Cars of the Stars, where there’s a chance to see the real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Herbie, Kitt from the original Knight Rider series – and the Trotters’ Robin Reliant from Only Fools and Horses. www.carsofthestars.com