We have had quite a number of walkers staying with us recently, with many reaching us on foot as they come off The Dales Way. Blenheim Lodge is quietly located on a fell, with easy access to the fields, woodlands, and paths that criss-cross tranquil countryside dotted with pastoral scenes of grazing cattle and sheep, wild deer and duck ponds. Our guest house, Blenheim Lodge, is the first Bed and Breakfast in Bowness-on-Windermere off The Dales Way Walk, making our B&B an excellently convenient stopping place for walkers of this footpath.
However, Blenheim Lodge is also conveniently situated for other walks within the Lake District National Park. Recently, we had an Australian walker staying with us for 10 nights who said that he found the convenience of peaceful accommodation within an easy walk to the centre of Bowness town with all its amenities, plus good ferry, bus and road links to many wonderful treks, an excellent combination for any walker. Our guest had made plans to climb Helvellyn, Scafell, Scafell Pike, Red Pike, and other high and low level walks.
Some guests prefer their walks to be next to or close by low level Lake District meres. Walking around lakesides are, however, not as simple as it may seem. For example, at Lake Windermere, some of the lakeshore is owned privately. Thus, walkers may only go as far as they can on footpaths with public rights of way. One popular walk along Windermere’s shores is easily achievable by most walkers. Visitors take a ferry from Bowness Pier (a 5-minute walk from our guest house) to Ambleside or Ferry House, depending on their preferred starting point. Walkers then walk to Wray Castle, from which another vessel takes them to either Ferry House or Ambleside. Visitors can explore Wray Castle and its grounds whilst there.
If guests prefer paved walks, then one of the best places to visit has to be Tarn Hows. The 1.5-mile trek around this most beautiful of lakes is well worth the effort. Another paved walk is the one to be found at Aira Force. This walk is perhaps a little more difficult for parents with pushchairs as there are steps to negotiate. However, again, the prettiness of this well-known waterfall will make it worth one’s while.
Almost any roadside opening in the Lake District seems to open onto often unassuming footpaths which lead on to incredibly beautiful vistas. It is not uncommon to walk off a main trunk road, such as the A591 at Windermere, follow a footpath, and find at the end of said path open views of lake and fell. Such indeed is Orrest Head, which summit and viewpoint are a mere 20-minute trek up from the busy main road into the Lakes from the M6.
The most famous fell walker in the Lake District remains Albert Wainwright. ‘His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the English Lake District. Among his 40-odd other books is the first guide to the Coast to Coast Walk, a 192-mile long-distance footpath devised by Wainwright which remains popular today.’ (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Wainwright) Wainwright’s books have inspired many intrepid walkers who enjoy walking the routes he mapped out.
Blenheim Lodge is well placed for walkers requiring a welcoming place to relax and comfortable beds to sleep in. Our rooms have open views of fells and Lake Windermere, so you can continue to enjoy the views that typify this lovely area even after you have returned to our guest house from your walks. You will always be made to feel at home here. Why not take advantage of some of our special offers and have yourself a walking holiday?
Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’
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