Lake District Breaks
Cumbria Tourism has been touting the Lake District as the adventure capital of the UK. However, Lake District breaks are also popular with couples seeking a romantic getaway; guests looking for retreats; families looking for wholesome and interesting outings; literature scholars or those with literary interests who want to visit the homes and landscapes that influenced the writings of important authors; people interested in the flora and fauna of the Lakes, its countryside, villages and towns; as well as visitors who want to find out more about the history of the Lakes, its stately homes and gardens. People interested in geology, archaeology, history and culture may also be interested in the formation of Britain’s scenic Lake District, the communities who used to live here (such as the Romans), and its past and present industries. Lake District short breaks are therefore able to offer nuggets of enjoyment for anyone and everyone who wants to get away to this beautiful part of England.
Why the Lake District?
The Lake District has been a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts for many years. Guests who enjoy outdoor sports will find plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy in the Lake District. Outdoor sports in the Lake District can be divided into activities that are more adventurous and those that are less demanding. Some of the more daring outdoor sports in the Lake District include: ghyll scrambling; caving; mountain climbing; mountain biking; zip-lining; parachuting; abseiling; rock climbing; fell running; rafting; and other such exciting adventures. Other less demanding outdoor activities in the Lake District are calmer in their execution, such as: fishing; cycling; rambling; bush craft; boating; green-laning; clay pigeon shooting; and other less exertive sports. Then there are outdoor sports in the Lake District that straddle the former two categories. These include horse riding; cruising; walking; Segway driving; orienteering; archery; bird watching; llama trekking; golf; and so on.
One of the most famous mountains in the Lake District is Helvellyn, which plays host to many climbers throughout the year. Lake District fell walkers are often cautioned to be respectful and careful of their environment; but the weather on Lake District fells can change swiftly without warning. In order to keep climbers informed about weather conditions particularly during the winter months, the Lake District National Park set up Weatherline. Between December and March, fell top assessors are sent up Helvellyn in order to take photographs and establish trekking conditions in this area. Their reports also supplement daily Met Office forecasts distributed by Weatherline. Although Helvellyn is not the highest mountain in the Lake District, its shape and geography means that it retains any wintry conditions for much longer than its highest counterpart, Scafell Pike.
Lake District breaks can be great fun for adrenaline junkies of all ages. Ghyll scrambling or gorge walking involves climbing jumping or diving into pools, sliding through waterfalls and fast moving water, and scrambling over wet slippery rocks. Go Ape, a franchised treetop adventure course found in Grizedale Forest is immensely popular with young and old alike. Recently, the Lake District National Park set up a children’s version of this at Brockhole Visitor Centre. In Whinlatter Forest Park, visitors may enjoy real mountain biking with the emphasis on ‘mountain’: it has the Lake District’s longest purpose built mountain biking trail for fit and experienced bikers with good off road skills.
Blenheim Lodge is an ideal base for Lake District breaks. Situated in the heart of the English Lake District National Park, the furthermost Lakeland towns and villages from this Bowness-on-Windermere bed and breakfast accommodation are around 45 minutes’ drive. Outdoor sports centres for activities such as ghyll scrambling, horse riding, and yachting amongst many others are as close as 0.5 mile from Blenheim Lodge. Nothing is very far from this centrally located Bed and Breakfast in Bowness-on-Windermere. For thrills without the risk of getting wet should the heavens open, guests may also wish to try green-laning as an unusual way to enjoy the English Lake District scenery. A company which offers off-roading and green-laning is located just one mile from Blenheim Lodge.
The Lake District National Park is only 33 x 44 square miles in size, and is therefore particularly accessible to guests staying in the south central Lakes. Blenheim Lodge is an excellent base for activity breaks involving outdoor activities in the Lake District. At the back of Blenheim Lodge Guest House is The Dales Way long distance footpath, the entrance to which is only a minute’s stroll from the front door of this Lake District Bed and Breakfast in Bowness-on-Windermere. For water enthusiasts, yachting, canoeing, kayaking and rowing opportunities are available just a 5-minute walk from Blenheim Lodge on the shores Windermere, where there are watercraft for hire. Anglers wanting to dangle their lines in the waters of England’s largest lake can walk to its shores too and perhaps look for some quieter spots where the ferries do not berth in the hope of catching some fishy specimens. Guests staying at Blenheim Lodge may also book one of this Bed and Breakfast’s free fishing permits for spinning, fly fishing and coarse fishing in waters looked after by the Windermere, Ambleside, and District Angling Association.
The plethora of indoor as well as outdoor activities and attractions in the Lake District cater to all ages, attracting both young and old alike. Many people return to take Lake District breaks time and time again. Sporty indoor activities in the Lake District range from the more active wall climbing centres for adults and children to the rough and tumble of indoor adventure play areas for kids. Sedate indoor pursuits include visiting sympathetically restored ancestral homes and castles; museums that celebrate the historic industries of the Lake District, such as the Cumberland Pencil Museum and Honister Mines; and literary ‘shrines’ of well loved writers such as Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth and John Ruskin. Guests visiting for a relaxing Lake District break might also be drawn to riding the steam trains found at Haverthwaite and Ravenglass railways; enjoying a number of lakes up close aboard a choice of steam and solar powered ferries and boats, including a restored Victorian gondola; visiting Lakeside’s aquarium; and perhaps even indulging in a couple of spa and beauty treatments. Retail therapy seems to be a favourite pastime with most of the human race. The Lake District has numerous independent shops that sell myriad selections of local food and drink, clothing and footwear, exquisite jewellery and handmade trinkets, artisan pottery and original paintings, all of which may be bought to take home, treasure and enjoy at leisure.
The Lake District National Park attracts all types of visitors from far and wide. Residents from conurbations close by such as Liverpool and Manchester take breaks in the Lake District because it offers fresh country air and stupendous scenery just a short drive or train ride away from their busy city lives. The Lake District is eminently accessible from most UK points. For example, Edinburgh and London are just two and three hours by train to the Lake District respectively; and many city people visit the Lake District because they want to relax and enjoy a quiet getaway with the convenience of local village or small town amenities and attractions on their doorstep. With so many places to see and things to do in the Lake District National Park, both international and British visitors will be spoilt for choice.
A number of important authors and artists lived in the Lake District. Thus Lake District breaks are often popular with those who have read and loved, for example, the children’s tales of Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome. Literary tourists and individuals who have enjoyed the work of local writers and artists are usually keen to see the places in which they once lived, worked, knew and loved as a means of understanding what inspired them. And many tourists also take breaks in the Lake District because they have seen images or heard of the beautiful scenery that typifies this area, being drawn at the same time by the peacefulness for which much of the Lake District is well known. Meanwhile, students and writers come here to study and write because the Lake District’s glorious landscapes provide inspiration, calmness, and a quiet space to think.
Most people begin their Lake District breaks by choosing accommodation best suited to their requirements. Blenheim Lodge Guest House is a great place to stay for a Lake District break. This Bowness-on-Windermere guest house is particularly convenient for exploring the more local vicinities surrounding Lake Windermere where guests may travel by ferry to a number of local attractions, villages and towns by or near England’s largest lake. Independent travelers may also wish to hop onto buses plying the route between Windermere and Keswick; these can be boarded from Bowness-on-Windermere centre, about 5 minutes’ walk from Blenheim Lodge Guest House. In the late spring to early autumn months, Cross Lakes Project provides excellent links between bus and ferry services to many beauty spots in order to encourage enjoyment of the Lake District, whilst at the same time discouraging unnecessary carbon footprint in this lovely region. More bus routes are also available from the coach depot at Windermere Station, five minutes from Blenheim Lodge. For guests who prefer to be driven about in style, Blenheim Lodge can arrange private or mini-bus tours to include pick up and drop off at this Lake District guest house. Alternatively, if some advice is required with sightseeing suggestions and guests prefer to drive, staff at various tourist information centres and Blenheim Lodge would be more than happy to help. The closest tourist information centre to Blenheim Lodge is 5-7 minutes’ walk from this Bowness-on-Windermere guest house.