Award-winning Ullswater Steamers, which has four vessels operating lake cruises on Ullswater in the Lake District, is back in business following a forced suspension due to the flooding in the area late last year.

The steamers, which offer the chance to combine a lake cruise with some of the most famous and spectacular walks in the Lake District, were keen to be back in operation as quickly as possible.

Despite the chaos that disrupted the area, Ullswater Steamers was up and running within a week. The family-run firm prides itself on its motto ‘open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day’ but its fleet had to go into dry dock for seven days for the first time in its 150-year history.

Like the rest of the Lake District, tourism around Lake Ullswater, marketed as ‘arguably the most beautiful of all the Lakes’, has long been back in business,with everybody anxious to convince travellers that holidays are back to their best.

A key destination is Glenridding at the foot of Helvellyn – England’s third highest mountain and one of the most popular walking routes in the Lakes.

The best-known hotel on Ullswater is Sharrow Bay, with its Michelin-starred restaurant that overlooks the lake. Although the hotel wasn’t breached by water, more than 30 guests had a prolonged but enjoyable stay when the only road in was impassable because of high waters.

Sam Hall, from the hotel, said: ‘Our guests watched it all unfold from the picture window that looks on to the Lake. The only issue we had was when we ran out of ingredients for sticky toffee pudding’

Daily Mail

More than 200 rooms across a number of Lake District hotels and guesthouses are up for grabs over the next three weeks following an appeal to boost tourist numbers in the area after last November’s flooding.

Up to 40 accommodation providers have donated an allocation of ‘free’ rooms with breakfast for the remaining two Sunday evening’s in January and on the first Sunday in February.

Visitors will pay the bargain price of just £9.99 per person for a Sunday night stay at many of the county’s leading establishments including the four-star lake-fronted Low Wood Hotel in Windermere, and the five star boutique guesthouse, Number 43 in Arnside.

The Lakes Hospitality Association and Cumbria Tourism are working together on this national initiative to encourage visitors back to the Lake District.

Last November’s unprecedented flooding is estimated to have cost Cumbria’s tourism industry over £2.6 million in lost and cancelled bookings.

Ian Stephens, Chief Executive at Cumbria Tourism, said: “Although much of the flooding was isolated to specific parts of Cumbria, tourism businesses countywide still experienced a significant downturn in business due to widespread media reporting at the time.

“We want to encourage people to come and see for themselves that we are open for business at what is typically a quieter time in the tourism calendar, and if we can attract new visitors to the area with this offer, we are confident that they will continue to return again year after year.”

Jonathan Denby, chairman of Lakes Hospitality Association, recently called on accommodation providers to get on board with the plan to boost visitor numbers and has donated free accommodation at his three South Lakes hotels for the campaign.

He said: “This ‘Open for Business’ campaign is a gesture of goodwill from the Lake District to welcome customers’ back and to show that the roads are clear, the shops are open and the hotels and attractions are ready and waiting to welcome visitors.”

Goosemire Cottages, the family owned and run Lake District self catering business, are pleased to launch their January sale.

Everyone is looking for a bargain at this time of year so why should the sales be confined to the high street? Goosemire Cottages are offering discounts on full weeks booked in each of their 46 self catering properties. The discounts range from £30 – £50 depending on the property size.

The number of self catering holidays in the UK has risen quite dramatically in the last 2 years. Various factors have contributed to this for example the poor Euro exchange rate resulting in tourists staying in the UK and the cost savings of self catering compared with a hotel stay. A self catering holiday allows freedom, the ability to cook within the property so saving on restaurant bills and is an excellent type of holiday for families and pet owners.

Goosemire Cottages have available 46 traditional Lake District cottages for discerning visitors (Ranging from 1 to 7 bedrooms, sleeping up to 10). Most are rustic 17th or 18th Century Lakeland cottages or lovely barn conversions, where antiquity and modern comforts have been beautifully combined. The atmosphere and idiosyncrasies of each property are reflected on their website which offers full online booking facilities and information and images on each of their properties.

For more information on the Goosemire Lake District cottages January sale or their last minute booking discounts, visit their website here

Two of the country’s leading names in the arts will be appearing in Cumbria next month in a special benefit concert to help the victims of the Cumbria floods and recognise the effort made by some of the rescue organisations who helped out at the height of the floods.

Singer Lesley Garrett and actor Brian Blessed will be appearing in A Concert for Cumbria, as well as the Cumbria Youth Orchestra and leading pianist Andrew West.

Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake have kindly donated their venue and staff time to hold the benefit concert, which will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 3. The artists performing in the concert are also donating their services and several businesses are donating goods and services.

The concert, which has been organised by Cumbria County Council, is aiming to build on the already considerable fund-raising efforts in the aftermath of the November floods.

Money raised through ticket sales and charitable donations will be shared 50/50 between the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund and the rescue organisations who helped keep people safe when the floods hit. These include RNLI, Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, Bay Search and Rescue, Red Cross, North West Air Ambulance, International Rescue, RSPCA, The Police Dependants Trust, The Fire Fighters Charity and St John’s Ambulance.

Cumbria County Council has offered priority booking to a selected list of guests, by special invitation. Tickets will be available exclusively to these guests until Monday,January 25, on which date any unsold tickets will be made available for sale on a first come, first served basis through Theatre by the Lake from 9.30am onwards on the hotline 017687 81100. Tickets will cost £25 (no discounts) plus invitees are being asked to make a Gift Aid donation of £25 when they buy the ticket. It is thought that this is the best way of ensuring the charities receive the maximum possible donations.

Lesley Garrett’s performance will allow fans a sneak preview of her full recital due later in the year on Saturday, June 5, at Carlisle’s Sands Centre. For more details of that performance visit www.thesandscentre.co.uk or call 01228 625 222.

Coun Roger Bingham, Chairman of Cumbria County Council, said: “It has been an extraordinary effort to pull together a concert with such big names in the arts at such short notice. The artists themselves must be thanked for donating their time for free, as must Theatre by the Lake for hosting the event and putting in a great deal of staff time to help organise the event. Many other businesses and suppliers have also offered spectacular support.

“A Concert for Cumbria will raise money not only for the victims of the flood but also reward the sterling work of the rescue services over that critical flood weekend. It will be a night of celebration to mark the great efforts in the flood recovery operation. There’s still plenty more work to do, but a lot has been achieved in a very short space of time.”

Westmorland Gazette

The national park authority has warned walkers not to venture on to frozen lakes and tarns, as a slow thaw has made many of them dangerous to walk on.

As temperatures slowly rise, the ice on the Lake District’s frozen waters has begun to thin, even on those on the high fells. The problem is particularly acute on the high tarns, where help would take much longer to reach if someone fell into the freezing water.

The Lake District national park’s head of countryside services Mark Eccles said: “We’ve seen people walking, sledging and skating on our frozen waters, but now it’s getting warmer, the dangers are even more acute.

“We know people have been on the ice at Bassenthwaite, Ullswater and Derwent Water over the weekend. Police have asked us to do what we can to highlight the potential danger.

“Lakes and tarns, particularly those at higher levels, could appear to have solid ice, even when it’s thawing, and might not hold a person’s weight.

“Although there have been fatalities in other areas, we haven’t had any serious incidents and want people, and their pets, to keep out of harm’s way. There are still lots of fantastic things to enjoy in the countryside, without going on hazardous, ice-covered water.

“We certainly don’t want to be killjoys. And we don’t want to clutter the countryside with ‘ice danger’ posters.

“With a bit of common sense, this amazing winter landscape can be enjoyed by all those prepared to go the extra distance in keeping themselves protected and safe.”

Mr Eccles warned of the risk of letting dogs go on to the ice. He said: “They could be seriously injured or die, if the ice breaks. And anyone trying to rescue them puts their own life in peril.”

Felltop assessor Jon Bennett said ice on Red Tarn, below the summit of Helvellyn – the Lake District’s third highest peak – was not thick and walkers should not be tempted on it.

“We’ve had instances in the past where people have been playing around on the ice. It’s dangerous beyond words. This is one of the national park’s highest stretches of water.

“People are just not thinking about the consequences of ice breaking. At best, it would take mountain rescue at least an hour to reach them. No one could hold their breath or stay warm for that long.”

With its snow-crested mountains, perfect blue skies and a vast frozen lake, it looks like a stunning Alpine panorama. But this spectacular winter scene was captured far closer to home in the heart of the Lake District.

It shows one of the largest lakes in Cumbria – Derwentwater – almost completely frozen over for the first time in 10 years.

On the horizon and to the right, Bassenthwaite Lake – which is also fed by the river Derwent – is also covered with a layer of ice and snow after temperatures fell as low as minus 10 degrees.

‘It is absolutely spectacular,’ said Penny Webb, National Trust countryside officer for Borrowdale.
‘There is also snow over a lot of the ice so it is very white. It has frozen like this before but not for more than ten years.

‘It is like an Alpine morning here with blue skies and squeaky white power snow.’ The Lake District has escaped with just a few inches of snow in the last few days. But morning temperatures have plummeted to below minus 10C.

Paul Delaney, the National Trust’s supervisor for the north Lakes, captured the scene of the frozen lake on Thursday as he walked on Walla Crag near Keswick.

In places, the ice is between four and six inches thick, although pockets of open water remain in the centre of the three mile long, one mile wide lake.

Despite the risk of a potentially deadly dip in the water, tourists and locals have been unable to resist the temptation to take a stroll across the ice.

‘Some guys have ventured out, but it’s very dangerous,’ said Mr Delaney. ‘The National Trust has a rented house on Derwent Island and the tenants had to walk across the ice to get off the island. They were okay, but it’s risky.

‘If you go through the ice, by the time the rescue teams get to you it could be too late.’ The lake last froze over in the harsh winter of 1995 and 1996. Its surface is scored with giant fractures – up to three feet wide – created when cracks appear in the ice during the day and then refreeze at night.

The snow of the last few weeks has turned the Cumbrian peaks into snow-capped mountains. The snow is particularly dramatic on Skiddaw, England’s fourth highest mountain which lies to the north of Keswick to the right of the panorama, and on the distinctive peak of Causey Pike, in the centre of the image.

Derwent Water has inspired authors and artists for centuries. It was a favourite haunt of romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, writer and critic John Ruskin and novelist Hugh Walpole.

Beatrix Potter is said to have come up with the idea for The tale of Squirrel Nutkin while watching wildlife on she shore of the lake.

Daily Mail

Anyone who has booked themselves into a Lake District hotel for a break this year may like to watch a new 12-part series about the region.

The first instalment was broadcast on January 4th on ITV and the remaining 11 episodes will be shown on Monday nights at 20:00 GMT.

Rory McGrath presents the programme which will take viewers on a journey around the district and examine some of the area’s most colourful characters.

Ian Stephens, chief executive of Cumbria Tourism, commented: “This series is a great opportunity to put the Lake District and Cumbria into the homes of millions of potential visitors every week.”

He added that the shows will focus on the people who make the Lake District a tourist destination and offer travellers a behind-the-scenes look at the region.

Mr McGrath is no stranger to braving the elements in the name of television. He featured in the BBC’s Three Men in a Boat series alongside Griff Rhys Jones and Dara O Briain.

Following the airing of the first episode of the series, which featured the exploits of Thomas Noblett, manager of the Langdale Chase Hotel, near Windermere, the establishment has recieved more than 30,000 hits on its website and they have taken bookings for weddings from viewers.

“The programme has got to be good for the area,” said Mr Noblett. “We have had so much interest on the back of it and we booked two weddings that night. We got all those hits on the website and people were saying how much they enjoyed the show.

“People want to be part of the story and here’s a soap opera for them that’s real. We’re a 29-bedroom hotel and we’ve been inindated with people wanting to come and stay. Its going to bring a lot of business, not just for us, into the whole area and the whole county will benefit.”

Curmbria Tourism, which promotes the county to visitors, is expecting huge demand for its brochures this year and there are hopes the series will banish memories of flood-sticken Cockermouth and Workington from viewer’s memories.

“It is perfect timing for us,” said Julie Darroch, PR manager at Cumbria Tourism. “Our members are very concerned that the images of the flooding would have done a lot of damage – but now people are seeing the best of the landscape on prime-time national television and the fact that it runs for three months is great as well.”

Over 500 junipers have been planted on the moors above Coniston Water to help rejuvinate populations of the rare and environmentally important plant.

Once a common feature of the Lake District fells, junipers have seen a rapid decline over the past 50 years due to changing land management practices.

But now, as part of a widespread planting programme run by Natural England, the threatened plant has been re-established around Dodgson Wood.

Natural England joined forces with members of the Bethecar Moor Commoners’ Association, the Lake District National Park Authority and volunteers to complete Cumbria’s juniper planting for this year.

The Bethecar Moor Commoners’ Association will manage and maintain the plants, which are protected by tree guards.

Teresa Morris, Natural England’s land management and conservation advisor for South Lakeland, said: “Junipers are a protected species of national importance and there are only certain areas in England where they can survive, South Lakeland being particularly important.”

She thanked all those who helped with the planting and praised the efforts of the Bethecar Moor Commoners’ Association.

Westmorland Gazette

Volunteers who have walked the length of 120km (75 miles) of upland footpaths in the Lake District say the network is in good shape, despite the November floods.

The hardy hikers put in the effort as part of the Fix the Fells project, to evaluate what damage was caused by the unprecedented floods last year. The walkers completed the survey in a two-week period.

The good news is that most of the path network has survived unscathed, though some areas have suffered major damage.

The survey was carried out by staff and volunteers from the National Trust and the Lake District National Park Authority.

John Atkinson of the National Trust and project manager for Fix the Fells said: “The paths we build are designed to withstand heavy rainfall, but the work the volunteer lengthsmen carry out to maintain the paths is absolutely essential. They should be really proud of the work they do.”

Fix the Fells is a five-year project run by the authority with support from the Friends of the Lake District, the National Trust, the Ramblers, and the Tourism & Conservation Partnership, with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Grough

The Keswick Mountain Festival is a celebration of outdoor sports in the Lake District, and as well as featuring organised walks, climbing, triathlon, water sports and navigation skills, there’ll also be a sizeable MTB presence.

Building on the success of this year, in 2010 there’ll be even more, with loads of activities to get involved in, the latest mountain bikes to try out and guided rides organised by Keswick Mountain Bikes.

There will be a loads of rides to choose from, including an Epic Trailquest and activities for the entire family, such as a Family Treasure Hunt.

You can also test your skills and pick up some tips on the demo track with Cycle Wise and check out some new gear with loads of brands and manufacturers.

Also in attendance in the Speaker Programme will be Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Andy Cave, Andy Kirkpatrick, Leo Houlding, Joss Naylor, Kenny Stuart, Dave Birkett and Doug Scot. Other activities include Ghyll Scrambling, Navigation Courses, Salomon Trail Race, River Canoe Trips, Climbing, Hiking, Fell Race, Family Activities, Scrambling, Sailing, Bouldering, Photography and loads more.