Here’s a nice video highlighting the attractions of the Grasmere region of the Lake District.
Grasmere – Lake District – Video Of Hotels, Attractions, Pubs from David Mottershead on Vimeo.
Bassenthwaite Lake
Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest of the Lake District at approximately 4 miles long and ¾ miles wide. Despite its size this long and narrow lake is very shallow, at its deepest point it reaches a depth of just 70 feet. The Lake is easily accessible with the A66 dual carriageway running along the western edge. The laybys are extremely popular for people wanting to take pictures and a spot of bird watching.
Coniston Water
Coniston is the third largest of the lakes and is approximately 5 miles long and ½ a mile wide. The lake is hugely popular with tourist due to its large expanse of water, which contains a number of tranquil islands, as well as the stunning scenery. The lake was famously the setting for the book Swallows and Amazons as well as the setting for Donald Campbell’s ill fated attempt to break the water speed record.
Derwentwater
Derwentwater is approximately 3 miles long and 1 mile wide making it the widest lake in the Lake District.
The lake has a number of islands within, one of which contains Derwent Island House which is open to the public just 5 days a year.
The huge Skiddaw overlooking the lake and the nearby market town of Keswick make Derwent one of the most popular lakes for visitors.
Ullswater
Ullswater is the second largest of all the lakes in the Lake District at approximately 9 miles long and ¾ of a mile wide.
Regarded by many as the most beautiful of all the lakes, Ullswater often finds itself compared to lakes in Switzerland, such as Lucerne.
This favourable comparison is thanks to the beautiful scenery with mountains to one side and green fields and woodland on the other. The lake is great for water sports, with canoeing, sailing and wind surfing particularly popular. There are also the more relaxing steamer boats that take you on a cruise of the lake.
Windermere
Windermere is the largest lake in the Lake District and is the largest in the whole of England at approximately 10.5 miles long and 1 mile wide. As well as being the largest of the lakes Windermere is also the most well known and has long been a very popular attraction for tourists. Many of the tourists who do visit end up taking part in at least one of the many on water activities available. These range from wake boarding, sailing and canoeing to a more sedate pleasure cruise.
Calvin Harris will headline the Friday night of this year’s Kendal Calling with the Saturday and Sunday headliners still to be announced. The Glasgow-born DJ will be airing a catalogue of hits such as ‘Acceptable in the 80′s’, ‘I’m Not Alone’ & ‘Ready For the Weekend’ to name a few.
More main stage acts have also been announced including Wild Beasts, The Futureheads, Ok Go, and Dub Pistols.
The Dance Tent’s first bookings have been confirmed from promoters Wax:On and Ape who will be hosting on Saturday & Sunday. Taking to the decks over the weekend will be Erol Alkan, DJ Yoda, Plump DJs, High Contrast, Scratch Perverts, Elite Force, Justin Robertson, Danny Byrd, Doorly, Eskimo Twins, Emalkay, People Get Real, Rich Reason, Ken Evil, and Ash Howell.
The Kaylied Folk Stage will see the return of BBC 6 Music’s Craig Charles, and the first appearance at the festival of comedy folk band The Lancashire Hotpots.
Kendal Calling has eight stages including Europe’s biggest solar powered tent Croissant Neuf. This year Kendal Calling also hosts a kid’s area, Garden of Eden and Peaceful Progress; a creative crew of graffiti artists, breakdancers & sculptors and much more. The majority of stages at Kendal Calling run until 3am, making it one of the latest-running festivals in the UK.
Tickets sold out last year for Kendal Calling which this year has also introduced a deposit scheme which enables ticket buyers to pay £30 now to secure a ticket and pay the rest later at no extra cost.
An adult ticket including 3 days and nights camping is priced at £85, a child (11-14 years) weekend ticket is priced at £45, and children under 11 can attend for free, but need a ticket. A campervan ticket is priced at £40.
Kendal Calling is held in the Lake District, over the weekend of Friday 30th July to Sunday 1st August and is a wholly independent festival returning for its fifth year and returning to the Lowther Estate, Kendal, in East Cumbria.
2010 sees the festival grow to 8,000 capacity so expect all the regular favourites (entertainers, beer tent, big top marquees, comedians, cabaret) plus many more new and innovative extras, whilst keeping the intimate vibe and friendly atmosphere.
Wander lonely as a cloud in the Lake District this spring and see the hosts of golden daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze, beside the sparkling waves of Ullswater, just as William and Dorothy Wordsworth did on April 15, 1802, before returning to their home at Dove Cottage, Grasmere.
A trip to Ullswater provides the opportunity to see the sight of the daffodils at Glencoyne Bay, now named Wordsworth Point, as well as at other places along the shore, where they can easily be appreciated by those enjoying a scenic and inspirational cruise with ‘Ullswater Steamers’.
Wordsworth’s poem ‘Daffodils’ is thought to pay homage to sprightly daffodils that he and sister Dorothy encountered when walking back to Grasmere from Pooley Bridge, on Ullswater. These carpeted the ground beneath the trees beside the lake, on a stormy day when flora and stormy waters dramatically demonstrated the power of nature.
Dorothy notes in her Grasmere Journal that they encountered ‘a long belt of them along the shore’ and that whilst some lay their heads on mossy stones, others ‘laughed with the wind’. Even now, the sight of bright, yellow daffodils adorning the lake’s shore is one which many Ullswater ‘Steamers’ passengers never forget.
The dramatic scenery, around what is considered England’s most beautiful lake, adds to the experience, as the heritage ‘Steamer’ travels along three distinct stretches of the Z-shaped lake, with the imposing Helvellyn – England’s third highest mountain – at its head.
Passengers can enjoy encountering various types of wildlife and flora, as well as revelling in the reflections on the water and the clean, mountain air.
Two of the four vessels in the fleet date from Victorian times, including Lady of the Lake, launched in 1877 and believed to be the oldest working passenger vessel in the world.
A 70-minute return trip from either Glenridding at the foot of the lake, or Pooley Bridge at its top, to Howtown costs £9.00 for an adult, £4.50 for a child, or £24.00 for a family. A family ticket covers two adults and up to three children (aged 5-15) or one adult and three children. Under 5s travel free.
A Round The Lake Pass, from Glenridding or Pooley Bridge, costs £12.30 for an adult, £6.15 for a child and £19.95 for a family, for a 140-minute cruise.
This fare qualifies the passenger for a half-price voucher for travel on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway – Ullswater ‘Steamers’ sister attraction. If four adults book this fare, one travels for half price.
A Walkers Value Ticket, providing travel for any three stages of a journey costs £10.70 per adult, or £5.35 per child and enable passengers to use the cruise to reach footpaths they wish to explore and hop on and off the boat in between.
For more information about Ullswater ‘Steamers’, visit: ullswater-steamers.co.uk
A Windermere couple have backed their confidence in the region’s tourism appeal by investing £500,000 in revamping two hotels.
Will Howarth, and his wife Lyn, have splashed £250,000 on a refurbishment of the Windermere Boutique Hotel – formerly called 21.
The couple have upgraded all of the establishment’s 12 bedrooms with contemporary fittings and have created a more spacious lounge and a residents’ bar.
A similar amount has been pumped into the Aphrodites Lodge, in Bowness, creating a new spa area by enclosing an open-air swimming pool.
“Obviously the recession and indeed the floods have not helped the tourism industry here in the Lakes over the last year or so but we remain extremely confident about the future of our two hotels in Windermere,” said Mr Howarth. “That is why we are prepared to invest such considerable sums of money in them.”
The picturesque Lake District is one of few places in the UK that never loses its charm all year round.
In fact, the winter months bring an almost mystical appeal to the stunning north-west region with fascinating walks and attractions still going strong in January.
As England’s largest National Park, the area provides the perfect environment for a host of activities from rock climbing and paragliding to more gentler activities such as a boat trip on lake Windermere, England’s longest lake – an Windermere hotels are never short in abundance.
Boasting Scafell Pike – England’s highest mountain, and Wastwater – England’s deepest lake, ‘The Lakes’ offers some of the UK’s most stunning scenery, inspiring artists such as Turner and Ruskin to some of the country’s best loved writers, such as William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter.
With such a wealth of beauty, culture and hospitality it isn’t hard to see why the Lake District remains the perfect setting to explore and enjoy – even in the crisp winter period. If the magical fell walks aren’t your thing, there’s still so much to do outdoors so don’t let the snow put you off!
Lake District hotels feature some fantastic off-season discounts so here are a few ideas for things to do whilst there.
Go Ape!
Climb the trees, slide across high wires, crawl through tunnels, cross rope bridges, walk the planks and zip down to the ground! Go Ape!, in the Grizedale Forest, is an award-winning high wire forest adventure course of rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides up to 40 feet up in the trees! Opening in March 2008, the new Go Ape Whinlatter, go on give it a try!
Aquaseiling
Those in search of a serious rush to the head should try aquaseiling – abseiling down a fast-flowing waterfall. Aquaseiling is a sheer adrenalin activity in awesome surroundings and can form part of a longer scrambling journey.
Via Ferrata
At the Honister Slate Mine, high up in the Borrowdale Valley, the new Via Ferrata lets you experience the mountains in a novel way. Secured to a fixed cable, you follow a Victorian miner’s route along the craggy cliff-face of Fleetwith Pike using steel ladders and solid bridges to reach the 2126ft summit, where you can gaze at uninterrupted views.
Ghyll scrambling
Another physically challenging organised activity is ghyll scrambling. Wearing protective clothing, you slide, jump, scramble and slither your way along the course of a stream, tackling all the obstacles you come across. Expect to get wet!
Cumbria’s tourism industry could be given a boost with the opening of a new luxury hotel in the Lake District.
According to the Westmorland Gazette, businessman Stephen Leahy has bought Holbeck Ghyll near Lake Windermere and intends to turn it into lavish accommodation.
He said that the establishment will offer more than just a hotel and board, as he intends to throw in new services such as supercar hire, lake cruises and helicopter airport transfers.
The 26-bedroom hotel is already home to a Michelin star restaurant, which the owner intends to keep, preparing top meals and packed lunches for guests enjoying daily excursions.
“Whatever guests want, we will get it,” said Mr Leahy, who is also the chief executive of the Select Group if businesses in Manchester.
The news comes as Cumbria tourism officials are preparing to launch a new campaign aimed at boosting visitor spend in the Lake District.
They are offering a Freedom of the Lake District pass similar to existing schemes in London and York, which will give visitors discounts on top restaurants, retail outlets and attractions.
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.”
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.
