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.

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.”

A beautiful video of various place in the Lake District, Cumbria. Filmed and edited by Phil Brown.

A new hotel developed by Sweeney Properties Ltd will open in the Lake District National Park, which is the latest addition to the Lake District Inns & Cottages list of high quality accommodation, in summer 2010.

Situated near the A591 and only 5 minutes away from Keswick on the site of the Old School House and Youth Hostel at Legburthwaite, it will be a beautiful 40 bed lodge hotel.

The hotel, designed by local award winning architects Savage & Chadwick, merges in seamlessly with the beautiful landscape, making use of traditional building features and materials, while having a contemporary and light feel. This will be achieved by a two story glass atrium in the centre of the building and a mix of cedar wood cladding and local stone work under a Westmorland slated roof.

Managing director for the company Derek Sweeney said that the project was really exciting for all and will add their ability to cater for another sector of clientele who were looking for high quality accommodation but do not want the full range of services provided by their Inns.

He also said that over the last seventeen years, many changes have been witnessed in the Lake District, with many of the group’s hotels and cottages situated in the heart of the National Park, and are a very good barometer for measuring the ebb and flow of business over the years.

Sweeney also pointed out that the Lake District continued to be a superb holiday destination for both domestic and international customers, even with the lure of cheap flights to most European and international destinations, the Lakes continues to be extremely popular with loyal regular clientele and new visitors.

A series of spectacular outdoor arts events will take place across the Lake District and other parts of Cumbria in the spring and summer of 2010.

Lakes Alive will run from 29 April to 5 September and feature performances by leading international acts set against Cumbria’s beautiful and varied landscape and heritage.

These mainly free shows will include modern circus, dramatic outdoor theatre, contemporary dance and exciting, fiery processions.

Highlights include:

The events start on 29 April to 2 May, with evening performances of a new show created for Lakes Alive by the critically-acclaimed Akademi, a South Asian Dance Company, in the atmospheric ruins of Furness Abbey.

A series of events across the May half term holidays will start with a thrilling outdoor animation festival in Whitehaven showcasing the town’s historic harbour on 29 and 30 May, including a dramatic procession with fire, light and giant illuminated fish by Spanish artists Sarruga.

Zircus Plus a unique International Circus Festival, will put on an amazing show in Barrow from 4 to 6 June, with some of the best and most exciting modern circus acts from Britain and overseas.

On 23 and 24 July German group Theater Titanick, one of Europe’s leading outdoor performance companies, will stage a stunning, large-scale show involving illusion, fire, water, music and dance at Carlisle Castle.

Leading French artists Commandos Percu will stage a dazzling extravaganza of sound, fire, light and colour at Maryport on 30 August.

The season of events will culminate in Mintfest, one of the country’s largest street arts festivals, which takes place in the market town of Kendal at the gateway to the Lakes. Running from 2 to 5 September the festival will include a host of the very best street artists from across the world.

The Lakes Alive programme will also include a series of other performances in Lakeland forests and towns across the county.

Further details about all the shows will be available at lakesalive.org in the New Year.

A Lake District tourist attraction has been named as one of the most popular in the country.

Windermere Lake Cruises has been revealed by tourism body Visit England at the fourth most popular paid-for tourist attraction in England in 2008, and the second most popular outside London.

Only Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens and Chester Zoo drew in bigger paying crowds than the Bowness-based business, which provides pleasure trips on the country’s largest lake.

The cruises proved more popular than world-famous attractions such as Stonehenge, Canterbury Cathedral, Roman Baths and the Eden Project.

Almost 1.2 million people boarded the Windermere boats last year, which was actually around 70,000 less than the previous year, where the attraction was England’s third most popular paid-for.

Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said: “Obviously we are delighted that in the current environment we have been able to stay in the top ten paid-for but to be listed fourth is great.

“It is a great deal of credit to the staff who have worked hard to provide exceptional customer service.”

Mr Wilkinson said the company was also benefiting from having undertook numerous initiatives to expand their offer to customers – such as bringing out a walking book with routes linked by boat journeys, trialing a water bus service with waterfront hotels, expanding its jazz cruises and offering discounts to residents of Cumbria and Lancaster.

Mr Wilkinson said the company was also seeing growth in a fledgling tourism market sector.

“We have seen over the last two or three years a marked increase in Chinese visitors,” he said. “That is a market that is increasingly opening to overseas travel.”

The country’s most popular attraction is the British Museum, which drew in 5.9 million visitors – however, the museum is free to get in.

A spokesman for Cumbria Tourism said the cruises were an important draw for tourists coming into the county.

“It’s no surprise that Windermere Lake Cruises are among the top paid for attractions in England,” they said. “Windermere Lake Cruises are a well established company and have carried many generations of passengers over the years, offering a great service on England’s largest lake.

“Each year Windermere Lake Cruises carry over a million passengers making them the top visitor attraction in Cumbria. They are a huge asset to our county both in terms of their obvious appeal to visitors and their significant contribution to the Cumbrian economy.”