Cumbria Tourism has teamed up with some of the country’s top cycling instructors to offer a bumper programme of free bike-related activities for all the family throughout this summer.

‘Passport 2 Pedalling’ has something for everyone, providing beginners with 30-minute taster sessions on mountain bike skills at events across the county to half day organised rides through some of the Lake District’s most stunning scenery.

For those who want to try something a little bit different, there is even ‘beach biking’, at various beaches along Cumbria’s coastline with all kinds of competitions ranging from ‘biggest skid’ for children and young at heart adults, and a ‘how deep can you go’ challenge exclusively for adults.

Penrith based cycle guiding and training company, CycleActive will be running the majority of the sessions.

Chris Ford, Director of CycleActive said: “We wanted to come up with things that everyone could do that would offer great training and great fun at the same time. We’ve also brought in a brand new fleet of junior bikes of all sizes, which are available free of charge so there’s nothing stopping people from getting involved if they want to have a go.”

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Passport 2 Pedalling is part of a wider scheme to get Cumbria recognised as the UK’s undisputed number one adventure holiday destination – the Adventure Capital of the UK.

The free cycling activities are also being used to kick-start the Passport 2 Pedalling Cycle Challenge, which calls on people to ride 2,012 Cumbrian miles before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Opening Ceremony of the Games is on July 27th 2012, and to successfully meet the challenge, people would have to cycle approximately 20 miles each week from now until July 2012 – or the distance of Whitehaven to St Bees on the popular Hadrian’s Cycleway on Cumbria’s West Coast.

Compared to 10 years ago, almost 50 per cent of the UK population now goes on an activity break with cycling being one of the fastest growing activities for people to take part in.

Andrea Runkee, Adventure Capital Project Manager at Cumbria Tourism, said: We’re offering lots of free cycle rides and activities to encourage more people to get out on their bikes this Summer.

“The Government is looking for new ways to improve people’s health and get them involved in exercise and are committed to getting one million people taking part in more sport by 2012. There is no better place to do this – and more importantly, to enjoy it – than here in Cumbria.”

Dr Rebecca Wagstaff, NHS Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, said: “This is a great scheme to get people both living in Cumbria and visiting the county out and about exercising in our beautiful surroundings. Cycling is a great source of exercise and its easier on your joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities. Exercise is important as it doesn’t just help you stay in shape and improve long term health, but it also helps to boost people’s moods, making them feel happier and healthier.”

Cumbria has a wealth of cycle routes suitable for all levels of ability from peaceful country lanes for beginners to England’s highest mountain passes for more extreme cyclists. The forest parks of Grizedale and Whinlatter have purpose built mountain bike trails while the lakeshores, old railway lines and gentle bridleways provide more relaxing escapes.

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.

A Michelin-starred hotel in the Lake District which has played host to Tom Cruise and David Beckham is set to offer its guests refunds if it rains during their stay.

Despite the fact that it is situated in one of the wettest parts of the British Isles, The Samling hotel in Windemere, Cumbria, has promised to offer people refunds of £100 – even if it is only drizzling – after one of the driest winters in living memory.

Most visitors to the Lake District expect to pack a pair of wellington boots and a rain jacket when they visit the national park, however the region has recorded its driest winter since 1929.

Bookmakers William Hill is offering evens, or a 50% chance, on the Samling not having to pay out between now and the end of the offer in September.

The drought has prompted water company United Utilities to ask the Environment Agency for permission to take more water from Ennerdale lake, which drains some of England’s highest mountains including Pillar, Steeple and Great Gable.

Similar requests may follow for Windermere and Ullswater, whose water levels have already dropped significantly.

Speaking to the Guardian, hotel manager Andrew MacKay said: ‘We’re convinced that we’re going to have a long hot summer in the Lake District.

‘We had some terrible weather last year from floods to heavy snow before the dry spell set in, so I think we are due a bit of fortune.’

Overlooking the north shore of Lake Windemere, the 17th Century hotel is considered one of the most exclusive properties in the Lake District and was once owned by John Benson, landlord to the poet William Wordsworth – who would walk to the house to pay his rent.

The offer is open to anyone staying at the hotel between now and September, with bookmakers giving The Samling a 50 per cent chance of not having to pay out during that time.

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.

Holidaymakers staying in Lake District hotels in the coming months may see the area change shape.

This is because two conservation areas in the district – Caldbeck and Hesket Newmarket – are to be extended following a review of their boundaries by the UK’s leading environmental heritage consultants.

According to members of the Park Strategy and Vision Committee, both extensions will be designed to “support the existing character of the conservation areas”.

Meanwhile, a report from national park conservation and design adviser David James stipulated that the landscape, cultural heritage and wildlife of the two areas would be improved by “supporting the development of new approaches to celebrating cultural heritage, design and the built environment”.

Both conservation areas were designated as national park sites in 1983, with the programme of appraisal and review for Caldbeck and Hesket Newmarket commissioned for 2007.

Covering 885 square miles, the Lake District is the largest national park in England.

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

An innovative plan of cut-price deals to boost tourism in the Lake District has got off to a flying start.

The first phase of the campaign by the Lakes Hospitality Association (LHA), where visitors were invited to stay on any Sunday night in January, or the first Sunday in February, from just £9.99 per person including bed and breakfast, has received almost 1,000 bookings.

The promotion was introduced to show tourists that the Lakes is very much open for business.

The association has now launched the second phase which will run until March 28, offering bed and breakfast at the rate of £29.99 per person.

The Riverside Hotel at Under Loughrigg, Ambleside, has been listed among the top ten B&Bs on the globe based on reviews posted on the TripAdvisor website.

It was placed ninth best internationally and among the top three in Europe in the Traveler’s Choice Awards.

Meanwhile, the Summer Hill Country House, also in Ambleside, finished tenth in Europe in the best B&B category.

“We were really surprised and delighted with it,” said Dave Milne, who runs the Riverside with his wife Brenda.

“It’s a bit of a reward because we’ve been here nine years and it’s taken that long to refurbish Riverside and build up its reputation.

“It was pretty run-down when we first bought it. It was stuck in the 70s and 80s. It’s a lovely Victorian house so we’ve tried to give it a blend of bringing it up to date while keeping its character.”

It is this character which has given the Riverside such a fantastic reputation. Out of 246 reviews on TripAdvisor, 241 gave the B&B the maximum rating of five stars out of five.

These sparkling reviews have led to a lot of repeat business.

“The comments we receive are mainly to do with how friendly and homely Riverside feels,” said Mr Milne. “People always mention the location because we are right on the river but we’re also only ten minutes walk away from Ambleside.”

The couple bought the B&B in 2001 – the year when the foot-and-mouth crisis began.

“When the first case of foot-and-mouth happened we thought: ‘What on earth have we done here?’ “It was a very difficult start because we left a comfortable life in London to come here.”

Another feature of a stay at The Riverside is the food which includes fresh fruit and smoothies for breakfast and home-made bread.

Leaving a busy urban life to set up a B&B in the country seems to be a theme developing in Ambleside. Mike and Patsy Derry joined forces with their close friends Robert and Zoe Ashworth to set up the Summer Hill Country House.

“Mike and I were teachers and Robert was a GP, so we were used to urban life,” Patsy said.

“It was one of those things you talk about and never really do, but we decided to bite the bullet and move to the Lakes.

“We’re very thrilled and excited to be up there among the best in Europe, particularly because we have only been open for two years.”

The success of Riverside and the Summer Hill is expected to increase tourism in Cumbria.

“This is not only a boost to domestic, but also overseas tourism,” said a spokesperson for Cumbria Tourism.

“It will raise our profile at this crucially important time of year as people begin to plan their short breaks and holidays.”

Lake District tourism experts have met in Kendal to discuss how to make 2010 a successful year.

Representatives from some of Cumbria’s leading hotel firms and tourism organisations attended an event at business advisors Moore and Smalley’s Murley Moss headquarters.

Ian Stephens, chief executive of Cumbria Tourism, said the sector had reason to be optimistic.

“Despite recent events there are many favorable factors for making the Lake District and Cumbria a very desirable destination for the UK holiday market, and all the indicators we use in terms of web bookings and other forecasts are showing that 2010 can be just as good as the first three quarters of 2009.”

Colin Johnson, head of Moore and Smalley’s leisure and tourism team, said: “It’s clear that most tourism businesses are optimistic and are prepared to fight tooth and nail to make 2010 a success by being innovative with their product and pricing.”

A NEW guide book packed with information on what’s going on in Cumbria this year has been launched.

The free, 70-page Events 2010 Guide lists nearly 600 activities between February and Boxing Day.

The guide, produced by the Lake District National Park Authority and Cumbria Tourism, was launched this week when 250,000 copies were distributed in the region.

It covers activities such as festivals and cultural events and also includes information about more than 300 guided walks across the Lake District.

Andrea Runkee, of Cumbria Tourism, said: “The message is simple: If you intend spending any time in the Lakes this year, this is the must-have guide.”

The guide is available from tourist information centres, libraries, hotels and guest houses, visitor attractions, motorway service stations, airports and train stations.