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.”

Over 150 brides travelled to Inn on the Lake from London and the South coast, to attend their most spectacular wedding fayre. In the hotel grounds a huge marquee was launched as a new venue that can be hired for weddings in the gardens – to accommodate up to 200 guests.

Inn on the Lake General Manager Gary Wilson said “The views from the hotel are renowned so it is the perfect place to have a lakeside wedding, with the new Gazebo licensed for civil ceremonies and the wedding marquee”.

Brides stepped into the marquee which revealed a taste of how it could look on their wedding day with fantastic table settings, a chocolate fountain on display and unspoilt views down the to lake. This was also the venue for the fashion show which included three Penrith wedding specialists – Tilly’s for Mother of the Bride outfits, Edwards for Menswear and Kokoa Brides – Cumbria’s newest Bridal house which opened in Penrith recently.

There was however, one exhibit that wowed brides to be, even more – the new ‘Victorian style’ gazebo set in the garden close to the water’s edge. Beverley Kelso, Wedding Co-ordinator at The Inn on the Lake part of the Lake District Hotels Ltd group said “It is a unique place to exchange vows in one of the prettiest settings in the Lakes and allows us to stay one step ahead of other venues. It has already become THE Lake District wedding venue of choice for brides who have booked to get married here this summer and is set to entice many more in the coming months. We already have one of the most photographed jetties in the country – a fantastic place for stunning pictures, and now, our brides can marry outside in the gazebo, overlooking the lake, the jetty and the mountains. There is no other place like it in the whole of the Lakes.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the wedding gazebo should contact Beverley Kelso at Inn on the lake on 017684 82444

Hiking enthusiasts seeking a luxury break on some of Britain’s most beautiful walking trails may wish to book a stay at a hotel that has won back its place in the prestigious Michelin Guide book.

The Samling Hotel in the Lake District has been awarded a star by the hotel and restaurant reviewer, the News & Star reports.

Hollywood icon Tom Cruise and David and Victoria Beckham are said to be some of the establishment’s most famous fans.

Michelin Guide editor Derek Bulming tells the newspaper: ‘There is now a greater geographical spread of starred restaurants and the inspectors will continue to seek out establishments serving particularly good food, wherever they are situated.’

The Samling could be perfectly located for people who wish to relax in luxurious surroundings by night while taking an Ordnance Survey map out and hitting the walking trails of the National Park by day.

Covering 2 292 sq km, the Lake District is Britain’s largest National Park.

Read more about the Samling Hotel here

Ordnance surveys

Grasmere is ideally located within the Lake District so that every valley may be explored, with just a short journey from the Luxury Lake District Hotel that is Rothay Garden.

Grasmere is ideally located within the Lake District so that every valley may be explored, with just a short journey from the Luxury Lake District Hotel that is Rothay Garden. The village of Grasmere is beautiful and charming positioned perfectly in the heart of the Lake District National Park. Many tourists choose to visit the close by ‘honey pot’ towns of Hawkshead, Ambleside, Coniston, Keswick, Bowness and Windermere. The River Rothay runs nearby and to the north west of Grasmere, is Helm Crag, with Nab Scar and Rydal Fell lying to the east, and Silver Howe and Yew Crag to the west.

Rothay Garden Hotel is built from the locally quarried grey green stone, so reminiscent of the region. The surrounding area is noted for its beautiful scenery and there are many delightful walks which suit a range of abilities. To the south of the village is Grasmere Lake where there are some gentle walks amongst the lower ground around the lake. Or Grasmere is located centrally for the more challenging walking of Helvellyn, Scafell Pikes, Skiddaw and the Langdale Pikes. It was this spectacular scenery in Grasmere that inspired much of the poet William Wordsworth’s best works; he described the area as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.

Of all the Hotels in the Lake District, Rothay Garden is no ordinary Lakeland hotel. It is in fact one of the finest and contemporary four star Lake District Hotels. It is perfect for both a winter or summer break and the two acres of riverside gardens are a wonderful and relaxing place to let life pass you by. It is a comfortable, quality hotel where you can escape life’s pressures and seek peace and quiet.

Many Lake District Hotels try and offer good catering but Rothay Garden really does offer excellent food really makes the difference between a break away from home and a memorable trip to treasure.

There are many hotels in the Lake District but staying at Rothay Garden means you are also in the right place to visit the Grasmere Festival of Stars which takes place on the last weekend in November every year.

i-newswire.com

A TV advertising campaign and website built around a new hit TV series are weapons in the Lake District’s fight to beat bad publicity after winter floods.

The Lakes Hospitality Association has launched a television advertising campaign for hotels and guesthouses in the Lake District and set up a special website www.lakewindermere.tv, designed to capitalise on the popular TV programme The Lakes.

The first of a series of adverts on ITV1 started on Tuesday this week and will go on air around the TV show and other well-known programmes, such as This Morning, ITV Early Evening News and Emmerdale.

The TV campaign will be shown in the Yorkshire and Tyne Tees area, where a large proportion of Lake District business comes from.

With the dedicated website, which is crammed with dozens of offers from hotel and guesthouses, the Lakes Hospitality Association will be able to closely monitor where inquiries are coming from.

The TV campaign is jointly funded by the Lakes Hospitality Association and Windermere Lake Cruises and hoteliers and guesthouses – The Howbeck and Windermere Suites, The Newby Bridge Hotel, Fairfield Guest House, The Knoll and The Coppice.

Jonathan Denby, chairman of the Lakes Hospitality Association, said: “The double-whammy of floods and snow cut the number of visitors to the Lakes by half. We need to show the world that the Lakes is fully open for business.

“At the time of the floods I asked the North West Development Agency (NWDA) for funding for a TV campaign to match the money given to Yorkshire Tourism of £30 million over three years. The NWDA were not sure of the efficacy of TV advertising, so we intend to demonstrate to them with our TV campaign – that TV advertising is just what the Lakes needs to bring back the tourists.”

The Lakes Hospitality Association is a trade association representing the interests of 500 accommodation providers and others associated with hospitality in South Lakeland.

Westmoreland Gazette

The Lake District is the perfect location for children. Endless activities to keep them occupied for example watersports, walking, Go-Ape, a zoo and the Ravenglass-Eskdale railway. It has long been an area popular with families.

An area full of activities and stunning scenery is the area of Keswick and Bassenthwaite. There are many Keswick hotels that offer child friendly rooms with excellent leisure facilities on site. These facilities include heated swimming pools, gyms, tennis courts, putting greens and some even have games rooms with both board games and computer games such as Wii consoles installed. The practical facilities within these hotels come in the form of flexible meal times for children, the use of complimentary high chairs and cots, bed time books and stocks of essential items such as nappies, baby milks and food and dummies.

The Bassenthwaite Lake area encompasses some of the most well equipped hotels Lake District. The lake is one of the largest in the English Lake District situated at the foot of Skiddaw and in such close proximity to Keswick, it is a great location. The lake is 4 miles long and is the shallowest of all the lakes with its maximum depth just 70 feet. For parents interested in bird watching, it is one of the best places to spot an Osprey.

Bassenthwaite the village itself is one of the most beautiful Lakeland villages and is an ideal base for discovering the woodlands of Thornthwaite Forest and the trails of Dodd Wood. It is the northernmost and only true ‘lake’ in the Lake District; it is renowned for its peacefulness, accessibility and continually changing scenery caused by changeable weather and seasons. When the adults need to get away there’s Mirehouse which is most definitely worth a visit.

Alfred Lord Tennyson stayed at Mirehouse whilst writing his poem ‘Morte D’Arthur’ in 1835. It is a private house but open to the public on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. The grounds and a tea shop are open daily though. Further on from Mirehouse is an open air theatre erected by the Tennyson Society is the location where Tennyson was thought to have written most of that famous poem. All around the lake and the surrounding area is a strong literary feel along with a popular place for artists.

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.

An appeal for Cumbrian hoteliers to let rooms cheaply received scores of responses after just a few hours.

The Open for Business campaign aims to convince holidaymakers that the Lake District is still able to provide good holiday accommodation despite recent poor weather.

The scheme will offer readers of regional newspapers the chance to book a room at participating venues for a fee of £9.99, to cover administration fees.

Organisers, the Lakes Hospitality Association and Cumbria Tourism, said more than 50 hoteliers signed up to the campaign after an appeal for participants was launched on Wednesday.

Lakes Hospitality Association chairman Jonathan Denby said: “The Open for Business campaign is a gesture of goodwill from the Lake District.

“It will welcome customers back and show that the roads are clear, the shops are open and the hotels and attractions are ready to welcome visitors again.”

Mr Denby added: “We are very pleased that the whole industry seems to be behind the campaign. We still have the beautiful countryside and the wonderful attractions. The Lakes are at their loveliest this time of year and we are looking forward to welcoming our customers back.”

A South Lakeland hotel is set to gain an extra star following a three-month £750,000 refurbishment.

The Wild Boar Hotel, near Windermere, will reopen in spring with four stars after a refurbishment to restore it to its glory days as a traditional coaching inn.

The plans include creating a smokehouse – making it the first hotel in the Lake District to do so. Meat, fish and cheese will be smoked on the hotel’s grounds and then sold as part of the restaurant’s menu.

The kitchen will become open-plan so diners will be able to watch their food being cooked. There will also be 17 individually designed rooms, with features such as copper baths and log fires, as well as contemporary touches such as iPod docking stations.

Simon Berry, managing director of English Lakes Hotels, which owns the Wild Boar, said: “We want to create something that we didn’t have in the rest of the portfolio. It is a traditional Lake District Inn but with innovative touches.

“There is a focus on real value for money, which is going to be increasingly important for people over the next few years.”

The refurbishment will see six new full-time positions creates alongside the existing 28-strong workforce at the hotel.

Westmorland Gazette

Cumbria and the Lake District could be getting tourist flights. Overseas holidaymakers may be able to get flights to Carlisle Airport from next year.

The owners of Carlisle Airport are currently investing approximately £25m in developing the base, reports The Westmorland Gazette. The airport is presently used by light aircraft, but the development could see owners of Lake District cottages benefitting from larger flights from overseas and within the UK.

Andy Judge, the airport’s director, said: “We need to have a proper functioning airport to say that the region…is ready for business and to support the region as a whole. Once we have improved the facilities and brought in the airlines, then we shall be ready for bringing in passenger routes.”

New flights would make Cumbria holidays a more viable option for the overseas market, Judge added. The improvements could link the region to destinations such as London, Paris and Amsterdam, all major hubs for connecting international flights.

Cumbria’s Chamber of Commerce is also enthusiastic about the developments. The organisation’s Rob Johnston said: “The reason is not about the volume of passengers, it is the statement that Cumbria is on the map and is connected. We have got a great offer and the airport helps us make that offer more accessible.” The improvement works at Carlisle Airport will begin next year.