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.

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.

The decision has been announced as to which self-catering cottage in the Lake District and in the wider region of Cumbria is to be officially named the self-catering holiday of the year for 2009. This is a prestigious award coveted by all self-catering cottages in the Lake District and Cumbria, and an award that can only be won once. This year the award has been given to Hall Hills, which has a cluster of self-catering cottages just to the east of the Lake District National Park.

Situated a 15-minute drive outside the Lake District town of Keswick, Hall Hills is a recently developed business. The cottages only opened for business 12 months ago, after a painstaking conversion of the stone buildings of what used to be Hall Hills Farm. These are buildings that date back to the 17th century and had been an important local farm in that part of Cumbria.

Prior to the announcement, the proprietors of Hall Hills, Jude and Tim Walker, had been delighted with the news that they were among the three finalists, but because they are not quite within the official boundaries of the Lake District National Park they assumed there was no chance of getting any further in the competition for the self-catering holiday of the year. Hence the overwhelming joy when they heard the name of their business announced as this year’s winner.

Cumbria Tourism is to be commended for choosing a self-catering holiday resort outside the Lake District, and supporting less well-known Cumbrian destinations. The location of Hall Hills may not be within the hills and vales of the English Lakes, but it has its own beauty and at peak periods in the tourism calendar it has an unrivalled tranquility.

Hall Hills (http://www.hallhills.co.uk) had already been given a Gold Award for its 4 star self-catering cottages as recognition of the high standard of holiday accommodation on offer.

Being the winner for Cumbria, Hall Hills will now be automatically entered for the regional final to find the self-catering holiday of the year for the north west of England.