Long weekend in the Lake District

Oct 3

Oct 3 Long weekend in the Lake District

A wise traveller never despises his own country.

This year has been a strange year for travellers around the world with COVID-19 pandemic putting a halt on most travels. We consider ourselves lucky to have been able to go skiing still (just before the lockdown in the U.K.) and to visit a new part of our own country, the Lake District. It was a place I always wanted to explore but never had found the opportunity mainly because we would usually prioritise trips abroad then exploring more of our own country… So when looking for ideas for Dan’s birthday (his birthday is in March), I thought this could be the occasion. After a bit of research and some recommendations, I booked the trip and I was really excited to finally go to this place… Well not so fast! March came around and what we had never anticipated happened: a complete lockdown meaning we could not go anywhere. Completely understandable to be honest. So we had to reschedule the whole trip to later end of June which was still not workable so ended up pushing it another time again to mid-July. In July the country was slowly opening up again but there was a lot of uncertainties. We decided to go anyway and take all measures necessary to stay safe and keep everyone safe. I am glad we did in the end. Below is a bit more about our trip to Lake District, where we went, where we stayed, the activities…

Where is Lake District?

Lake District is in the northwest corner of England, in the county of Cumbria. It’s known for its mountains, valleys, villages, towns, coastline and of course lakes! The Lake District National Park was established in 1951 and covers an area of 2,362 square kilometres. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.

You will find here, Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England, at an elevation of 978 metres (3,209 ft) above sea level. It also contains the deepest and largest natural lakes in England, Wast Water and Windermere respectively.

We stayed in Ullswater also known as one of "England's most beautiful lakes". It is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being about nine miles (14.5 km) long and 0.75 miles (1.2 km) wide. It is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age by a glacier scooping out the valley floor, which filled with meltwater.

Since it was a trip for Dan’s birthday I was keen to treat him with a nice hotel right by a lake with plenty outdoor activities and this is one of the reasons I decided to go to Ullswater this time.

Map-of-the-UK-showing-the-English-Lake-District-and-counties-of-Lancashire-and-Cumbria.png

It’s worth mentioning the drive for us from Hertforshire to Ullswater was actually extremely straightforward: around 5 hours or 271 miles on the A1 towards Peterborough, Sheffield, Doncaster, Leeds and then crossed the Yorkshire Dales which offered fantastic sceneries.

If you don’t know where to eat on the way or need a little pick me up, we discovered this amazing farm shop which also happens to do food. It’s called Mainsgill Farmshop, it’s on the A66 in Ravensworth so literally on the way and really worth the stop. They are growing and doing some work so the parking looks a bit messy and unwelcoming but don’t let this deter you as the view from the tearoom terrace is beautiful! We stocked up on fresh farm products too. Massive win.

Where did we stay?

View from Another Place Hotel’s own jetty

A friend of mine had recommended this hotel in Ullswater called Another Place. Looking a bit more into it, this felt like the perfect place to treat my husband for his birthday weekend!

Another Place Hotel. Georgian meets contemporary.

The hotel has 2 main building an original Georgian country house and a new contemporary wing recently built. Overall it feels stylish but without arrogance and very relaxed. As soon as you arrive, you can feel the hotel is set up for the great outdoors. The land in front of the hotel offers a lot of outstanding views and places to relax. I particularly loved the hammocks and little tents set in a various trees for my meditation. Such a nice touch. There is a lovely terrace to have lunch or drink a cuppa outside with lake views of course.

If you want to relax by the lake. — If you want to relax by the lake…

Open-house style for the communal areas.

Inside amongst the 2 restaurants you can find the Library is a light and elegant room in the original building, it has deep sofas, a fire, books and board games.

20m infinity pool in the contemporary wing

The location is really exceptional, you basically cannot be any closer to the lake. There are tonnes of walk to do from the hotel and the famous Aira Force is only a 10-minute drive. The hotel has its own jetty and offer a lot of watersports. They have their own little set up where you can borrow wetsuits, take paddleboarding, sailing or swimming lessons and much more. Every day a blackboard is updated and highlights walk suggestions and activities. Indoors, there’s a a 20m infinity pool, with incredible views of Ullswater and the fells beyond and there is also a really well equipped gym (sadly due to Covid both were closed when we went). Luckily the spa was open when we where there so I managed to get a pedicure and my husband a massage. Both really good.

We stayed in the main house in the Joules suite, curated by Joules’ art director Hannah Coates. I absolutely loved the modern country-house style, they have done a great job with the colour of the room walls and refurbished original furnitures throughout. It’s very spacious, view on the lake and feels very intimate and cosy. The bathroom is big and really cute with a rustic chic feel. My only disappointment with this room was the lack of outdoor space. Since the weather was quite nice when we went it would have been nice to have somewhere to chill outside from our bedroom, but we did enjoy the terrace and grounds of the hotel however… The other wing is more contemporary so I assume the room are much more modern. We will try one of these rooms next time.

We had dinner every night at the Rampsbeck restaurant and enjoyed every meals. It is mainly locally sourced steaks, chicken, lamb and fish. The menu was different every night so we didn’t get bored of eating there. For lunch, there is a cafe-bar on the other public areas which offers bistro menu type with burgers, salads, pasta and the like. We had lunches there a few times from the lake-view terrace.

The lake-view terrace in between the 2 buildings.

Overall, we were quite blown away by the hotel and the activities it has to offer. Perfect for active couple like we are. I would say it is equally good for a romantic weekend where you want to relax but still enjoy a few walks, or a more active stay where you want to do as much as possible. I believe this is a fantastic place for families too. We absolutely recommend this hotel and can’t wait to come back in 2021.

What did we do?

There are tonnes activities (land and water) to do right from the hotel so we made the most of it. I was 28 weeks pregnant at the time so I was not doing as many activities as usual. Dan went running every days in the various nearby trails (an article with all the routes will be added soon!). Whilst he was running I was doing a yoga session in our spacious room and meditation by the lake.

Most afternoon we would set off for a long walk from the hotel. My favourite was the Aira Force and Gowbarrow trail. I will never forget these outstanding views of the lake and the green scenery. Admittedly we were exceptionally lucky with the weather which made the experience a lot better… It’s worth mentioning the parking in Aira Force starting point was very crowded so best to go early. Also if you are a National Trust member then the parking is free. But to be frank I feel we only scratched the surface with the hiking, there is so many trails and I look forward to come back to explore more of the area.

Everyday you could see a lot of people swimming no matter the weather and the water temperature! I love this about British people… The cold weather does not stop them. I think the water was slightly too cold for a pregnant woman though so only Dan enjoyed the lake! He was lucky it was sunny when he went for his swim. The hotel provides the swim safety buoy, swimming cap, wetsuit…

Like I said there is a lot of other activities to do in Ullswater, you can check out more here. We even found out there is a wake and surf school which we would love to try next time.

In a way, I think Covid-19 has encouraged us to see more of our own country and this is a good thing. The 4 days went super fast and we would have loved to stay a few more night so much we enjoyed it all! Lake District is absolutely stunning and really cannot wait to be back. The whole experience was fantastic from the drive to the hotel and activities. This is very likely to become one of our favourite U.K. holiday destinations for all the sports on land and water it has to offer.