Where to Stay

Whether you are one of our regular guests and a frequent visitor to the Lake District, or someone who is coming for the first time to discover the joys of its unique lakes and fells, choosing where to stay is often a difficult decision, especially when each area is so beautiful and has so much to offer.

To help you select the ideal destination for your holiday, we have included a brief guide to the villages and valleys where our properties are located.

There is much to discover in the Lake District
Waterhead, Ambleside
Buttermere
Blea Tarn

Ambleside and Troutbeck
Ambleside is a popular village, right in the heart of the Lake District National Park at the northern end of Lake Windermere. It is surrounded by fells and stunning scenery and is an excellent base for walking and touring. The higgledy-piggledy village centre, with its interesting byways, hidden corners and excellent range of shops and eating places, is a favourite with visitors to the Lake District. Ambleside is truly a year round holiday destination with many different types of attractions including galleries, museums, lake cruises, as well as the Spring Flower Show, the Summer Music Festival, the amazing autumnal colours and the superb Christmas lights, which make the whole village sparkle!

Troutbeck and Troutbeck Bridge are two small villages in the Troutbeck Valley just to the south of Ambleside. Troutbeck lies in the hills amid glorious scenery, with delightful character properties, two good pubs and Townend, a wonderfully preserved National Trust yeoman farmer's house. There are lots of good walks to be enjoyed from the door of your holiday cottage. Further down the valley, Troutbeck Bridge lies in a central position on the through route between Ambleside and Windermere, with good pub for bar meals and public swimming pool.

Langdale Valleys
The two dramatic Langdale Valleys lie to the west of Ambleside in the very heart of the Lake District National Park and include Elterwater, Chapel Stile, Little Langdale and Skelwith Bridge. Here you will find some of the most majestic mountain scenery in Britain and certainly some of the finest walking. There is a well-stocked village shop at Chapel Stile and various good pubs in the area, as well as the famous Chesters café and shop.

Hawkshead and Coniston
Hawkshead is an award-winning, picturesque village four miles from Ambleside with a lovely traffic-free centre in the heart of Beatrix Potter country with interesting local shops and many good places to eat. The village is close to beautiful Tarn Hows, one of the most scenic spots in Lakeland, and the wonderful Grizedale Forest. Sawrey, just two miles from Hawkshead, is a quaint hamlet and home of Beatrix Potter. There is a good village pub and the surrounding area offers delightful walking country. Sawrey is close to Esthwaite Water and Lake Windermere where there is a ferry to Bowness.

Coniston, a pretty village alongside the beautiful Coniston Lake, has a lively atmosphere with good pubs and shops and is an excellent base for sailing and canoeing on water free from high speed craft, or just enjoying a cruise on the 'Gondola'. There are many famous mountain walks in the area including Coniston Old Man.

Keswick and North Lakes
A charming market town in the Northern Lakes nestling between the beautiful lakes of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite at the foot of the dramatic mountain mass of Skiddaw. The scenery is some of the most spectacular in the National Park and the area abounds in fine walking for all ages and abilities. Keswick is a town for all seasons with lots of good shops and restaurants and it is also home to many varied attractions including The Cumberland Pencil Museum, 'Cars of the Stars' and the Theatre by the Lake.

There is a collection of charming and popular villages in the North Lakes all dotted about within a few miles of Keswick, including Portinscale, Braithwaite, Thornthwaite, Applethwaite, Threlkeld, Watendlath and Buttermere.

Bowness and Windermere
Bowness-on-Windermere is a lakeside town four miles south of Ambleside. It has a lively holiday atmosphere and excellent shops and restaurants. Bowness offers a wide range of activities to holidaymakers of all ages including live theatre at the Old Laundry, lake cruises on England's largest lake from Bowness Bay or the delights of the 'World of Beatrix Potter'.

Windermere is one mile from Bowness and is a delightful Lakeland village with good shops and places to eat out. The railway station and good public transport connections give good access to other parts of the Lake District. Don't miss the fine views from Orrest Head.

Ullswater and around
Beautiful Ullswater is often thought to be one of the finest lakes in the whole Lake District National Park with its stunning mountain scenery and fantastic walking nearby, as well as opportunities for sailing, canoeing and steam boat cruises.

The villages in the Ullswater valley all offer their own individual charm and include Hartsop, Patterdale, Glenridding, Dockray, Pooley Bridge and Dacre. There is a good selection of places to eat, from pubs to tea shops, and hotels to cafés. This area is a bit off 'the beaten track' and good for quiet holidays with dramatic mountain scenery and fine walking all around whilst it is only a few miles drive over the Kirkstone Pass to Ambleside.

Grasmere and Rydal
Grasmere is a picturesque village set in the heart of the lakes and features a wonderful collection of attractive buildings and charming shops as well as a village green. The surrounding lake and mountain scenery is quite beautiful at all times of the year. A visit to Wordsworth's Dove Cottage and the Museum is a must.

Rydal is a tiny hamlet between Grasmere and Ambleside in the beautiful Rothay Valley. Here you will find the delightful Rydal Water and Rydal Mount where Wordsworth lived for thirty-seven years. Some of the best walking in the lakes is to be enjoyed from the village.

Grasmere and Rydal are favourites with walkers, photographers and country lovers who want to enjoy the true atmosphere of a Lake District holiday.


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