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I'm posting again in my thread in hopes that Moolyn or someone else with knowledge of the area might help.
I found this cottage at: www.lakelandholidaycottage.co.uk/index.htm It's in Ulverston, but I'm not sure if this is too far away from the central area of the lakes - any advice would be appreciated! |
Anna1013 - We have used www.nova.co.uk for car hire many times. Another broker - who use firms like Alamo, Europcar, Budget etc.
Your quote will be in GBP and their are no hidden charges. Very important when doing a car hire comparison. Sandy |
Anna1013
We have stayed at Fair Rigg a nice B&B located Bowness on Windermere. We walked into town and their is a local bus you can hop from place to place or a boat on the lakes. Go to www.smoothound.co.uk and see full details on this and other B&B's. If you click on the map on the smoothound web site you can get an idea of where Ulverston is in relation to the other villages. Please note the cottage you mentioned in Ulverston rents by the week at this time. Best wishes for a great time. Sandy |
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but I think we would rather drive and get to see more of the area. >>>>>> i agree that you need a car for the lake district (ok, it's possible to do it without one but you are at a big disadvantage). however, if you really want to see the area, you need to get out of your car and walk (if you are able). this is much better than trying to drive around...especially during peak travel times. i'm not trying to be snobbish but windermere has a more sedentary group of tourists. just the word 'windermere' conjures up images of large, middle england sitting on the shores of the lake eating ice-cream...loud children covered with it and dogs running all around. it can have a dismal feel to it during peak school holiday times. sorry, just being honest and i don't mean to offend. i have stayed in windermere because i just need to be near the walking. i don't explore the village. but, even then, it's not my favourite place to stay. around grasmere, ullswater, rydal are all decent places to stay. but as stated, i am not an expert on exploring lake district villages...the fells (mountains) are i where i am most happy. there are also plenty of one-off pubs in the middle of nowhere that rent rooms. these are often the best places. as for crowds, i was in lake district over easter last year and managed to avoid any big problems. in fact, we climbed Helvellyn on easter day. this walk from glenridding is quite popular and it was not deserted but there were not many people at all. even a quick walk up orrest head...this short, easy 'non-walker's walk' right out of windermere was not very crowed on easter weekend. some nice walks are: -Rydal to Grasmere (when you are on heron's pike looking down on grasmere you are a million miles away from the tourists gathered around sarah nelson's gingerbread house). -glenridding to Helvellyn (as above)- somewhat challenging but you can always turn back if you feel you are getting in too deep on Striding Edge. -wansfell pike and around (leave from ambleside) -there is also some good walking north of wansfell near ambleside the views of the lake district and the special feel of the area is simply not appreciated from a car. there are some pretty villages but england has a lot of pretty villages. i would not go to the lake district for the villages. walks in the lake district do not need to be overly challenging either. often within 10 or 20 easy minutes of your starting point you can start to feel the lake district. there are some great challenging walks as well. i suggest you get some good maps and perhaps a volume or two of alfred wainwright's (a local hero) chronicle of his love affair with the lake district fell walking...all presented in several beautiful hand drawn volumes. |
Anna, as mentioned before, Ulverston is on the edge of the lake district and wouldn't be the best spot for taking full advantage of the lakes although pleasant enough for a day trip. You would be more central staying in the other Ulverston B&B you mentioned that was closer to Windermere.
I agree with walkingaround that Windermere or even Ambleside isn’t the best choice for you and strongly recommend that you stay in Grasmere or nearby. Check some of the places already mentioned above such as Ryelands Guest House in Grasmere or White Moss House near Rydal Water. Google Grasmere or Elterwater or Langdale for more suggestions. Here's a B&B in the Great Langdale Valley that looks in line with places you have chosen: http://www.millbeckfarm.co.uk/ These self-catering cottages in the area offer 3 and 7 day stays so could also work for you: http://www.wheelwrights.com/ |
Hello Anna1013,
We arrived in the Lake District last spring immediately before the bank holiday. I think we arrived on the Wednesday before the holiday and stayed three nights in a B&B in Windermere, leaving Saturday. So we avoided the worst of the crowds, although we could tell people were starting to arrive. I enjoyed Windermere and didn't find it unpleasant or too pedestrian. I would probably try to stay in Grasmere or perhaps Ambleside if I went back, but I would not be disappointed if I ended up in Windermere, either. The morning we left I took a walk up to Orrest Head (a hill at the north end of town that has a nice view over the lake) and was by myself most of the time, although it was fairly crowded down by the lake. We also really enjoyed taking a boat trip on the lake, but that could be because we were traveling with kids. I guess we were one of those families walkinaround is talking about! I will agree with the idea that you will avoid quite a few crowds if you just find some nice walks to take. I took a walk with my son another day on a trail we just sort of stumbled across between Windermere and Keswick, and saw only two other people the whole time -- other than that it was just us, the bluebells, and a babbling brook. Driving from Manchester to the Lake District is very manageable, especially if you're not dealing with a big time change. We did it the day we arrived, and that was about as far as I would try driving after a trans-Atlantic flight. So, don't let the holiday put you off! I hope you have a lovely time. |
Thanks to all for your replies!
Moolyn, Ryelands Guest House would have been a perfect solution except that they are totally booked for the time we will be in the Lake District. It seems like I should concentrate Grasmere - it seems like Hawkshead and Coniston are pretty areas...does anyone have rec. for these areas? |
Forgot to add this link with a B&B that is near Windermere in Troutbeak - I don't know if it is still too near Windermere, in the sense that the area would be really crowded, but I would like to get others opinions about it.
highfoldbedandbreakfast.co.uk/index.php |
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Anna, Troutbeck is a lovely little village, very central and close to everything but off the main roads. It even has a recommended pub although I can't remember the name right now. It would be an excellent base and the B&B looks lovely. Go for it!
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Moolyn,
Thanks for your advice - I just found another spot in Grasmere: www.raiseviewhouse.co.uk/ I've just written to find out about avaliability, but I wonder if this is another good option? |
Anna, Happy New Year! Yes, this definitely would be a very good option. Notice Easdale Fell in the background behind the statue in the garden? We've walked to the top and circled the tarn. It's not as hard a climb as it looks.
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moolyn : "Troutbeck is a lovely little village, very central and close to everything but off the main roads. It even has a recommended pub although I can't remember the name right now." Do you mean the Mortal Man ? We've stayed there twice & I'd recommend it.
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Caroline, thanks! Yes, the Mortal Man is the recommended Troutbeck pub whose name I couldn't remember.
http://www.themortalman.com/ http://www.pub-explorer.com/cumbria/...ntroutbeck.htm |
It was nice when we stayed - September 2003 & Christmas 2004. Quite good food, good beer and a nice garden. You do need a car, though.
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