Enjoy a dome from home
details see the Cumbria County Council webpage at cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/highwayspavements/windermereferry.asp. COUNTRY HOUSE HOLIDAYS: Walking holiday operator HF Holidays owns two country house properties in the Lakes from where it organises competitively priced walking breaks.
It aims to deliver guided walking in the company of like-minded others. There is a range of walks each day of varying difficulty and meals are provided back at base.
HF even organises Discovery Tours for those who would rather see the sights, allowing couples or groups to go in different directions during the day and come together again in the evening. GO FOR IT: A three-night all-inclusive break at Derwentwater costs from £339 per person. See hfholidays.co.uk for more. SLEEPING in a two-floor geodesic dome is the latest twist on glamping. Up p to six can stay in the domes tha that are dotted across fields at Brook Farm in Greetham, L Leics, four miles north of R Rutland Waterater reservoir. A circularr window lets BROCKHOLE VISITOR CENTRE: Windermere, on the lakes’ eastern flank, attracts more visitors than the other lakes put together. It gets very crowded, particularly in the lakeside village of Bowness. So the decision to locate the official visitor centre towards Windermere’s northern end, out at the former country house of Brockhole, was a wise one.
It is far more than just an information point. Brockhole has a terrace cafe, a treetops rope adventure, pony riding, archery, croquet, kayaking and boat rides, all set in glorious lakeside gardens.
It is a great place for a family day out. GO FOR IT: Entry is free but activities are individually priced. See brockhole.co.uk. in a breeze and the different levels mean each dome is roomy, with sofas, bathrooms, wood-burning stoves and a kitchen. Get three nights from £585 with availability through July and August. See coolcamping.com. KESWICK: While Windermere is primarily a tourist destination, the pretty northern lakeland town of Keswick mixes visitor interest with a true slice of Cumbrian life. Pedestrianised streets nurture butchers, bakers and a market selling everything from binoculars to lemon cheese – alias lemon curd. Hill farmers stomp through in their wellies, there is a r repertory theatre down by the lake and the pret pretty Hope Gardens has a teahouse and a prope proper putting course. But perhaps best of all, the town’s Pencil Museum reopened thi this month after being devastated by flo flooding 18 months ago. GO FOR IT: Keswick is also the home of Georgee Fisher, the outdoor clothing re retailer. Its Abraham cafe serves healthy foo food up in the rafters, georgefisher.co.uk. I’VE done all the main sights in Barcelona but I’m going back in summer and I’m after local foodie recommendations. CAVA is the lifeblood of the Catalonia province so start by learning the difference between your semiseco and brut nature. Book a two-hour tasting led by a local sommelier that kicks off with a history lesson meandering through the Gothic Quarter. It costs £52 from foodieandtours.com.
It is a classic on the tourist trail but the stalls at La Boqueria, the city’s largest food market, do change so make a return trip. Avoid the bars on the outside and get right in the middle for quality seafood bars. Dine on langoustines and razor clams with the locals.