Enjoy a great Lakes break
A Lake District minibreak with a picturepostcard view? This might just be the hotel for you. CHRIS WAUGH visited The Beech Hill Hotel and Spa on the banks of Lake Windermere
IF YOU’RE anything like me, then an annual trip to the Lake District is pretty much a necessity.
On this particular occasion, during the half-term holidays, rain unsurprisingly greeted my girlfriend and I as we drove towards our destination.
Situated little more than three miles outside of Bowness, The Beech Hill Hotel and Spa’s location is idyllic.
Nestled right on the banks of Lake Windermere, about three quarters of the way down the eastern side, the views out from the front of the hotel are simply stunning.
A short drive from Ambleside, Grasmere, Kendal et al, this really is the ideal resting point from which to experience all the natural wonders the Lake District has to offer.
If you take a short journey into Bowness, The World of Beatrix Potter is certainly worth a visit, particularly if you have children with you.
The characters and stories from the Cumbrian author’s famous books are brought to life in this enjoyable family attraction.
Bowness lakeside also offers a range of different boat trips around the lake itself.
You can head up to Ambleside, or instead learn about the many tiny islands on the lake, and all of the journeys are offered at a very reasonable price.
It is brisk out on the open water during autumn and winter, mind, so be sure to wrap up well.
With Ambleside only a short journey away – by road or ferry – it is also worth venturing up to Stagshaw Garden.
An informal woodland garden, it has an array of different trees, plants and levels, the contrasting colours of which look glorious all year round. For those history buffs amongst you, Ambleside Roman Fort is also worth a visit.
Though it appears modest in size, more than 500 infantrymen were once housed here – defending Cumbria from invasions from the north.
This hotel on Windermere lakeside is ideal for all – be it couples, families, pensioners – due to its close proximity to a whole host of varied attractions.
After pulling into the car park, we checked in at reception and made our way up to our room, the view from which was arguably the highlight of our stay.
A ‘Select Plus Double’, this spacious room had a huge bay window which overlooked the lake.
The large bed was also extremely comfortable, while the room itself offered all the amenities you would expect.
Having unpacked, we tried out the Lakeview Spa, of which the hotel is rightly extremely proud.
A 40-foot indoor pool – again, with a view of the lake, making it a unique swimming experience – is flanked by a sauna and a steam room. While there is also a ‘scented garden’, which has an outdoor hot tub at its centre, allowing you to relax and enjoy the great outdoors.
Clearly, significant investment has been ploughed into the spa. The pool is a good size, while the sauna, steam room and hot tub are all to a high standard.
One side note, however, is that the changing facilities are on the tight side. On the plus side, private shower rooms are available, but there are only two plus a baby-changing area.
Anyway, back to our stay. Nice and relaxed following our late-afternoon spa visit, we then got changed before heading down for drinks before dinner.
We had reserved a table at Burlington’s Restaurant but first enjoyed a leisurely drink – and started playing Scrabble, one of many board games on offer in the spacious dining area.
The food itself was delicious. Two courses would cost £26.95, or three for £34.95.
To start, my girlfriend chose grilled mackerel fillet while I opted for the wood pigeon breast with lentils, which was delicious. As was my main course of Lakeland venison steak, while my girlfriend’s lamb shank simply fell off the bone it was cooked so well.
My dessert of raspberry and white chocolate delice was most agreeable, with the standard of food overall impressive.
But, like the rest of the hotel, the restaurant could do with a bit of updating. It feels a little tired; if the decor could match the food, then this really would be an excellent dining experience.
For breakfast there was an extensive selection of hot and cold buffet options.
In order to make the most of our short stay in the Lakes, we left the hotel in mid-morning to head up to the beautiful village of Grasmere, where we strolled around the lakeside before enjoying some lunch and a visit to the famous Gingerbread Shop.
Overall, our stay in the Lake District was thoroughly enjoyable. The scenery certainly helped, but The Beech Hill Hotel is somewhere with immense potential – for the views, spa and food, it is worth visiting in the meantime regardless.