The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
My favourite place
Former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley on Windermere
The forner Coronation Street actor and Strictly contestant, 36, can find everything she wants in England’s largest national park
As a child, I used to go to the Lake District all the time with my parents – my sister and I loved going in the boats and having an ice cream, and we’re a big walking family. It’s all gorgeous, but Windermere is my favourite part.
My husband Tom [Pitfield, a photographer] and I love outdoor swimming, and five years ago we signed up for the Great Swim in Lake Windermere. It was a bit scary because it’s huge [10.5 miles long and England’s largest natural lake], but to swim out into the middle and look back at the mountains was breathtaking.
During the lockdown, Tom, our son Alfie [above] and I are at home in Manchester, which is good because my parents, both 62, were extremely poorly with the coronavirus. Living nearby means we’ve been able to drop off food parcels on the porch. Thankfully, they appear to have come out the other side of it.
For getting away, Windermere is our go-to, so we’ll definitely head up there again as soon as possible. A typical day there starts with a big coffee and then a long walk – three or four hours. The beauty of the Lake District is that you can come off the beaten path at any point and find something amazing. After lunch, Alfie, who’s five, has to go on a boat. We’ve upgraded to the little speedboats; the pedal ones got tedious because he likes to spend a long time out there.
It’s a very nostalgic place for me, so the fact that Alfie loves it just as much is so nice. He adores The World of Beatrix
Potter in Bowness-on-windermere. It’s well worth visiting, whether you’ve got kids or not – it’s fascinating.
If we’re there for the day, we’ll have dinner and drive back. Or if it’s summer and we’re staying in one of the cottages at The Swan Hotel & Spa in Newby Bridge, we’ll have a barbecue. The cottages give you so much freedom and are fantastic for kids.
A couple of years ago, Tom and I took a break without Alfie
and went to the Gilpin in Windermere. We stayed in one of the Spa Lodges, where the therapists come to you – you don’t move, basically, until the evening, when you have a beautiful meal. A decent massage is my treat if I’ve been busy. After I did Strictly last year I was so achey – so we went to the Low Wood Bay hotel, and I don’t think I stepped out of my robe all day.
We’ve also stayed at The Samling, because I’d read about Tom Cruise loving it. There’s a hot tub outside with an incredible view, and the tasting menu at the restaurant was like nothing I’ve experienced; like a science experiment. Dessert was a luminous green ball, with a jug that could only be described as a miniature smoke machine. At first you think, ‘Is this all show?’ But the flavours were incredible: it was a white-chocolate ball with a dark-chocolate centre, and I’ve never had chocolate like it.
The Belsfield, a Laura Ashley hotel, does a great afternoon tea, too. I’m passionate about nutrition and careful about eating healthily, but I still love a piece of cake.
We’re very lucky that all this is only an hour from us. I’ve lived all over, but Manchester is where my heart is, and a big part of that is the Lakes.
Catherine Tyldesley is on Diet: Trust Your Gut – Tonight, available on itv.com