LAKE DISTRICT
What? A picturesque countryside jaunt with the best of British home comforts Where? Windermere,
Lake District
How much? Rooms at Gilpin Hotel start at £275 per night, based on two sharing on a B&B basis; thegilpin.co.uk
Convince me the lakes are worth a staycation... You mean you haven’t been yet? If you’re one of those wanderlusters who can’t wrap their head around holidaying without leaving UK boundaries, this mountainous expanse of England is well equipped to change your mind. Easily accessible from most of the UK – head for Oxenholme train station near Kendal to arrive in just over two and a half hours from London – the rolling hills
and glittering lakes of Britain’s most popular national park offer panoramas that have inspired William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter and the bloke who created Postman Pat.
Where to hike first?
Use Gilpin Hotel and Lake House as your base camp to the South Lakes and follow their recommended trails to ramble as far as your legs will take you. After fuelling up with a locally sourced full English or Welsh rarebit at breakfast, pull on your boots (or borrow a pair of wellies from reception if it’s rainy) and follow either the step-by-step instructions on Gilpin’s laminated guide cards or trust your itinerary to the signposted routes. Windermere, Lyth Valley, Langdale Pikes; all will deliver winding lanes flanked by hedgerows, verdant undulating woodland and fields scattered with sheep and cows.
And if it rains?
Who cares. ’Tis Britain – and muddy puddles just add to your trudging fun. Plus, there are plenty of crackling log fires and enveloping sofas to get you feeling toasty again once you’ve made it back to the hotel. Or, sack off the hiking entirely and observe the vista from the lake house’s glass-walled spa room as you indulge in a massage, until the weather brightens, of course. But whatever you do, don’t leave without trying the hotel’s two restaurants – Hrishi and Gilpin Spice – where your calorie deficit will disappear in a haze of Michelin-starred dishes and incredible flavour combinations. Scrum diddly.