cottages4you blog: inspiration for your cottage or villa holiday in UK, Ireland and Europe

The Langdale Pikes in the Lake District is one of the best walks the UK has to offer.

This is according to Birmingham Mail writer Adrian Caffery, who has described it as "one of the finest one-day walks in the country".

Mr Caffery, who tackled the route as part of a Lake District holiday in October last year, said that it offers a number of great sites along the way, including "a series of impressive waterfalls" a large tarn and "wonderful views" of the Langdale Valley.

However, he noted that parts of the walk may be difficult after it has rained, as the trek involves fording a stream.

"On days when the water is high, the crossing can be too hazardous and so some rock scrambling is in order," Mr Caffery warned.

According to Lakeland Landscape, the route is popular among hill walkers, as it is relatively easy but still offers some tricky parts.

There is still plenty of time for people wanting to pitch in and help with conservation projects in the Lake District to sign up to forthcoming events.

This is according to head of Bassenthwaite Reflections Martin Varley, who noted that the body is in the process of organising a number of archaeology and environmental initiatives across the Lakes.

Such schemes may be ideal for those heading for a stay in a Lake District holiday cottage who want to get their fingers dirty.

The programme, which was launched in 2007, has backed 30 projects so far, but is to finish at the end of this year.

And a new survey assessing what people think of the initiative resulted in some overwhelmingly positive results.

"People have said how much they valued getting involved and being part of the legacies we’ll leave behind; a nature reserve, important bridge, footpaths and the list goes on," Mr Varley remarked.

Bassenthwaite Reflections is running a dry stone walling course this weekend, giving visitors the chance to learn a new skill while on a Lake District holiday.

Posted by Ben Webster

Two Lake District photographs that have made the shortlist in a national competition have been praised by the environment minister.

Huw Irranca-Davies said that the images, taken by Mike Turner of Halifax and Jamie Green from Backbarrow, have done a good job of highlighting how people in the area are helping to preserve the area.

“They show how people enjoy mucking in to help with the environment,” he remarked.

Mr Turner’s image of dry stone walling near Ennerdale Water (left) and Mr Green’s shot of brush burning in Rusland are both in the final of the Garden Photographer of the Year competition after being submitted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The pictures may encourage those heading for a stay in a Lake District holiday cottage to take their camera along and try and capture some of the Lakes’ beauty.

People heading to the area will not be short of areas to explore in order to find the perfect spot for their snaps, as the Lake District features more than 3,500 km of rights of way.

Image courtesy of the IGPOTY

Posted by Ben Webster

Visitors young and old alike will have yet another attraction to enjoy if they are planning a stay in a Lake District holiday cottage during the Easter holidays, as work is set to start on redeveloping the area’s biggest adventure playground.

The £10,000 project, which can be found at the Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole, is going ahead after pupils at The Lakes School were asked to give their opinions on the new features of the playground.

Improvement work will get underway this Saturday (March 13th) and is expected to be finished by March 23rd.

Development programme manager at Brockhole Lisa Steward said it was "great fun" getting ideas from pupils at the school.

"I’m sure this development will be another great addition to all the other facilities people love to enjoy at Brockhole," she remarked.

As well as the adventure playground, the area also features plenty of gardens and grounds to explore, as well as a shop and cafe.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

Keen anglers who like the challenge of landing a big catch at Bassenthwaite Lake while enjoying a Lake District holiday are being asked to provide details of their haul to national park authorities.

The data will be used to assess the size of the pike living in the fourth-largest stretch of water in the Lakes, amid worries that the health of the area is waning.

Chris Tomlin of the Centre of Ecology & Hydrology in Lancaster said past studies have shown a "worrying decline" in the size of the fish, a trend that seems exclusive to Bassenthwaite.

"As pike are top of the fish food chain, they are a good indicator of the health of the lake and, if changes are taking place, it is essential we find out more," he remarked.

He urged anglers to get in touch and provide information about their catches, which helps to give scientists an accurate idea of what is happening under the surface of the lake.

Located north-west of Keswick, Bassenthwaite is the only official lake in the Lake District and is home to the Forestry Commission’s visitor centre, which features numerous walking trails on the eastern side of the water.

Posted by Andrew Hill

Tourism bosses in the Lake District are to help prepare the area for the anticipated arrival of people heading off for a stay in a Lake District holiday cottage.

Over the course of next weekend, directors from Cumbria Tourism will tidy up the A591 linking Kendal to Keswick ahead of the launch of British Tourism week on March 15th, the Westmorland Gazette reports.

Five bosses will join highways staff to spruce up the route, which is used by eight million tourists every year.

"It’s about making sure that we’re getting ready for a new tourism season and making sure our product, Cumbria, is in pristine condition," chief executive of Cumbria Tourism Ian Stephens remarked.

The stretch of road was crowned Britain’s Best Drive in a Garmin survey three years ago and Mr Stephens added that he is "looking forward" to helping make the road clean.

It is just one of many routes those heading to Kendal for a Lake District holiday can use, as it is also accessible from the south by the A65 and from the east via the A684, as well as from the M6 motorway.

Posted by Ben Webster

Cooperation between five different countries is set to help improve the quality of the Lake District.

The UK and Ireland Lakes Network – featuring water management specialists from England, Wales, Scotland, Eire and Northern Ireland – was formed last year and lakes manager in the Lake District John Pinder has said that the partnership will benefit the area.

"By creating this network we can make a real difference," he remarked, adding that the expanses of water are "honey-pots" for visitors, who often book Lake District holiday cottages to come and experience the area’s natural beauty.

Mr Pinder added that it is "more important than ever" to work on protecting lakes in the UK and Ireland, as climate change is expected to bring a number of changes to the environment.

One of the main attractions in the Lake District is Windermere, which, at ten-and-a-half miles in length and 219 ft in depth, is the largest lake in England.

Posted by Matt Smith

Visitors who fancy picking up a new skill while they are staying in a Lake District holiday cottage this month might want to consider signing up to a dry stone walling course being run by Bassenthwaite Reflections.

The body, which works to preserve and restore the woodland and surrounding environment in the Lakes, is running a two-day event that will see people learning how to repair some of the walls run throughout the area.

Due to take place on March 12th and 13th, the course – which is being paid for with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund – will be led by Forestry Commission ranger Paul Brown, who said that help from volunteers is "invaluable".

"Volunteers have a huge part to play in the future maintenance of a valuable part of the Lake District’s heritage. Walling brings back history, landscape, its culture and conservation," he remarked.

Last month, Bassenthwaite organised a tree-planing session in Masmill Forest at Whinlatter, which saw around 50 people turn up to help with the clearing and restoration of an area measuring 3.5 hectares.

Travellers staying in Lake District holiday cottages will benefit from new funding for a regeneration initiative to improve the national park.

The Environmental Land Management Service (Elms) has already provided £2.5 million to farm businesses in the area and will now provide the Lake District National Park Authority with funding throughout the next four years.

Work by Natural England and the National Trust has played a large part in securing the money, which will make "a huge difference to the countryside", according to Elms project co-ordinator, Sam Lumb.

He added: "[The scheme] is currently seeing 42 km of hedgerow planted and restored, along with 12 km of dry stone walling, 2,300 new trees, over 700 traditional gates and 35 farm buildings renovated."

The Lake District National Park is 2,292 sq km in size and is home to the largest natural lake in England – Windermere – which is 10.5 miles in length.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

Volunteers in the Lake District have helped restore an area of woodland in Whinlatter as part of a project organised by Bassenthwaite Reflections.

On Saturday (February 20th), around 50 people helped plant new trees to replace felled conifers in a 3.5 hectare site in Masmill Forest.

"It was fantastic that an amazing project, which has seen around 2,000 saplings planted, got the boost of a further 200 oaks at the weekend," remarked Rachel Graham of the body.

Those that came to help ranged from families to mountain bikers and Ms Graham praised those that pitched in, saying that the day was a "perfect example" of people "going the extra distance".

It is likely that Bassenthwaite Reflections will be organising similar events in the future, which could prove attractive to those who want to get their hands dirty on a Lake District holiday.

Bassenthwaite Reflections began delivering a newsletter to properties in the Lakes last month, highlighting current projects and focusing on a major new eco-tourism campaign.

Posted by Toby Lawrence