• Alston
• Allonby And Aspatria
• Ambleside And Troutbeck
• Appleby In Westmoreland
• Askam In Furness
• Barrow In Furness
• Bassenthwaite
• Borrowdale
• Bowness On Windermere
• Brough
• Buttermere
• Brampton
• Broughton In Furness
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• Cartmel
• Cleator Moor
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• Dalton In Furness
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• Windermere
• Workington
• Spa Hotels In Windermere The Lake District
• Hotels With Hot Tubs In Windermere
• Hot Tub Hotels In Windermere And The Lake District
• Romantic Breaks In Windermere And The Lake District
• Themed Hotels In Windermere And The Lake District
• Weekend Breaks In Windermere
• Windermere Attractions And Boat Trips
• Boutique Hotels And Accommodation In Windermere And The Lake District
• Windermere In The Rain
• One Way Ticket To Windermere Por Favor
• Horse Riding In The Lake District
• Walks In The Lake District
• Windermere Boutique Hotel Bedrooms
• Holiday Accommodation Wanted In The Lake District

One way ticket to Windermere por favor

Having lived and worked in Spain´s Costa del Sol for the past 15 years, I still think of England as home, and Windermere in the Lake District holds some special memories.

I hail from Nottinghamshire, where I enjoyed growing up at my parent´s pub, The White Post, near the village of Farnsfield. Nottingham, in its halcyon days, before it became the ´burglary capital of England´ was a great place to grow up. Surrounded by the green fields and woodlands of ´Robin Hood Country´, I always had a taste for the countryside, and city living was not for me.

As teenagers, my brother Ian and I worked in the nearby Rose Gardens (back-breaking summer work) and later helped out at the local farm shops and stables around the village.

We spent regular holidays in Windermere in the Lake District, and like some latter-day Beatrix Potter, I would have quite happily packed my bags and moved to the lakes without a second thought. The Lake District is a magical place for children, and it´s easy to see how Beatrix Potter was inspired to write so many of her children´s books while living at Hill Top Farm near Hawkshead.

We used to stay at Bowness, and I always the remember Windermere being a hive of activity during the summer months, with boat trips, water sports and lakeside cafés attracting hundreds of visitors. The Beatrix Potter Attraction at Bowness is one of the most popular attractions in England, and 20% of all visitors are from Japan (All things Beatrix Potter are massive in Tokyo).

The great thing about Windermere is that you can still enjoy the lakes whatever the weather. If you are planning a family trip out of season, there are plenty of kid´s attractions and covered playgrounds to take them to, plus the fantastic Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole, which includes an adventure playground, exhibitions, a café and shop. The Lakes Aquarium at Bowness also teaches kids about conservation and allows them to get up close and personal with the fish in the touch pool.

Having a father who liked to walk, hike and climb everywhere (when he wasn´t sampling the local ales), we used to enjoy the rough and tumble of the Lakeland fells and enjoyed treks from the horse riding schools near Windermere. Kids weren´t allowed in pubs way back when (I´m showing my age now), so my brother and I used to sit in the car with a bottle of coke and a soggy straw while the folks enjoyed a tipple or twelve in the local pub. Ahhh those were the days!

Things have moved on a bit since then and the Lake District now boasts some of the best family-friendly country inns, boutique hotels, gastro pubs and restaurants in England. Last time we visited we stayed at The Aphrodites Lodge Hotel near Bowness, which is a themed boutique hotel with organic overtones. All the food is locally sourced and organic where possible, and the suites offer intrepid travellers every luxury, including four poster beds, private hot tubs and power showers to soothe your aching muscles after a day on the fens.

Although we had a car the last time we visited the lakes, we decided to explore Bowness on foot, and were spoilt for choice with some fantastic bars and pubs nearby. Check out the Angel Inn, the Hole in the Wall, The Royal Oak, the White House and the John Peel Inn, which offer real ales, a good choice of wine and food, and cosy interiors. Last year, we tried the High Cross Inn, the Famous Wild Boar Restaurant and the Jintana Thai Restaurant in Bowness and the food was superb in all of them.

There is something quintessentially ´English´ about the Lake District, which I never really understood until I moved to Spain. I have been smitten with Cumbria since I was a young girl, and my dad used to row us across Windermere in a vain attempt to reach the pub before closing time. Forty years on, I still can´t get enough of the place.

Boutique hotels and gastro pubs have now replaced creaking stairways and regimented meal times in draughty B&B´s (although they were great fun), and Bowness has its fair share of both. If you want to eat, drink and be merry in the Lake District, try Jericho´s in Windermere, which is now receiving the rave reviews it deserves for its superb food. If you fancy travelling a little further afield to Crosthwaite, near Kendal and experience the delights of the Michelin Guide 2009, Pub of the Year, the Punch Bowl. This excellent and modern gastro pub offers guests incredible food, international wines and local real ales.  If you go in winter, enjoy the cosy atmosphere and roaring log fires.

Windermere and Bowness may be busier than they once were, but they still retain a certain  charm which makes Cumbria one of the most unique places in the world, and keep travellers flocking back year after year. Living on the Costa del Sol has its plus points. The sun shines, the beach is ten minute´s walk from my door and the vino is cheap. But for me, nowhere in the world can compare with the Lake District.

I love England. There is nothing quite like spending a day out walking in Windermere, (even in the rain),  returning to a Bowness hotel with a private hot tub in the room, enjoying some superb local food and supping enough real ale to sink a Windermere steamer. A one way ticket to Windermere por favor!

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