Spending Christmas in one of our luxury holiday cottages in the Lake District is the perfect opportunity to explore and enjoy some fantastic experiences in Cumbria. There are markets, fairs and Santas galore in the Lakes this Christmas, so we’ve compiled a list of all the best experiences to make sure that you aren’t going to miss a thing.
Your standard Santa’s grotto will pale in comparison to this magnificent experience, so give your children a Christmas experience that they’ll remember for years to come with a Christmas Tea in the magnificent Muncaster Castle.
Included in your ticket for the Christmas Tea is entry to Muncaster’s Gardens and Hawk and Owl Centre. The tickets cost £34.50 with discounts for children and friends of Muncaster, but adults can expect a welcoming mulled wine or hot spiced apple during their dinner, inside a festively decorated state room.
The final date for this event is Sunday 22nd December, so book soon to secure your seat at the table.
For those who struggle with travel sickness, the Santa Express might not be the best way to celebrate Christmas feelings. The various Christmas markets may, on the other hand, be your idea of the perfect holiday adventure.
There are plenty of Christmas markets going on across the Lake District and they’re all filled with brilliant illumination and unique stalls. If you get travel sick and aren’t keen on the idea of getting on the Santa Express, you can visit the Windermere Christmas Celebration which has a Santa’s grotto. You’ll be sure to have a white Christmas when you visit Windermere, because they are also hosting snow canons. Alternatively, you could visit Hawkshead which promises children’s rides, and last year featured the ‘Best Xmas Jumper Competition’. The best thing about working Christmas markets into your Christmas activity schedule is that your dogs will be able to explore the market with you. We offer dog-friendly cottages in the Lake District so that you can travel with your entire family.
Here’s a list of some of this year’s local Christmas markets:
National Trust Christmas Shopping at Sizergh (Until Sun 22nd Dec 2019)
Cartmel Christmas Food Market (Fri 20th Dec 2019)
And of course, plenty of individual and unique shops across the Lake District will be stocking limited edition Christmas goodies to add to any hampers you’re still putting together.
Make the most of these Christmas markets by looking for some famous Cartmel sticky toffee pudding or get some proper Lancashire cheese if you prefer savoury treats. Alternatively, since Christmas is a time for indulgence, why not get both sweet and savoury if you’re struggling to decide between the two? We have plenty of luxury holiday cottages in the Lake District so you can enjoy these Christmas markets to their fullest.
Hayes Garden World has brought spectacular Christmas experiences year after year, and our expectations are certainly raised for how they might impress us this year. Typically filled with lights, Santas, reindeer and high-quality gifts so you can finish your present buying at the same time.
If you want your child to meet Santa at the Winter Wonderland, you can book spaces in advance online. Ticket prices include a visit to Santa, activities that will keep your kids very busy, a present, a souvenir picture and a book to take home (per family). This event runs most weekends in November, and throughout December until the 23rd.
Enjoy the wintry outdoors from the warmth and comfort of one of our cottage hot tubs - the perfect addition to group stays that is perfectly complimented by a glass of prosecco. Many of our cottages with hot tubs also sleep 8 or more, so get your friends together and book a wintry stay with us soon.
Whether you are enjoying the Christmas magic at one of the Lake District’s many markets, climbing aboard the Santa express with your gleeful children or lying back in our of luxury hot tubs, Mill House have a range of relaxing luxury self catering holiday cottages for you to choose for your stay. Visit our family friendly cottages, or treat your friends to a group holiday never to forget in our large group accommodation. The possibilities are endless at Mill House Cottages.
This is the ultimate list of books that you’ll be wanting to take on your Lake District holiday. We’ve catalogued everything, from bus maps to guidebooks to page-turning fiction. These are the titles you should take with you for your star at one of our self-catering holiday cottages.
The Boat House
For your trip to the Lake District, there are a few books and guides that might seem quite boring but having them with you will allow you to maximise your efficiency and make the most of your time on holiday.
For example, if you think that there might be some occasions where you would prefer to park and ride through the Lakes, then having a Lakes’ bus guide to hand will ensure that you are always on time for your next bus. Being prepared gives you the freedom to change your plans easily, too, so it’s well worth putting a little extra time into making sure that you have all the materials you need to make your holiday a success.
Here are some of our recommendations for making a great holiday in the Lake District:
Now that we’ve got the admin out of the way, we can talk about the fun literature that is set in your holiday destination. Now, Gawain and the Green Knight isn’t set purely in the Lake District, but it’s thought that his journey takes him through Ingleton and Keswick. The tale of Gawain and the Green Knight isn’t the only tale of the round table that venture into the North West of England, either, as it’s thought that Mordred grew to become King of Carlisle.
Alfred Wainwright was fascinated with the Lake District, and this is what drove him to walk, draw, and document, the best of it. His seven-volume Pictoral Guide to the Lakeland Fells serves as a testament to the love that people feel for this place.
If you’re interested in sharing in Alfred’s love for the Lake District, we recommend that you purchase an updated version of his walking guides or read one of our many blogs on his favourite walks. Walking routes change over time, this can be due to natural disaster or human intervention, but whatever the reason might be, you need to be sure that you aren’t going to be led into a dangerous region by using an outdated guide.
Here are some of our blogs based on some of the Wainwright walks:
4 Autumn Colour Walks in the Lake District
If the thought of reading a medieval text doesn’t thrill you, and non-fiction isn’t exactly your idea of a holiday book, then you should consider ordering Haweswater by Sarah Hall as your read for the holiday instead.
Haweswater is the story of a drowned village in the Lake District. The real Haweswater was purposely flooded in the 1930s, and the ruins of it can still be seen today during droughts – when the water pulls back and reveals the outline of age-old pubs. Sarah Hall’s novel is prosaic and tells the tragedy of Haweswater, the loss of a peaceful community to the whims of a far-away council.
This is the perfect novel for those who like a good scare during their free time. Set in the Lake District, this book is a psychological suspense thriller with history, heritage and plenty of fictional crimes. This book engages with the Romantic literature surrounding the Lake District from Wordsworth and his contemporaries, all whilst crafting a brilliant thriller and mystery.
It’s a page turner that will have you planning a café-crawl just to give yourself more reading time during your holiday in one of our 5-star holiday cottages near the Lake District.
The Boat House - Inside
Our luxury holiday cottages Lake District are the perfect place to engage in a writer’s retreat or a relaxing reading weekend. They’re also a great place to explore the Lake District from, and when you’re tired, they offer privacy and comfort to retire to at the end of the day. Make your 2020 a year to look forward to by booking a stay with us.
