Winster Valley

Town End holiday cottage is situated within the Lake District National Park, in the Winster Valley, a relatively unknown and unspoilt area with many winding country roads, terrific scenery and great pubs and restaurants.
 

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Arthur Ransome moved to the Winster Valley in 1925 where he wrote Swallows and Amazons. Wordsworth is also known to have roamed this, his favourite walking area.

The Winster and Lyth valleys are known as Damson country. On one of his visits to the valley, Wainwright wrote "... small communities of great charm. The farms are the fruit gardens of Westmorland every one having an orchard of damsons that endow them with a garland of snowy blossom in the springtime." The variety grown is  the Westmorland damson which makes great jams and damson gin.

Lake Windermere

The Winster Valley is minutes from Lake Windermere just over Gummer's How (a short walk to an outstanding viewpoint).  

At eleven miles long, Lake Windermere is the largest lake in England and was formed during the last ice age by glaciers. Scheduled cruises operate on the lake and Bowness-on-Windermere is a short drive from Town End.

It was around Windermere that Beatrix Potter was inspired to write stories about Peter Rabbit.

Wildlife

The area has is a great place for those interested in wildlife. Town End is visited by vast array of birds (including nuthatches, buzzards, and woodpeckers). House martins and bats nest in all of the barns. The farm  is within a designated Environmentally Sensitive Area and badgers, roe deer, foxes, and hares can all be regularly seen.

Place to eat and drink

There are three Michelin starred restaurants within easy reach, one in nearby Cartmel village and two near Windermere.  And there's a fourth on Ulswater which isn't too far away.

Within a short drive of Town End are several pubs offering good food and beer including The Mason's Arms at Strawberry Bank, The Hare & Hounds at Bowland Bridge and the two Punch Bowl Inns at Crosthwaite and Underbarrow. The Hare & Hounds is the closest and is about a mile away.

Cumbria is well known for quality local produce (including Kendal mint cake and Cumberland sausage!).  There are many local food fairs, farmers markets (Orton, Kendal, Ulverston) and farm shops.

Things to do and see

The Tourist Information centre at Kendal has lots of information and ideas for things to do, or you can look at our useful links page

Fell Foot Park is situated beside Lake Windermere. Owned by the National Trust, it is a Victorian park with landscaped lawns, rhododendron gardens, picnic areas and rowing boats for hire.

Sizergh castle and garden was originally built in the Middle Ages by the Strickland family whose collections still occupy  the residence. There is also an award winning farm shop, tea room and farm trails.

Townend is a solid stone and slate house mainly from the 17th century  and an example of Lake District vernacular architecture.

Blackwell is a significant example of an Arts and Crafts mansion which is one and a half miles south of Bowness (just off the road to Town End). It is open to the public and has a tea room and craft shop.

There's a footpath up Gummer's How - a fell which peers over Lake Windermere and provides stunning views.

The Lake Cruises operate from Bowness connecting to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Steam Railway, the Fell Foot Country Park, the Visitor Centre at Brockhole and Ambleside.

Holker Hall was originally built at the beginning of the 16th century. The red sandstone wing was built after a fire in 1871. The garden, where rare and exotic plants can be found, can be dated back to the 1750s.

The Lake District Visitor Centre at Brockhole is a late Victorian mansion set in landscaped grounds on the side of lake Windermere. There is a book shop and cafe, and the centre hosts guided walks, childrens' activities, exhibitions, and natural history and geological displays.

The Lakeland Motor Museum houses over 30,000 exhibits, including a Donald Campbell exhibition with a life-size replica of Bluebird.

At Cartmel Racecourses National Hunt Racing attracts some of the best horses and racing in the country.

Levens Hall is a Elizabethan mansion south of Windermere and Kendal. It was built around a 13th century pele tower and is surrounded by topiary gardens.

For more information see www.golakes.co.uk, National Trust and The Rough Guide to the Lake District.