Taking the plunge in Lake District

GO BRITAIN:Breathtaking natural beauty and awe-inspiring views – this is a paradise for those who love the outdoors, writes KEVIN COURTNEY

IT’S LIKE ANY typical morning at the Courtney household. The three-year-old wakes up at cockcrow and immediately sets up a repeat alarm-call of “Muuuummyy! Daaaaadddyyy!” The one-year-old starts calling for his bottle. Daddy stumbles bleary-eyed into the living-room, switches on the Peppa Pig DVD and puts the porridge oats on the stove while Mummy prepares the sandwiches for lunch later. Both carefully avoid stumbling over the two little boys racing their Lightning McQueen cars across the floor. It looks like it’s going to be another busy day.

Only difference is, when I open the blinds, I’m no longer looking out on our suburban cul-de-sac in Dublin – I’m looking at stunning views of mountains silhouetted by the rising sun, their peaks undulating in an unbroken semi-circle around Newlands Valley, in Cumbria’s Lake District.

Walkers tromp by outside with their rucksacks and walking poles, some on their way to climb nearby Catbells or circumnavigate Derwentwater, others stopping for a quick teacake at the village teashop across the road, or waiting at the bus-stop for the Honister Flyer to bring them to Seatoller, Buttermere or Honister Pass. I gaze out at this vision of pastoral peacefulness and think to myself, this self-catering lark isn’t too shabby at all – in fact, it feels like I actually live here.

My wife has always dreamed of making her home in the Lake District – if she could ever escape the rat race of Dublin life. She’s been in love with the lakes ever since she began visiting the region on weekends while living and working in London. She didn’t need to work hard to convert me to the joys of Lakelands. The stunning scenery, the breathtaking natural beauty, and the miles and miles of way-marked walks, each route revealing more hidden treasures and awe-inspiring views – it’s an outdoor lover’s paradise, if you’ve got the stamina to tramp up them thar hills.

ALAS, MOVING permanently to the Lake District isn’t quite a practical option at this time in our lives, so we just have to settle for making short visits every now and again. Back when it was just the two of us, we’d throw our walking gear into the car, take the ferry to Holyhead, drive up the M6 and arrive in Keswick in the North Lakes just in time to grab a dinner of Borrowdale trout and a pint of the local brew.

We’d book into a BB in the Newlands Valley – usually the Swinside Inn, a period guesthouse popular with walkers, run by a very nice couple named Jim and Joyce. It was basic but charming – its rooms gave great views of Causey Pike and the bar’s low-raftered ceiling has given me many a bump on the head.

One year we returned to learn that Jim had died of a heart attack; the next year we returned with our first child to find a new couple running the inn. We also realised that our BB days were numbered, and that eventually we’d have to think of other modes of accommodation for our growing family.

This year, our number now expanded to four, we bit the bullet and decided to do the self-catering thing, so we found a two-bedroom apartment in the quiet little hamlet of Portinscale, just a mile from the main town of Keswick and a stone’s throw from the scenic walk around Derwentwater. We reckoned it would be a good base from which to embark on our latest Lakeland adventure.

Harney Peak is a converted former Lakeland hotel, which has been refurbished and turned into self-catering apartments. Apartment 2 is on the ground floor – no stairs for little ones to fall down – and though it’s not quite the quaint country cottage with the rose garden, gingham curtains and Beatrix Potter pottery we might have envisioned, it more than surpasses expectations. It’s got a kitchen-living room with all appliances,including washer-dryer, dishwasher, TV and DVD, two tastefully decorated, cosy-looking bedrooms (with room to put the travel cot), and two bathrooms, one en suite. This is our home away from home for the next week – within an hour of moving in, we feel right at home.

This premises was a late bargain from Cumbrian Cottages at £430 (€488) a week, but we made an additional saving by waiting till three weeks before the date, when the price dropped by a further £60 (€68). The price includes your electricity and gas, and there are no hidden charges. Bedlinen is supplied, but you have to bring your own towels – and your own travel cot, if you want to avoid a £10 (€11.35) supplement.

Cottages and apartments in the Lake District are usually rented out on a weekly basis, with the changeover on Saturday, but many also do three-day deals, and you can also negotiate to stay an extra couple of days, if your place hasn’t already been booked. You need to leave the place clean and tidy when you leave, with the bedlinen turned down. There’s no need to spend all Friday scrubbing the baby food off the carpet – the company sends in the heavy duty cleaners to make the place ready for the next occupants.

The apartment looked so pristine when we arrived, I could have sworn we were the first people to ever have set foot there. I wondered how it would look after a week of two ebullient boys stomping around, but the apartment came out of it pretty well, considering. Okay, the one-year-old did drop the TV remote control into the washing-up basin, but we managed to dry it out in time to watch the royal wedding.

Anyone with small children will know how vital it is to have 24-hour access to a fridge, regular use of a washing machine, and a lifeline to the TV and DVD player when you need to keep them occupied. There are DVDs and CDs in the cabinet (we maxed out on Bridget Jones during our stay) and a couple of jigsaws and board games, but if you’ve got young kids, make sure to bring some of their favourite toys, games and DVDs so they don’t get bored.

Not that we’re planning to spend much time indoors. Outside beckons – the vast, rugged beauty of England’s largest national park, and the endless possibilities offered once you step out the door. And there is probably no better time to visit the Lakes than Easter. The weather is mild; the spring lambs are gambolling in the fields; the evenings are stretching out, giving you more time on the hills before dusk sets in; and everything is blossoming and blooming.

ON OUR FIRST couple of evenings, we drop into Portinscale’s local pub, the Farmers’ Arms, for a pint and a plate of locally-caught rainbow trout. We immediately recognise the pub’s proprietor, Ben – he’s the son of Jim and Joyce, who owned the Swinside Inn. Ben runs the Farmers’ Arms with his wife Sharon, and tells us he spends half his day at the pub, and the other half out on the lakes with their two small children. Now that’s what I call a work-life balance.

There’s an added expectation in the air this Easter, with the impending nuptials of a couple named Will and Kate. Union Jacks flap in the spring breeze, and local hotels and bars advertise dinner offers, musical entertainment and bouncy castles. In Keswick, the farmers’ market is in full swing under the gaze of the Moot Hall, and local musicians entertain the crowds in the afternoon sun. We’ve picked the right week – the weather is positively Mediterranean.

The sunshine isn’t the only pleasant surprise; our three-year-old turns out to be quite the mountain goat, skipping up Skiddaw in the blazing Easter Sunday heat without once asking to be carried by Daddy or Mummy. He’s certainly earned his Easter egg this year.

The Lake District where to...

Do it yourself

There is no shortage of self-catering accommodation in the Lake District, with several companies specialising in properties to suit all tastes and budgets. If you’re planning on doing a lot of hillwalking, head for the North Lakes, where you’ll find the greatest concentration of mountains, including Helvellyn, Great Gable and the Lake District’s highest peak, Scafell Pike. If leisurely tours around Beatrix Potter country is more your speed, head for the central lakes, around Lake Windermere and Ambleside, where you’ll find many places of historic interest, including Potter’s cottage (which, alas, is not included in the self-catering brochures).

Cumbrian Cottages

We went with this well-established company whose premises are inspected and graded every year by Visit Britain to a minimum of three stars. It has about 900 premises on offer, with plenty of special deals, late deals and off-peak offers.

cumbrian-cottages.co.uk

Lakes Cottage Holidays

Fancy a romantic tryst in a boathouse on Ullswater? Lakes Cottage Holidays can set you up in the Duke of Portland Boathouse on Pooley Bridge or the Boathouse at Knott’s End, each with its own private jetty jutting out to the lake.

lakescottageholidays.co.uk

Heart of the Lakes

The oldest cottage rental agency in the Lake District, this award-winning family-owned business promises personal services, and also offers free leisure club membership with all its properties.

heartofthelakes.co.uk

Discover Paradigm

It’s a strange name, but Paradigm is a farmhouse and haybarn on six acres of orchard, woodland and waterfall near Cockermouth, birthplace of William Wordsworth. It’s been renovated and converted into two luxury cottages, each sleeping up to four people. A welcome hamper with champers awaits you on arrival, and when you get back from your day’s fell walking, you can relax in the outdoor hot tub while your host, Jan, cooks up a gourmet dinner for you to serve later.

discoverparadigm.com