Chat – 25 July 2019

The Lake District

6 reasons

to visit...

ArmathwaiteHall

HotelandSpais

a relaxing retreat

Alpacasare

friendlyand

inquisitive

WORDS: TANYA RUSSELL. PHOTOS: GETTY

TRAVEL

SMART

Makesureyoupopinto

CranstonsCumbrian

Foodhallfortastypies

andaward-winning

Cumberland

sausages.

GET AWAY!

Knownforitspicturesquelakes,

forestsandmountains,it’s possibly

theUK’s mostlovedNationalPark

Ruralluxury

1

Needtounwind?Hopon

VirginTrainsfromLondon

Eustonand,injustoverthree

hours,you’llarriveinPenrith

station.Then,makea beeline

fortheheavenlyArmathwaite

HallHotel& Spa.Oneofthe

originalstatelyhomesof

England,setin 400 acres

ofdeerparkandwoodland,

framedbythecalmingwaters

ofBassenthwaiteLakeand

picturesqueSkiddawMountain

andLakeDistrictfells,it really

is a breath of fresh air.

47

OR TRY...

And,relax...

2

Ifthesceneryisn’tenough

tomeltawayanytension,a

55-minuteDriftAwaymassage

willdothetrick.Thisdeeply

relaxingmassagewithdreamy

essentialoilswillhaveyou

dozingoffwithinseconds.

Catchyourbreath

3

Booka privatePranayama

sessionwithRebecca

Shepherd.A YinandYang

Yogaspecialist,you’llbeblown

away to learn how energising

controlledbreathingcanbe.

Betterstill,you’llgettoput

yournewskillstothetestas

youtakea strolltothe lake.

Peckishalpacas

4

ThenearbyLakeDistrict

WildlifeParkis hometomore

than 100 speciesofwildand

domesticanimals.Thereyoucan

meeta curiousmobofmeerkats,

getupcloseandpersonalwith

theirlemurtroop,andfeed some

verypeckishalpacas.

Topnotchnosh

5

Fora morecasualdinner,

theCourtyardBarand

Brasserieservesupvery

generousportions.Steaks,

burgers,pizzas,salads–

they’vegotit all.Takingfull

advantageoflocalseasonal

produce,theLakeView

Restaurantis anessential,

gastronomicdelight.It’sdressy,

butworthmakingtheextra

effortforsuchfancyfood.

Cheekynightcap

6

Aftera toughdaydoing

verylittle,snuggleintothe

champagneboothatthehotel’s

chicbar.Sophisticatedand

sleek,it’llfeelslikeyou’reon

a filmset.And,makesureyou

enjoysomebubblesinthe

outdoorhottuboverlooking

the beautiful gardens.

DORSET

1

Onthe

southwest

ofEngland,

whynotenjoy

a picturesque

strollalong

thefossil-

strewnJurassicCoast,thentuck

intogreatseafood– tryWestBay

crab and Portlandseabass.

DURHAM

2

Setalonga

river,crammed

withcobbled

streets,and

steepedinhistory,

thiscityis a must

visit,especially

theUNESCOWorld

Heritagecathedral

andcastle.

PEAKDISTRICT

3

Youwon’tbeabletomovefor

panoramicviews,withwalking

andcyclingroutestoensureyoutake

themallin.ThePeak District also has

itsfairshare

oflakes,

including

theboating

lakeat

Carsington

Water.