Walk & Discover: Lake District
Holiday Highlights
- Change your booking free up to 45 days before travel
- Covid Cancellation protection included as standard
- Happy by day two or we'll bring you home with a full refund
- Discover the National Trust owned Sizergh Castle and Gardens
- Take the Steam Yacht Gondola across Coniston
- Journey on the The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, one of the oldest and longest narrow-gauge railways in England
- Explore Muncaster Castle on a guided tour before a private group lunch
- Scenic drive to enjoy Windermere at your leisure
- Two included guided walks of Monk Coniston and Buttermere
What's Included
- The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room. Single rooms are subject to availability at the relevant supplement. The price includes:
- Four nights accommodation
- Daily breakfast
- All local accommodation taxes
- The services of a Riviera Travel tour manager
Itinerary
Day 1
Make your way to your well-appointed hotel in Kendal for around lunchtime, surrounded by the breathtaking views of the Cumbrian countryside, and make yourself at home. For those who drive, there is a free car park available for you to use. If you’d like us to arrange train travel or a private car, our helpful team will be happy to help. This afternoon, enjoy a visit to the National Trust owned Sizergh Castle and Gardens, built 750 years ago in the Middle Ages by the Strickland Family – and incredibly still their home today. A visit is literally like walking through history, from the Medieval great hall, to ornate Elizabethan panelling and then onto finely decorated rooms from the 18th Century. It’s also famous for the well-kept gardens, including the enchanting water pools, and rockeries, as well as the tranquil wildflower displays.
Day 2
This morning we head to Coniston Water, steeped in history and settled since Neolithic times. The village nestles in the lee of The Old Man of Coniston - likened by Wainwright to the position of the Zermatt and the Matterhorn and is surrounded by spectacular rugged crags and foaming waterfalls. It truly illustrates the turbulent geological complexities of a valley born of violent volcanic fire and sculpted, even as ‘recently’ as 10,000 years ago, by unimaginable depths of ice. We arrive at the lake and take the beautifully restored Steam Yacht Gondola, and cruise across Coniston like the Victorians did before us. Enjoy a guided commentary from the captain of the yacht, who will tell us about the history of the lake and what we can see. Look out for Brantwood John Ruskin’s home on the shores of the lake, a visionary thinker and pioneering conservationist, who foresaw the ‘green-house effect’ more than a century ago. Ruskin also inspired the establishment of The National Trust, and the founders of the National Parks movement. We can also spot Arthur Ransome’s cottage - he used Coniston as the setting for his every popular children’s book series Swallows and Amazons, which since published in 1930 has been made into numerous series and films. Most people will of course associate the lake with Donald Campbells water Speed record attempt, which ended in tragedy. He reached speed of over 300 mph on his craft “Bluebird”. Today we are joined by a local walking expert for our first insightful walk of the tour. We disembark at Monks Coniston, walking through Lake District farm and woodland, as well as the walled garden and tree collection of Monk Coniston Hall. The estate was bought by Beatrix Potter as she loved it so much and was bequeathed to the National Trust on her death so it could be protected for all to enjoy. We continue onto to Tarn Howes, the views are some of the best in Lakeland, before tasking the Steam Yacht back to Coniston. There will be some free time to explore the pretty village itself, or to visit the Ruskin Museum to find out more about Coniston, Ruskin and Donald Campbell. Monk Coniston and Tarn Hows Walk Your journey begins with the calming surroundings of broadleaf and coniferous woodland, just a stone’s throw from the Monk Coniston walled gardens. You’ll be sure to spy lots of fascinating wildlife as some of the most gorgeous views of Coniston Water come into sight. Look out for distinctive Herdwick sheep, rose deer and hares. You might even spot a red squirrel or two – an endangered species who have made this stunning landscape their home. Moderate walk - Duration: 3 hours / Distance: 3.5 miles / Terrain: forestry tracks and paths with benches along the way
4* Stonecross Manor Hotel - Kendal
A boutique style hotel based in Kendal. Originally builtin 1857, the small hotel has a traditional feel which has been wonderfully restored with all the modern comforts. As well as free parking, a restaurant and bar, there are leisure facilities and a newly refurbished heated pool.