CityLife

10 things to do in the Lakes this autumn

Coniston

FEW places deliver the autumn of our imaginations like the Lake District.

This is the place to go for leaf-strewn woodlands, orange brackened fell-sides, morning mists over the lakes and the first whiffs of woodsmoke. It’s also perfect for a weekend getaway or longer with the October half-term in mind. Here Cumbria Tourism offers ten top tips to get into the autumn spirit…

1 Season of hot broths

Pumpkin soup is just one of the seasonal specialities on offer in a series of cookery courses run in the cosy kitchens of High Chapel House – a stylish B&B built in 1854. The master classes are run by Yelly de Jong; a cookery teacher of Dutch descent who shares her culinary secrets by teaching City and Guilds cookery at the local grammar school. High Chapel House is set in half-an-acre of grounds with views of the muscular Howgill fells and a playground for native red squirrels. The only noise from traffic you’re likely to hear is the local tractor….

http://www.highchapelhouse.com/welcome-high-chapel-house  

2 An apple a day

Like all good Castles, ivy-clad Sizergh Castle on the outskirts of Kendal, comes complete with creaky staircases, portrait-lined walls, a resident ghost, and a lush estate to explore. During autumn, the ivy covering the 14th century Pele tower turns a blood red and there’s always a patchwork quilt of bright yellow fallen leaves to negotiate on the paths.

Take a seat beside the expansive pond and see if you can hear the screaming ghost… The story goes that in medieval times a husband locked his wife in the castle and then fled…starving her to death in the process. There’s no such danger for visitors who are catered for with an onsite café.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk  

 3 Another brick in the fall

Some of the Lake District ’s biggest slopes are lined with gravity-defying dry-stone walls – many of which have held fast for over 700 years without a spread of mortar required. Coniston landscaper Andrew Loudon is keeping this ancient art alive and offers a series of courses to learn the secrets of this historic network of walls which span over 3,000 miles in the Lake District alone.

See http://www.drystone-walling.co.uk/courses.htm

If making walls isn’t your thing, visit one they made earlier - Hadrian’s Wall, the 73-mile long fortification built around AD 122 is one of Britain ’s most visual examples of what the Romans did for us. Check out Birdoswald Roman Fort which offers one of the best stretches of the wall and a switched-on visitor centre detailing all you need to know.

http://www.hadrianswallcountry.org/wall.asp?id=42  

4 An autumn stroll

The famous Lake District guides author Alfred Wainwright tramped up and down over 214 fells to get material for his books – taking on ice age mammoths like Scafell, Great Gable and Skiddaw.

One of the fells overlooked by the peak-baggers is Holme Fell near Coniston. It’s a tiddler at just over 1,000ft, it won’t take you all day to walk but the views of Coniston Water and Langdale Pike in all their autumn glory will take your breath away.

What’s more there’s a reservoir to explore and a top-notch walker’s tea-room down the road at Yew Tree Farm.

http://www.stridingedge.net/Walks/2007/04.%20April/04.04.07.htm  

5 Roaring Fire

Don’t expect Lattes and Frappucinos at the Sticklebarn Tavern in Great Langdale as it’s positively no frills throughout and all the better for it.

This is a dense-walled, oak-beamed shelter from the elements where hardy hillwalkers resuscitate frozen hands at the blazing bonfire crackling in the enormous range.

To get to the bar requires an uphill walk – built as it is on a pronounced slope but a couple of pints of Lakeland ale easily restores the equilibrium. As proof of its “take-us-as-you-find-us,” credentials, it doesn’t have a website but there’s more at http://www.langdaleweb.co.uk/sticklebarn.html    

6 Do the Monkey Gibbon

Whinlatter Forest near Keswick has become the latest place to add the Go Ape high wire adventure experience to its offer and it’s also the tallest course in the country making for a real high altitude experience. See the receding treetops like never before by negotiating a series of rope bridges, zipwires, tunnels and assault courses tens of feet off the forest floor.

As well as Go Ape, Whinlatter Forest is also one of the Forestry Commission’s best mountain biking centres and plans to unveil the longest mountain bike trail in the country – a 19 km epic for families and hardcore downhiller.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk    

7 Get steamy on a train

Enjoy train travel the way it should be with the hiss of steam and an engine fed by fire aboard a piston-pumping locomotive. The highest narrow gauge railway in England starts its journey at the terminus at Alston on the outer north eastern reaches of Cumbria.

Cutting through the South Tyne Valley, enjoy a snack from the onboard buffet cart as you steam across towering viaducts and the vast moorland landscape of the North Pennines.

http://www.strps.org.uk/    

8 Ghost sitting

Muncaster Castle is reputedly one of the most haunted buildings in the UK and special scientists have been researching the "ghosts" of Muncaster since 1992.

The Muncaster Ghost Sit allows up to six people to stay overnight in the notorious Tapestry Room and includes a private tour of the castle with briefings on Muncaster’s legends and ghostly residents, coffee (so you don’t fall asleep and miss anything) and a full English breakfast!

http://www.muncaster.co.uk    

9 Kendal Mountain Film Festival

This is one of the world’s most prestigious mountain festivals and attracts top adventurers, climbers, writers, film-makers and film premieres from around the world.

This November’s event promises to be special and offers a diverse programme of films, documentaries, presentations, lectures and debates on all topics of interest to people passionate about the outdoors, mountain communities, the natural environment and adventure sports. It takes place between November 20-23.

http://www.mountainfilm.co.uk    

10: Frolic in A Forest

For a forest experience with a hint of luxury, try the Whinfell Forest holiday village operated by Center Parcs on the outskirts of Penrith. Set in real woodland, there’s too much to do – cycling with the family, paintballing, falconry and archery to tenpin bowling and a Sub-Tropical swimming paradise complete with rapids.

To relax there’s an extensive range of spa treatments and sauna experiences for the lady or ladies in your life.

http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/villages/whinfell/index.jsp    

For more information visit www.golakes.co.ukor call the Cumbria Accommodation Booking Service on 0845 450 1199.