Situated on the coast line of North West England is a large town called Barrow in Furness, the town looks over the bay towards England's famous holiday area Blackpool on one side and has the historical isle of Walney on the other. The town is only a short drive away from one of the most beautiful areas of the UK, the Lake District national park and because of this the town can often provide a useful base for tourists and travelers.
There are plenty of hotels in Barrow to choose from, the town also has a lot of guest houses and bed and breakfast accommodations each with their own individual characteristics, from the friendly relaxed atmosphere of Roosecote farm houses who serve massive breakfasts in the morning to the ultra modern Travelodge hotel facilities in the middle of the town. Some of the guesthouses are converted Victorian buildings, however they have still kept the classic style of the age and look extraordinary.
If you are looking for a guest house or hotel in Barrow then you will find that many of them are located on Abbey Road, this is the towns main road which can make it much easier to get out and explore the Furness area. One such famous area to explore in Barrow is the 700 year old ruins of a Cistercian monk's abbey known as Furness Abbey, at one time the Abbey was the UK's second grandest Abbey and it is a very popular attraction. Keeping on the same theme near this famous abbey you can find the Abbey hotel with its large gardens. Sitting in 14 acres of its own private woodland the hotel has many facilities and can be booked for virtually any occasion such as weddings or parties. On the other side of the town is Walney island a great place for kite surfing, the island also has some great bed and breakfast places to stay at. No matter where you decide to stay in the area you can be sure that the service will be good and the stay will be pleasant, most of the family run guesthouses have been in business for a long time so they know how to make people feel welcome.
Thankfully now many of the hotels in Barrow in Furness now have their own websites so you can have a good look around and pick on you like the most. This also makes booking your place to stay is much easier and whole break away from home run much more smoothly.
The Lake District's location is on the north west coast of England, coupled with its mountainous natural features, apart from making it the dampest part of England. The Lake District can also be bracing, and at certain times of the year very bad cloud and snow, close some of it down. Nature then gets its chance, to recouperate and make amends once again.
This is something you should be aware of when trekking out onto the fells and my recemendation is to take a light backpack stashed with a spare pair of socks, sugar loaded goodies, or sandwiches and of course a drink, preferabley water or a warm drink. Make sure you bring back your own rubbish as well! Mobile phones do not work well, so caution should be taken at all times.
However saying this, most people of all ages do have a wonderful time here and before you know it, its time to packup and go, so make the most of your time.
There are many places in the Lake District that a tourist can visit by car, but if you want to do some local, short walks without to much driving and miss out the tourist infested towns like Windemere for instance. Then a great place to walk to is Watendlath.
Watendlath is situated adjacent the Derwent Lake near Keswick. From here you can take a short drive up to the car parks, which are hidden amongst the trees and cliffs. Your first gasp will be of the view back across the Derwent Lake and across to the mountain range that includes Cat Bells and High Rise.
The walk from here is approxiamatly 2 to 3 miles at the most and can be made either via the road, but even better, across the national trust paths along the babbling riverbank to the farm tea shop and the wonderful views across the tarn, which sparkles in the midday sunlight.
In the height of summer this is simply a wonderful place to visit, and if you're feeling adventurous you could always take on the extra walk to Dock Tarn, which is about a mile away and hidden in the hills. Here you will find outstanding views and unbelievable peace and quiet. A great place to have picnic and just sit and watch the clouds go by, over the Borrowdale valley.
Seathwaite is my next little gem, why?, well for one it is situated in the wonderfull Borrowdale Valley and only a short distance away from most of the major towns. From here you can start your walk alongside the impressive mountain Glaramara. Follow the footpath right up to Sprinkling Tarn and look back across Keswick and the impresive mountain range that includes Skiddaw and Blencathra. Turn around again and you then see Great Gable, further up the track is Scafell Pike. Though I would not try this climb unless you have set out to do so, its steep and rocky and will take up most of your day to climb, however well worth the effort for its outstanding view across the sea to Scotland.
One of my very favourite walks starts from the tiny sleepy village of Mungrisdale, just south of the Carrack Fells, and slightly north east of Keswick. Depending on the direction your walk takes, it can be relativley easy to navigate to either Blencathra or up onto the Carrack Fells. The views back across the valley floor are nothing short of stunning, again wonderfull places to have picnics and on your return pop in to The Mill pub for a quick pint of Jennings before home.
This is just three examples of some of my favourite short walks that like me, many other people also return to as well. The Lake District National Park is stunning all year round and as each season passes onto the next, a lot of work is undertaken to keep it this way. So please support The National Trust by making a donation to them whenever you can.
Both Alistair Barrow & Mick Cox are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alistair Barrow has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pets, Bed and Breakfast and Web Development. If you are ever staying in the lakes check out this list of .. Alistair Barrow's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
Mick Cox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lake District. Written by Mick Cox. Mick Cox's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.