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Itinerary
Day 1
We depart by private executive coach from our designated pick up points and taking carefully selected comfort stops en route we visit the National Trust’s Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire. Begun in 1504 and completed 100 years later, Little Moreton Hall is regarded as the finest example of a timber-framed moated house in the country. We continue to the 3* Damson Dene Hotel at Crosthwaite for a four night stay on a half board basis.
Day 2
Holker Hall is our destination with our Blue Badge guide this morning. Home to the Cavendish family, this grand Victorian mansion is lavishly furnished, with marble fireplaces, splendid linenfold panelling, fine plasterwork and intricate carving. We then take a journey on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Steam Railway, taking us through the Levan Valley, one of the Lake District’s most beautiful valleys. Later this afternoon we enjoy a 45 minute one way cruise to Bowness-on- Windermere, affording us wonderful views of the Lake and its shores.
Day 3
Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. On arrival in Grasmere we visit Dove Cottage, William Wordsworth’s home from 1799 to 1808. Here Wordsworth wrote much of his poetry, and his sister Dorothy kept her famous journals. We continue to Rydal Mount. Dating back to the 16th century, Rydal Mount, in the heart of the English Lake District, lies between Ambleside and Grasmere and commands glorious views of Windermere, Rydal Water and the surrounding fells. This was William Wordsworth’s best loved family home for the greater part of his life from 1813 to his death in 1850 at the age of 80. You have free time for lunch in Ambleside or you may wish to visit the Armitt Museum which contains Beatrix Potter watercolours, portraits by Kurt Schwitters and paintings by six Victorian women who lived in the area, including the three Armitt sisters. We then visit Blackwell, one of England’s most important surviving houses from the turn of the 20th century. Designed by M.H. Baillie Scott, the house occupies a stunning position overlooking Windermere and is a fine example of Arts and Craft movement architecture.
Day 4
With our Blue Badge guide this morning we visit the Pencil Museum at Keswick. During our visit we discover the history of pencil manufacture over the last 350 years. We then spend some time at leisure for lunch at Kendal, the southern gateway to the Lake District. Granted its market charter in 1189 and built largely of grey stone earning it the nickname of 'the auld grey town', Kendal was the home of Catherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s wives. This afternoon we visit the National Trust’s Sizergh Castle and Gardens, a medieval house extended in Elizabethan times and surrounded by beautiful grounds.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel and en route home we visit we visit the National Trust’s Moseley Old Hall in Stafffordshire. Built around 1600, Charles II hid here after escaping the 1651 Battle of Worcester. Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route, we return back to our original pick up points.
NB Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons - final itinerary and travel documentation will be sent approximately 10 days prior to departure. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this holiday may not be suitable for those with mobility problems. Price based on twin share. Minimum numbers required. Normal booking conditions apply.
Featuring
Half board accommodation
All excursion travel & guided tours included
Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included
Train & boat tickets included
Blue Badge guide on Days 2 to 4
Executive coach throughout
Little Moreton Hall
Holker Hall
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Steam Railway
Cruise on Lake Windermere
Dove Cottage
Rydal Mount
Ambleside
Blackwell
Pencil Museum
Kendal
Sizergh Castle & Gardens
Moseley Old Hall
Hotel
We stay four nights on a half board basis at the 3* Damson Dene Hotel (www.damsondene.co.uk) at Crosthwaite. Located in a countryside setting, five miles from Bowness-on-Windermere, facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. All rooms are en suite and feature television, telephone, hairdryer, and tea & coffee making facilities.
Extras
Insurance (including Covid cover) £38
Single room supplement £159
Entrance fees to National Trust properties (free to NT members)
Gratuities
Lunches
Optional Excursions
All excursion travel & guided tours included
