Lakeside Hotel, England's Lake District

WINDERMERE'S LAKESIDE HOTEL AND A STEAM TRAIN EXPERIENCE IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

If you’re spending a night or two at the Lakeside Hotel, a 17th century Victorian coaching inn and one of Windermere’s grand establishments, be sure to take a ride on the steam railway. Built in 1846 this railway is a popular stop-off point on a lake cruise between Windermere and Lakeside. Transporting steam enthusiasts between Lakeside and Haverthwaite, the old puffer trundles through rocky railway cuttings, under arched stone bridges and alongside forests where fields of bluebells stretch as far as the eye can see. Daffodils, in dense swathes of yellow grow beside the track. Clouds of smoke and soot stream past the windows and the low moan of the train’s whistle is a haunting reminder of the past. 



Lake Windermere, England's Lake District

 Lakeside is also home to the Great Knott Wood, an ancient forest where Silurian rock dating back 400 million years underpins a mingling of Norway spruce, larch, oak, sycamore, ash, Sitka spruce and alder entwined with beech and yew. Holly, hawthorn and rowan crowd the forest floor. In this tranquil woodland when all is still, a badger sighting is a very real possibility.

For entry into many of Britain's castles, stately homes, palaces, famous gardens and ancient sites don't forget to buy a Great British Heritage Pass.

Posted by Anne Gordon on Monday, 14th March

Photos copyright Anne Gordon