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Demand for groups wanting to stay in the Lake District  is ever increasing so I decided it was time to book a break for a couple of nights at the 4* Castle Inn Hotel in Bassenthwaite for a family getaway with my wife, Nadia, and family, to find out more about why the Lakes is so popular for our groups and to check out hotels.

Classic Britain partners with a number of lake District hotels, the main ones being Damson Dene, Windermere Hydro, Newby Bridge & Shap Wells 

I have been to the Lake District a number of times when I was young, however I have not been recently and wanted Nadia and Harry to experience some of the great things to do. My planning started with some research online and on our private Facebook Group to find out the best things to do whilst there – baring in mind we only had Saturday and Sunday to explore.

As you may know, the Lakes are full of top visitor attractions as well as plenty of walking and outdoor activities – you could really spend a week here and still not see everything! After creating a few lists of the top things to do (keeping Harry in mind – so no wake boarding or canoeing for me unfortunately). I created an itinerary (yes, I actually created an itinerary on my iPhone – much to the amusement of Nadia) which included a rail journey, aquarium, Beatrix Potter World and a wildlife park.

Friday

Due to work and college commitments we were not able to set off until around 5pm, however the journey from the Glasgow area to Bassenthwaite (in north Lake District) is a fairly easy and quick route. We arrived at the hotel for about 6.45pm.

The hotel is situated on its own about a mile outside the village of Bassenthwaite, sitting on the main road with views in the distance of Bassenthwaite Lake.

We managed to find a parking space easily and the signs took us to reception where check-in was prompt and all information about dining, the leisure and the room were given to us. We were also asked for a pre-authorisation on my card with an agreed additional £100 for any extra items we charged to the room – like food and drinks.

The receptionist advised us that the restaurant was closed for a function, however meals were being served in the bar area. We were all very hungry by this point and we were advised we would not need to book a table and just head to the bar when we were ready. I would however always advise pre-booking a table for dinner, no matter where you are staying.

The hotel is spread out and is quite a maze, however there are plenty of signs to lead you in the right direction. We were allocated room 21 which was a large family room on the first floor at the front of the hotel.

The room was a little old fashioned for my liking however it was spotlessly clean and probably one of the largest hotel rooms I have stayed in, with a double bed, single bed and space for a cot. Plus two windows looking out over the lake and hills – amazing views! The room also had 2 bottles of water, snacks and tea/coffee making facilities.

We quickly got unpacked and went down to the Tavern Bar to get a bite to eat. The area was quite busy however we managed to get a seat next to the bar which was great. The menu was more than adequate and featured everything you would expect – from steak to burgers and fajitas, steak pie, scampi and more.

We ordered our food and drinks at the bar. I went for the fish and chips, Nadia had the pulled pork burger and Harry the children’s sausage and mash. The portions were massive and just what we needed! I would also highly recommend the local beer they have on tap – “Tirril” from the Lakeland Brewery – which is not far from the hotel in Appleby – very quenching!

The hotel also allow dogs in the bar area where there is no carpet. We spoke to a couple who had a dog with them at dinner and they had stayed at the hotel for a couple of nights already. They highly recommended the hotel for dogs and plenty walks in the area.

After dinner we headed back up to the room to get an early night – in preparation for a busy day ahead!

Saturday

We managed to wake early (Harry usually takes care of this) and we were down for breakfast at 8.30am. As you would expect there was a large selection of cold items available from breads to fruits and cereals. Hot breakfast was cooked to order with a nice selection of anything from a full Cumbrian to Eggs Benedict or scrambled eggs on toast – so something for everyone.

If you have read any of my previous blogs then you will know how much I love a full cooked hotel breakfast – however I surprised myself by ordering the Eggs Benedict instead! This tasted great and meant I wasn’t too full. Nadia had scrambled eggs and harry had boiled eggs with toasted soldiers (he loves his eggs).

The weather was not great, however we had prepared for this and we have always felt you cannot let the weather get in the way!

First stop on our day of activities was to venture all the way to the south Lakes and to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway (which took just over an hour) – where we had booked tickets on the steam train!

Harry is obsessed with trains and to see his face when he saw “Thomas” was worth it (the steam engine was blue so he was convinced this was real life Thomas the Tank Engine).

The rail journey takes just over 15 minutes and leaves from Haverthwaite station to Lakeside – which is located at the very southern tip of Lake Windermere. We decided to just do the return rail journey, however you can then take the cruise from Lakeside round Lake Windermere which takes a couple of hours. You can see full details with timetables and information on their website.

The ticket you get means you can return on any train throughout the day. This meant we could spend some time at Lakeside, which features a cafe (with a Starbucks), an aquarium and a hotel. With an hour to spare we took Harry in to the aquarium which featured a wide range of sea and lake life. I would say this is more suited however to older children, but we still had an enjoyable time.

The views from Lakeside Station were unbelievable – even on a wet and windy day. We then went to the cafe for a coffee and some cake & ice-cream (I was also suckered in to buying some Thomas the The Tank Engine toys – the cafe had lots along with various Peter Rabbit toys) before taking the return journey back to Haverthwaite on the train.

Next on the agenda was taking the 15-minute drive back north to Bowness-on-Windermere. It was approaching 1.30pm so it was time for lunch. One of our members advised we should go to The Albert for lunch which is a traditional type pub located in the centre of town. After finding a parking space at The Hydro Hotel, we took the short walk down through the very busy streets.

We had called the Albert to book a table however they did not take reservations, on arrival it was extremely busy. The town as a whole was still very busy with tourists – which surprised me considering it is the very end of the season. We managed to find a table upstairs and orders were taken at the bar (where Harry liked to spend his time – not sure where he gets that from). On ordering we were advised there was a 50 minute wait – which was not ideal however we thought most other places would be like this so we decided to stay.

I went for the bacon and brie ciabatta, Nadia the nachos and Harry the chicken nuggets. True to their word the food arrived about 50 minutes later. Mine was delicious, however Nadias nachos were dry as were Harry’s chicken nuggets. This did not prevent us from finishing most of it though as we were ravenous by this point!

Next up was the moment we had all been waiting for – a visit to The World of Beatrix Potter, which was located about a two minute walk from The Albert.

Harry, thankfully, seems to have lost interest in CBeebies shows such as “Mr Tumble” and “In the Night Garden”, his new favourite is Peter Rabbit – so we could not pass on the opportunity to take a visit.

The visitor centre was quite busy however we managed to get in quickly. The experience starts with a short film then you take yourself round the exhibition including the garden and a chance for some photos. I think the excitement was all too much for Harry as he pretty much ran round the place, not leaving much time to take it all in!

As with most of these things, they have a gift shop at the end of the tour – which is where you should be prepared to part with some hard earned cash – especially if you have children. We purchased a few different toys (part of his Christmas gifts) and a couple of pics which we had taken – we couldn’t not get some souvenirs.

We left here at about 4pm and decided to take the journey back to the hotel which was going to take about an hour.

The hotel has full leisure facilities including steam room and sauna – so Nadia had some much needed peace and quiet in the room while I took Harry for a swim. The pool is massive and was very quiet at this time, which was perfect as Harry likes to do a lot of jumping in!

On returning to the room, we made the decision to phone in room service instead of heading to the bar again for dinner – the best decision we had made yet! We ordered the pate, soup, melon and steak pie for us all to share, which was all very nice and relaxing in our room.

It was then an early night for us all.

Sunday

Today was going to be a much more relaxing affair, not making breakfast until after 10am this time! As it was Sunday I went for the full Cumbrian breakfast (with my usual poached egg) which was delicious.

About a mile or so from the hotel is the Lake District Wildlife Park, so after we checked out for 11am we took a drive down. We were very surprised how vast this was and featured a wide range of animals from golden eagles to monkey’s, zebras and donkeys and everything in between.

The weather was much kinder to us so we could enjoy a leisurely stroll round the park. Although Harry seemed to be more interested in the electric cars you could drive – typical boy.

I would highly recommend this park for anyone with an interest in animals or if you have kids.

After spending two hours here we decided it was time to head back home.

Overall, our stay in the Lakes was fantastic, albeit it went in far too quickly. As I mentioned previously you could easily spend a week in the area and still not tick everything off your list. Whether you are young or old there is something for everyone. The area is also very popular for walkers and if we had more time we would like to have done one of the forest walks near the hotel.

Planmygroup with Classic Britain has dates on allocation is 4 Lake District Hotels throughout the year, and you might be interested in our LAKELAND GLORY Package

It was that time of year again – when my wife’s birthday and our wedding anniversary fall within three days of each other – who’s idea was that? As a joint celebration I decided we should get away for the night, however didn’t want to travel too far from home as we decided to take Harry (our two year old son) with us.

Although I have visited the New Lanark Mill Hotel in the past, I have never stayed and thought it would be good to experience it for myself. It is a very popular hotel with our regular guests and reviews are consistently high – averaging at 94%!

The journey from the Glasgow area takes you down the Clyde Valley tourist route through part of Lanark then down in to New Lanark. The hotel is only about 50 minutes from Glasgow, 1 hour from Edinburgh and 1 hour 25 mins from Carlisle – so a really nice option whether travelling from the north or the south.

The hotel is located within the New Lanark World Heritage Site and was originally an 18th century cotton mill which has kept many original features. Some refurbishment work is being carried out with many of the public areas now complete and the bedrooms ongoing – making it a top-end 3-star hotel.

On arrival in to New Lanark, you take the winding road down in to the valley where you approach the very distinctive brick buildings and the hotel is clearly signposted. Being a Saturday night we were anticipating the hotel to be busy however we managed to find a parking space around the side of the hotel with ease.

When we entered it was obvious there was a wedding taking place – however this did not bother us. Check-in was very quick and straightforward (even though it was 3pm) where the receptionist gave us all the information we required including booking our dinner for 8pm (yes, I should know better and booked this before arrival) and providing us with our tickets for the visitor centre (which was included in our deal). Also worth a note that the pool area is open from 7am until 7pm, however children are only allowed between 10am and 5pm – which was fine for us.

All the rooms are located on floors three to six, the restaurant and function suites are located on on the first and second floors and the reception, lounge and leisure are on the ground floor. The receptionist advised us that our room was located in the second building (do not worry the buildings are connected so no need to go back outside) away from the wedding so would not be affected by the noise – which i thought was very good of them.

We were allocated room 29 (a newly refurbished Executive Twin Room) which is located on the the top floor (6th). The lift next to reception takes you to all floors and rooms – which we duly took as no way were we attempting six flights of stairs with enough bags for four nights away and a toddler to contend with. There is another lift in the hotel near the leisure facilities and is handy if you are located in the other building.

On entering we were amazed by the size of the room with two double beds, large bathroom with shower over bath, desk with flat screen TV and the best part – two windows looking out over the River Clyde at the rear of the hotel – well worth the extra £15 per night.

We quickly got unpacked and went straight to the bar for a late lunch and a few drinks – as we had not eaten since breakfast. We were approached by the waiter who supplied us with menus and took our drinks order. The lunch menu in the bar was ideal for a snack – sandwiches, paninis, soup etc. The kids menu was also adequate with macaroni cheese, chicken, etc. I ordered the BLT, my wife got a tuna sandwich and Harry the mac’n’cheese. The food was decent and drinks very reasonably priced – all lunch items were around the £5 mark, a pint of Amstel £3.80 and a mini bottle of Prosecco £6.95.

By the time we had finished it was nearly 5pm, so we decided to take a wander around the village. It was quiet at this time which was great so gave us some time to find out where everything was – we met a lovely couple and their dog who could do all sorts of tricks – which Harry loved. We also took a walk up to the start of the Clyde Valley Woodlands walk, however it was too late to go any further and decided we would tackle this the next day.

We got back to the hotel for around 6.15pm and went back to the room to chill before dinner at 8pm.

Our deal included a 3-course evening meal from the very extensive menu in Mill One Restaurant – one of the best varieties I have seen in a hotel or restaurant. I opted to go for the Salmon and Crab croquettes to start and (as usual) the steak for main course. Both courses were delicious – the rib-eye steak was very tasty and cooked to perfection – well worth the £7 supplement (this is the only item on the menu that has a supplement). Nadia also had the steak which she enjoyed. Harry had fruit salad and steak pie – which was enough for an adult – however I duly helped him out with that (the perks of being a parent)! All of this was washed down with a couple of glasses of the house red wine, all-in-all a very lovely meal. We were finished our main course for about 9.30 so we decided to ask the waitress if we could order dessert and take it to our room so we could get Harry to bed. This was not a problem and they even said they would get someone to deliver it to our room – very impressed.

About 10 minutes later there was a chap at the door where one of the waitresses had our desserts. So we got to enjoy our Salted Caramel, Peanut and Chocolate Delice in bed! As the room consisted of two double beds, which were quite high, we were not comfortable with Harry sleeping on his own for the fear of him rolling out – so we made him choose who he would like to sleep beside – and he chose is mum! So it was a nice romantic getaway for us both!

I had a very peaceful sleep (listening to the constant roar of the river outside) – although I am not sure the same can be said for Nadia, sharing with our son who likes to do acrobatics in his sleep! We got up and went down for breakfast at about 9.30am.

We were seated right away, tea and coffee order was taken and advised that we could help ourselves to the continental breakfast (cheese, croissants, bread, juice, cereals etc) and someone would be over shortly to take our hot food order. Although I do love a full buffet breakfast in a hotel – it is quite nice ordering what you like so I do not end up eating 25 sausages and 15 pieces of bacon and being in a food coma the rest of the morning. I went for the full Scottish breakfast, Nadia had the eggs Benedict and Harry had a selection of everything – it was great and I left feeling satisfied and not overloaded with food.

After breakfast we went to the health club where I took Harry for a swim. The pool area was quiet and it if wasn’t for the Water Babies class, we would have been the only ones in pool area. There is everything you would expect – large pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and a gym. Although we didn’t get to use the spa, the prices were very reasonable for treatments – 30 minute back, neck & shoulder massage for only £20! We only stayed in the pool for about 20 minutes as it was approaching check-out time of 11am – however the receptionist advised if we were a little bit later then it would be fine.

We checked-out at around 11.15am, packed the car and walked over to the visitor centre. The centre contains the story of the mill dating back to the 1700’s. It starts with a 10-minute ride where the story is told by Annie Mcleod who reveals the amazing story of her life and times in New Lanark in 1820. Afterwards you enter part of the cotton mill which still produces and also have access to the rooftop garden with amazing views. The tickets also give you access to Millworkers’ House in 1820s and 1930s, Robert Owen’s house (the owner of the mill) and the Village Store – a great experience going back in time. There is also the mill shop and cafe. You could literally spend the whole day at all these attractions. There is also an option for a guided tour which is included with your ticket.

One of the other main attractions currently on in New Lanark is Lego’s Brick City – which features some amazing exhibits and Lego structures. The exhibition is located in the the old School House and was £6 for adults and Harry was free. The exhibition is on until 10th September. However, before we entered we decided to stop and grab a some of New Lanarks own ice-cream – it was amazing!

As soon as we entered and went up to the first room, Harry made a b-line for the main structure (which was the only one not protect by glass) and started to pull the Lego men off! However, one of the staff members was great and took Harry to show him all the trains etc. Although he is too young to appreciate it, he still had a great time exploring the two rooms of Lego structures. We then went to the theatre where there are a series of short Lego films. Afterwards there was a room full of Lego which you could use and build what you like – they also had Duplo in the adjoining room which Harry really enjoyed (and we secretly did too). The thought has crossed our mind to buy some for the house now, however he seems to create enough mess already without throwing Lego in to the mix!

As planned the previous day, we wanted to take a further walk down the Clyde Valley Forest Walk to the Falls of the Clyde. So we got our wellies on and made the trip. We were advised it was about half an hour to get to the Falls of the Clyde – however with a toddler this was closer to 45 minutes. It is a fairly gentle walk (with some bird watching on the way) – we even passed some people with buggies. A lot of the trail you follow a boardwalk along the very edge of the river with some nice views. Only the last part of the walk has a fairly steep hill which some people may struggle with. It was well worth the wait though. The views of the falls from the top of the hill are stunning and I would highly recommend adding this to your itinerary whilst staying at the hotel. Even with Harry we were there and back within an hour and a half. We stopped in to the Scottish Wildlife Trust museum before heading back to the car at about 3pm. As you can imagine Harry was exhausted by this time so we decided to head back home – I think he was sleeping before we left the village.

I have always known that the New Lanark Mill Hotel has been a very popular destination and now I know why they consistently review very highly on our website. From the friendly staff (not too over friendly) to the good food, nice leisure facilities, new rooms, amazing views and fantastic location. This really is a short break destination for everyone – whether you are looking to relax or do some sightseeing.

A special mention goes to the General Manager, John Stirrat, who runs a very tight ship from the top which feeds down to all his staff – nothing is too much hassle.

Whether you are looking for a relaxing night away or longer for your group,  I would certainly recommend a visit.