|
|
Eve Press
OK! |
||
| 'A beautifully designed book with stunning photography' | |
| ||
|
Lakes Of Love If you’re loved-up, take a leaf out of Tom Cruise’s book and head for the Lake District. When you’re booking a romantic weekend away, it’s important to get it just right. As winter draws near, it’s the perfect time to escape to the country and enjoy a candlelit dinner by a roaring fire. A glossy new guidebook, Mr & Mrs Smith, will help find the perfect place for you to lay your head and find the cosiest pub for a Sunday roast. Here Mr & Mrs Smith introduce you to the Lake District… Why Should I visit? With its rolling countryside and picturesque lakes, the Lake District provides truly breathtaking scenery with over a dozen major lakes and some of England’s highest mountains. But away from the tourist hotspots and Kendal mint cake-selling souvenir shops there are also sophisticated culinary paradises waiting to be discovered… When Should I Go? Summer is high-season and in August tourists flock to the Lakes, so autumn and spring can be a much more enjoyable time to visit – just take your waterproofs and warm clothing! Where Should I Stay? Tucked away in the heart of the quaint Lakeland village of Carmel, L’Enclume (01539 536 362; www.lenclume.co.uk) may take some magnified map reading to find. E’Enclume is one of the finest restaurants in the country, and if you’re smart you’ll book one of their seven stylish rooms to roll into after dinner. Simon Rogan the chef and owner, works with local producers to bring the highest quality to the table. Nestled in soft undulating hills and perfect woods rolling down to the Lake Windermere is The Sampling (01539 431 922; www.thesampling.com). You couldn’t ask for a more ideal location – a luxury country house retreat set right on the water, but still secluded. It’s no wonder so many celebrities have chosen to escape to it. And if you’re feeling like you really want to be a Hollywood megastar, you could hire out the entire house like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman once did. The Drunken Duck Inn (01539 436 347; www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk) is a traditional rural pub with stylish, romantic bedrooms set in undulating countryside, ten minutes from Lake Windamere. The rooms each have their own distinct personality, contemporary in décor and are furnished with charming antique pieces. Part of the charm of the Duck is that it has its own brewery – you can enjoy a beer either inside the cosy pub or at a table outside. And if you need a royal endorsement, Prince Andrew recently stopped by at the Duck. If it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for us! What Can I Do There? With the highest peaks in England and profusion of lakes, the Lake District is a walker’s paradise. Fitness enthusiasts who like a challenge may wish to attempt to climb Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain, in the Lake District National Park. But don’t sweat, there are hundreds of other walks for the less ambitious. To get a vivid picture of the Lake District drive across the Hardnott Pass, a must for the hairy corners and fantastic panoramas. If you’re into watersports, Windamere, the largest lake, offers everything from water skiing to sailing to canoeing to boat hire (www.lakedistrictletsgo.co.uk). The more sedentary may wish to go on a ferry trip from Windamere to Lakeside or to Waterhead. And for a bird’s eye view of the picturesque Lakes scenery why not hop aboard a hot air balloon (www.high-adventure.co.uk)? Grasmere has many associations with the famous poet William Wordsworth. It’s here you’ll find his first home, Dove Cottage, as well as his last home, Rydal Mount, where you can wander around the gardens that he himself designed. Fans of Peter Rabbit and Miss Tiggywinkle should head to the Beatrix Potter Museum at her former home, Hill Top in Sawrey near Hawkeshead, where you’ll see original watercolours used in her stories. For the sweet-toothed, there really is only one souvenir that you must take home with you and that’s one of the famous Original Sticky Toffee Puddings from the Cartmel Village Shop. Even Madonna is said to be a fan! How Do I Find Out More? Mr & Mrs Smith (www.mrandmrssmith.com) is a sophisticated UK hotel guide (Spy Publishing, £19.95). Edited by Juliet Kinsman and Sophie Dening, the beautifully designed book, with stunning photography, features 41 hotels throughout the UK and Ireland, visited anonymously by credible reviewers. Each book comes with a flash VIP membership card which entitles readers to extra-special offers at the hotels. |
||
