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WalesIn early July 2022 we took a Staycation to North Lakes Lodges in Aspatria in the North of the Lake District.
The car journey was around 2 hours from our home – which is about as far as we like to travel without stopping for a break, with two very excited children in tow. The check in time was slightly later at 5pm due to the extra cleaning required at the moment to make the holiday Covid secure.
We arrived about 4pm and the first thing we noticed was the lovely lake and the kids were first to notice the bunnies hopping around at the lakeside. Just before 5 we got our keys and went to explore the lodge.
Wellington Lodge at North Lakes Lodges
We stayed in the Wellington 3 lodge which had a lovely secluded spot on the park. We loved the fact that there are only 15 lodges and plenty of private space around each one.
The lodge itself was huge with a spacious and bright open plan living area then a really long corridor leading towards to back of the lodge to the 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The hot tub was also really big and well placed for privacy.
Another thing we loved was the comfy outdoor furniture where you could sit and watch the rabbits and ducks wander around.
Order in at North Lakes Lodges
We have to make particular mention of the amazing food on offer here, which can be delivered to your lodge. We sampled the chicken kebabs and the pizzas and both were delicious. The afternoon tea was perfect, we ordered this to our lodge to celebrate our little boy’s 7th birthday!
Walk an Alpaca!
We had booked an Alpaca Walking activity at The Linghom Estate – around 30 minutes drive away towards Keswick. The company we booked through is called Alpacaly Ever After and I can highly recommend this activity. The kids were smiling from ear to ear. We got to walk two super cute Alpacas called Dudley and Inca around the country estate and down towards the lake where you can have a paddle. There are some brilliant views from the lake you can see Owl Island and Cat Bells.
Our guide also told us about the Borrowdale Road at the opposite end of the lake where you can drive along and stop at various places beautiful to explore.
Lingholm Estate
The Lingholm Estate itself is also a brilliant place to visit even if you don’t want to walk Alpacas. The holiday home for Beatrix Potter for 20 summers in her childhood this place is full of history and thought to be the inspiration for the Peter Rabbit stories. You can even visit Mr Mcgregors garden which is not the original but one that has been rebuilt in the same spot keeping the famous hexagnonal shape. The original garden is thought to be the inspiration for Mr Mcgregors garden and you can certainly see the resemblance when you are there.
There is a lovely cafe there although we bought food from the outside kiosk and sat in a lovely garden area with picnic tables. The children loved the sausage rolls and I can recommend the New York Deli Ciabatta sandwiches! They also serve delicious scones and cakes.
Borrowdale Area Lake District
On our last full day we drove to the Borrowdale Road and it was certainly as stunning as expected. There are various National Trust car parks dotted along the road where you can park for free if you are a member. Just a few of the gorgeous areas we explored included Great Wood – a fabulous place to explore!
We especially loved the waterfalls along this route too.
We loved our stay at North Lakes Lodges so much we returned in the last week of the summer and stayed in the Lawson lodge over looking the lake.
Lawson Lodge at North Lakes Lodges
This lodge was absolutely awesome and we can’t wait to return. The position over looking the lake was superb and the children just loved seeing the ducks every day who came right up to the door. Although smaller than the Wellington the layout of the Lawson was excellent with plenty of space and large windows to make the most of the stunning views. See below for some of our favourite pics of our time at the Lawson Lodge.
