Escape the Friday Night Rut: A Lake District Weekend by Rail
YOU know that Friday night feeling? You’re desperate for a weekend break but you’re burned out. You can’t face the motorway traffic, so it’s another night in with Netflix and UberEats.
There’s an ad on the Tube that sums it all up: “When you’ve touched base and taken it offline and synergised and deep dived and got all the way home without circling back to whether you’ve got anything to make for dinner...”
Is that how you want YOUR life to be? You can, actually, come away to the Lake District for the weekend, and do it all by rail. Trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh, Birmingham and London all get to the Lakes in under three hours. You’ve even got time to go home from the office, have a shower, pack a weekend bag and miss the rush hour at the station.
Friday Feeling: Arriving and Settling In
Friday feeling
By the time you get to Windermere that client meeting or awkward customer is a distant memory. From the station it’s a five minute walk to stay with us at the Cedar Manor, or one minute in a cab. (Note: there will be plenty waiting at the station, but Uber is operating in Windermere now as well.)
Missed dinner? No problem, you can order one or two of our delicious sharing platters featuring some of the best local produce. And enjoy a drink from our well-stocked bar, then settle down for the night in one of our luxurious rooms or suites, and we’ll take care of the rest of the weekend for you. And you can do everything from here without your car.
Saturday Starters: Breakfast at Cedar Manor
Saturday starters
Saturday breakfast? It’s an occasion here. We don’t just have cereal for starters, but our fruit compote or prunes are infused with brandy and Earl Grey tea, alongside a selection of yogurts, plus homemade jams, marmalades and honey.
The Cumbrian Grill breakfast includes handmade Cumberland sausages from Cartmel Valley, dry-cured bacon, Lancashire black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, and a hash brown. For a lighter option, our vegetarian grill features free-range eggs cooked to your liking – scrambled, poached, boiled, or fried – alongside vegetarian sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, and a hash brown.
You might prefer Eggs Benedict, or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on a toasted bagel, or what about American style pancakes served with dry cured bacon and maple syrup. Or poached smoked haddock. All our meats and fish are sourced from Cartmel Valley Game in Cark, near Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. The salmon and haddock are traditionally smoked by John at Cartmel Valley, and the sausages are handmade with care by his skilled team.
Mountain Views and Local Adventures
Mountain view
You’ll need a walk after that, and we have the best local hill just across the road. It’s not a big climb, but you’ll get the most amazing views of the whole area from the top of Orrest Head. It gives you a sense of where you are, looking down on England’s biggest lake and up to some of our highest mountains. And you’ll be up there in around half an hour.
If you just want to chill after that, you could happily laze around in our garden, have a short stroll down to the lake, take afternoon tea, doze in the sun. But there might be a tick-list of Lake District must-see attractions at the back of your mind, and it’s so easy to visit two of the most spectacular and iconic special places from here.
Take the bus from our garden gate (we’ve got the timetables) and head north through Ambleside to the village of Rydal. From here it’s a short walk – in opposite directions – to a cave and a waterfall. You’ll have seen them on instagram but the reality will blow you away.
Going Underground: Rydal Cave and Waterfall
Going underground
They’re both part of our natural landscape but both are actually man-made. Rydal Cave is an enormous and stunning hollow carved out of the hillside below Loughrigg Fell, big enough to hold the entire population of Ambleside. Access is via big stepping stones across a shallow pool, or an easy scramble over rocks at one side, and then you’re inside a cathedral-like cavern. This was a quarry, and the slate mined here was used to build countless houses in the district. Now it’s an echo chamber, a location that could easily be from Lord of the Rings.
Back down to the River Rothay, cross a small footbridge to the main road (yes, you’re allowed to stop for a drink at the Badger Bar) and take the left turn up a short hill into the grounds of Rydal Hall. Here you’ll find a tiny stone shelter that you’re allowed to go inside, for the most fantastical view of a waterfall tumbling down Rydal Beck. It’s the Grotto, or Grot, built in 1668 and used over the centuries by artists who wanted to paint the scene while sheltering from the elements. The huge window is the most perfect frame. You can also wander around the gardens here, or call at the little tea room behind the hall.
Then it’s back by bus for a cocktail here before dinner. The choice around here is bewildering. The Windermere area is super-full of excellent restaurants including several with Michelin stars. If you want to dine at one of these, planning is essential and you will need to book ahead, maybe even several weeks before your visit. Here’s our guide to the best ones near us; we’re proud to claim that this is the best place to stay in the Lakes for fine dining which doesn’t have its own restaurant!
Lazy Sunday: Lake Cruises and Farewell
Lazy Sunday
Sunday morning, and after another Cedar Manor breakfast there’s time for more exploring before you head back home. This time it’s on the water. If you head down to Bowness Bay you can take a cruise on Windermere. The specialists here offer cruises from 45 minutes to three hours, and it’s another brilliant way to get a new perspective on the Lake District.
This weekend itinerary is the perfect escape from your normal routine, especially when you leave the car behind. But it’s also designed as a taster of what you can expect on a future visit because we would love to see you back here again – soon.