A sophisticated Cocktail of Cultural Days Out This Summer.

Summer should be full of cultural adventure trips out, fine delicious food and drink, intriguing history and adding to the all-important memory bank.  Staying at the Lakeside Hotel means you are a mere hop, skip and jump away from said desires, destinations and memories.  We are all guilty of liking those little extra special moments and experiences along the way.  But there is nothing wrong in liking the finer things in life, and sometimes a little taste of luxury can be quite the tonic, amongst the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  The annual Cartmel Races offer quite the sophisticated visit and a day at the races, for those who wish to dabble.  Go super-luxe and opt for the Louis Roederer Restaurant Package.  This enables you to experience the races with an astounding panoramic view and delight in a delicious dining experience, in perfect style.  A welcome drink awaits you when you arrive, followed by a three course A La Carte lunch, a traditionally quaint English Afternoon Tea, paddock admission, race card, racing post and VIP parking space.  Cartmel, champagne and a country hotel by Lake Windermere.  What more could you ask for?

To really appreciate the teeny tiny things in life, take a trip out to Lakeland Miniature Village.  For it is where you will feast your eyes upon the mini wonders of a mini world.  A world we lovingly know as the Lakeland landscape.  Over one hundred of these petite plots are lovingly hand-crafted using traditional slate from the Lake District’s beautiful Coniston hills.  Take a trip here and smile at the Cumbrian houses, barns, farms and even Beatrix Potter’s quaint little home at Hill Top.  Peruse and peer down at the small windows, doors and perfectly preened English gardens.  Founder, Edward Robinson, is the artist and marvellous mind behind these hand-sculpted creations.  Along with his wife, they have embraced tourists for many years and relish in natters with enthusiastic visitors.  Walk this charming district’s countryside and let your gigantic soles twist around its’ bends, hills and roads.

Memory lane is one of life’s wonderful things.  If you travel down to the Lakeland Motor Museum, you will recall or relate to an eclectic collection of classic cars and motorbikes.  In these walls, you will explore decades of exhibits and a growing appreciation of time and how far we have come.  An exhibition that will trigger nostalgia and will most definitely get you excited over marvellous motor metal.  Situated in the pretty landscape of the Leven Valley, this museum delights in awakening senses and memories with their host of roaring rarities.  Take a break and unwind in their Café Ambio, for a spot of locally produced lunch and a comforting hot cup of tea.  With their passion for homemade cooking and an amazing table view, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the ripples from the River Leven.

What is your ideal tipple?  If you fancy a tantalising taste in the afternoon, then a tour around The Lakes Distillery is in order.  Making an 1850’s Victorian Cattle Farm their quirky home to their whisky, gin and vodka, this place is worth a ponder indeed.  Catch a glimpse behind the scenes to view how they create their spirits in the comforts of the place they call home.  Get enthusiastic with the enthusiasts and nose, judge, colour, taste and just take in the moment.  Once you have sipped and smelt through your tour, how about dinner at their award-winning Bistro, for an informal dining experience.  Or if you are a fan of the brew then choose the Hawkshead Brewery instead.  Before or after your tasty tour take lunch in their traditional Beer Hall for locally sourced yummies.  With a long list of beers, ales and lager, there is an ideal tipple for everyone’s taste buds.  Visit this brewery for a relaxed and quirky atmosphere with a humble heart and bold beer that is aged in wood and spiced with fruit for a unique and flavoursome glass.

How about something utterly unique and yet another lovely spot in the village of Cartmel?  Once you arrive at this awe-inspiring location you will stumble upon the ‘Predator Experience’ hidden within the National Park.  What was once a home for the thriving protection of biodiversity, is now a home for wild animals and man to walk side by side.  Stride with hybrid pack duo, Maska and Kajika, and discover the breath-taking countryside in its rawest form.  Be introduced to their red foxes, Fynn and Todd, which will amaze and captivate you.  Encounter how different in nature these beings are and how they adapt to their habitat and rear their young.  Walk with the humble hawks through the woodlands, as they dance from tree to tree and then glove.  Then head up the mountains to experience the freedom of air and get lost in the views, with Golden Eagles for company.  Or have a day of discovery with the tarantula families and reptiles, in their organic environments.  A clever mix of fun and wisdom, as well as plenty of memories and scrapbook-worthy photographs.

You do not even need to step any further than the sumptuous grounds and grand interior, that is the Lakeside Hotel.  You will find superior luxury and deluxe dining in your temporary dwelling place and find the perfect hideaway in the magnificence of the noble grounds.  After breakfast in the restaurant, indulge yourself in spa destination heaven at their serene Aveda Spa.  By day choose to take Afternoon Tea out on The Terrace then glide along the lake in style with their romantic rowing boat.  The evening will bring crisp white linen and gleaming silver on perfectly dressed tables.  Dine over candles and by the comforting notes of the piano, as you sample what fine dining really tastes like.

Find ultimate restful sleep in one of their Ultimate Lake View Rooms.  Imagine sinking into pure Egyptian cotton sheets, lazing on fluffy feather pillows and wrapping yourself around Hungarian goose-down duvets.  Mornings will be full of glow as you arise feeling rejuvenated and pad into your stunning en-suite bathroom for a sumptuous soak.  Take your first sip of rich coffee in the privacy of your terrace and be a part of the lakeside view before you.  Read your novel you have been meaning to read for the best part of a year, as your partner reads the articles from the newspaper.  Collapse into your white robes and slippers for a little bit of you time away for the hectic life and work schedule, as you plan your day in the rolling hills of the Lakes District.