Let’s start wide and then narrow down… Yes, we’re in the Lake District, the most beautiful area of the country, with big mountains, delightful lakes and tarns, all the colourful history from the Ancient Britons with their stone circles, through the Romans with their forts and castles, to the Vikings and all those lovely place-names. And yes, there are hundreds of things to do: every sort of water sport; every sort of walk form the gentlest of strolls by the lake to the hardest of slogs up Scafell, or a hundred other mountains; loads of places to visit –castles, animal parks, narrow gauge railways, steam and mining museums, the Bassenthwaite Ospreys, Then there’s all those authors, -Beatrix Potter, Wordsworth, Coleridge and so on. But better than that, we’re very near Keswick, the jewel in the Lake District. A perfect town, between two lakes, -Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite. A town with all you could want, -cinema, a great theatre with a tremendous variety of shows, museums, art galleries, and the best outdoor equipment shopping centre in the country. Add in friendly pubs, where children are welcome, and bar meals good value; add in Lake Derwentwater, lapping at Keswick’s toes; add in the truly magnificent scenery, and there really can be nowhere better for a holiday.

Orchard Barn was specially converted in 1990 for holiday use, and can sleep up to twelve in six bedrooms. Great for family get-together or for parties of walkers and friends! Here you can really enjoy each other’s company in the middle of lovely countryside, but with the delights of Keswick just 2 miles away. The heart of the accommodation is the superb lounge with its coal fire for those cooler nights (coal provided) and the separate kitchen and dining area, all twenty feet square of it, with patio windows looking out due South over that magnificent view. Here there’s plenty of room to play games together, chat, watch the television (one in each room) or a video, or enjoy each other’s company over a leisurely meal. Outside on the patio is a great place to relax after a hard day out on the fells with a drink and a snack to watch the sun go down over Bassenthwaite Lake.

The three bedrooms on the first floor share a shower room and a separate WC, and all have built in wardrobes. One has a double bed, the others have twin beds. Upstairs again to the top floor brings three more bedrooms, again a double and two twins, with a very pleasant bathroom. All the rooms up here have Velux roof windows. Bedding in the Barn is sheets and duvets, all provided, though again you need to bring your own towels.

Technical Details

The kitchen area has all home comforts, including dishwasher, microwave, electric cooker, fridge etc. A separate utility room houses the washing machine, tumble drier and freezer. There is also a cot, an iron and an ironing board. Heating is by electric storage heaters, with ancillary electric fires, and the coal fire in the lounge.