Over the years, I’ve visited countless hotels and inns and it’s a real pleasure to discover somewhere which scores top marks on all fronts. Well, I found one of those rarities in the shape of The Plough Inn at Lupton, situated on the A65 between the small market town of Kirkby Lonsdale and Kendal. It’s [...]
The Coniston Hotel and Country Estate sits amid 1,400 acres of luscious Yorkshire countryside. Privately owned by the Bannister family, the centrepiece of its rural setting is the 24-acre lake, which can be seen from most of the hotel’s 70-plus bedrooms. This grand estate, situated alongside the busy A65, is not only a perfect spot [...]
If you fancy a rail holiday with a difference, then book your seat for a Cornish adventure you’ll never forget by contacting Lizzy and Dave Stroud, self-proclaimed rail enthusiasts who live in a converted railway station in St Germans, Cornwall. The Strouds have acquired nine railways carriages over the years and converted three, with more to [...]
Lying submerged up to your neck in a tub of hot sand seems a bizarre way to start a holiday on the sunny isle of Porto Santo, but as sweat trickled from every pore, the benefits of my spa treatment kicked in. Research shows that the island’s golden sand contains therapeutic properties. Rich in minerals, [...]
We’d only just arrived in Montenegro and here we were sitting in a garishly-coloured motorboat heading for Hawaii! As Jovan, a rosy-faced sailor, steered his pride and joy across the short stretch of emerald water, he pointed excitedly and in pidgin English, enthused, “There’s paradise, Hawaii next-stop.” (c) Richard Webber We’d left [...]
If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Britain’s fleet of 1960s buses, visit Malta where myriad Bedfords and Leylands ply their trade on the island’s bumpy roads. The garishly-painted relic creeping up the hill in front of me was on its last legs. But instead of becoming impatient, everyone in the lengthening queue seemed [...]
One comes to expect certain standards from a Hilton hotel and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed during my stay. From the moment I walked in with my family we were greeted by a smile from the efficient desk staff and a willingness to help which extended to all employees. Just two miles from [...]
As a keen walker, lover of the Lake District and collector of all books relating to this beautiful corner of England, I was excited to hear about a new walking book. Published by Lake District Hotels – a family-run company which owns six hotels in some of the region’s most beautiful spots – the 15 [...]
Lake District Hotels, a family-run business, owns a range of hotels covering all needs. If you want to be town-based, there is the Skiddaw in the heart of Keswick. If you want an unbeatable lakeside setting, try the Inn on the Lake situated on the banks of Ullswater. Then there is the Lodore Falls Hotel, [...]
“The volcano’s erupting!” screamed a little boy beside me as a towering plume of steam shot out of the earth. As the spectacle subsided in the heart of Lanzarote’s Timanfaya National Park, the grinning guide, who prompted the display by pouring water into a deep hole, told his attentive audience that there is no cause [...]
