English Lakes has helped to literally put the National Park on the map and hopes tourism to the area will be boosted as a result. Frustrated at not seeing the Lake District appear, like other national parks, on Google Maps, we contacted Tele Atlas, the company that provides the mapping for Google. Kris Littlewood, of the marketing department, contacted Tele Atlas at the end of November, asking why the Lake District did not appear in green on the Google Map of the UK like other national parks, such as the Yorkshire Dales or the Peak District. Tele Atlas acknowledged there... Continue reading

Lancaster House will be celebrating Lancashire Day and its 20th Birthday in true red-rose style this Sunday by offering a Lancashire Sunday Lunch menu with a difference. To mark the county’s big day and the hotel’s two decades in business, Lancaster House is serving a 20-course Lancashire tasting menu on Lancashire Day, November 27th at the very special price of just £20. It’s thought to be the largest tasting menu ever served in the county. Just 20 places are available for the exclusive meal which will be served in the Hotel’s Lancashire-themed Foodworks Restaurant from 1pm. Head Chef, Damien Ng... Continue reading

Update 4/11/11: For the next 30 Days you can watch Waterhead's episode of There's No Taste Like Home for free online on the ITV Player. Watch Now! ITV cookery programme “There’s No Taste Like Home” in a competition to find the best home cooked meal from three local home cooks. Waterhead played host to TV chef Gino D’Acampo and film crew in March and the results can be seen at 4pm November 3 on ITV1. The yet to be revealed winning dish will then have the honour of being featured on the Waterhead’s menu for a whole month after the... Continue reading

Over the summer months on the English Lakes Facebook Page we invited entries into our Summer Photography Competition. We asked for a wide selection of entries from the Lake District and Lancashire area and received over 250 entries from people with a wide range of abilities; in total all entries received in excess of 4,000 votes. The judges' shortlist was created from a public vote to select the top 5 people with the most votes. The Shortlist Jo-Ann from Cumnock "Sunset view from Low Wood Bay Hotel" Zaneta from London "Friars Crag - Derwentwater" Nicola from Liverpool "Glass Lake! -... Continue reading

Wildzone, a dynamic group of Cumbrian private sector businesses including English Lakes and public sector wildlife charities, trusts and organisations, formed to put responsible Cumbrian wildlife and nature experiences firmly on the British tourism map, has launched with a 22-day-long promotion ‘Wear Red For Wildlife’ promotion. The Wildzone’s ‘Wear Red for Wildlife’ initiative (running from October 8 to 30) draws inspiration from some of Cumbria’s most iconic creatures, the endangered red squirrel and red deer, but also focuses on birds such as red-breasted merganser and red kite, the red leaves of autumn, red flora and red sunsets over Morecambe Bay.... Continue reading

Lancaster House manager has just returned home after conquering the world’s largest freestanding mountain, raising over £3,200 for a local children’s charity in the process. Tim Bell, General Manager of Lancaster House summited all 19,340ft of Africa’s famous Kilimanjaro on 21st September after a gruelling final day involving almost 21 hours of walking. Tim, along with fellow Lancaster House staff member Nichola-Jayne Harrison as well as Tim’s paramedic sister Amanda Singleton, made the ascent in aid of North West charity Children Today. Children Today is a North West based charity that raises funds to provide specialised life changing equipment for... Continue reading

Lancaster House has achieved a ‘gold award’ following an inspection by the national tourism environmental assessors. Following an audit by the Green Tourism Business Scheme Lancaster House has been accredited with the highest level of award achievable. The hotel, which is located in south Lancaster and is part of English Lakes Hotels Resorts and Venues, was commended for its strong management of the hotel which ensures that energy, water and waste are monitored to achieve reductions. The audit revealed that the hotel’s staff are well informed and trained in sustainability issues. Lancaster House has supported various environmental and social projects... Continue reading

The Waterhead at Ambleside has recently introduced a whole new concept of dining, Bar & Grill at Waterhead. Previously the Bay Bar & Restaurant, the Waterhead now offers an extensive all day menu served between 11.30am and 7pm, and then an evening a la carte menu from 7pm until 9.30pm. Bar & Grill at Waterhead offers a bright, modern setting in which to enjoy anything from a classic Afternoon Tea to a selection of steaks cooked exactly to your liking from the grill menu. Bar & Grill at Waterhead has the perfect garden terrace to enjoy the views of the... Continue reading

We like to thank all that supported Shakespeare at Storrs and have made it a great success, now 2 years in a row. We are looking into planning another series in 2012 and these details will be coming on our dedicated website next year. We apologies for any inconvenience caused on the Friday where we had to cancel the production from unexpected and severe weather conditions. We are pleased that all guests, cast and staff went home safely. Continue reading

The Wild Boar Inn Grill & Smokehouse are among the winners announced at the 2011 Cumbria Tourism Awards revealed at a ceremony in Kendal on Thursday 7th July 2011. Hundreds of tourism professionals and businesses from around the county gathered at the event. Host for the evening was ITV's ‘Loose Woman' Rachel Agnew who announced the winners and entertained the audience. The Wild Boar won Guest Accommodation of the Year 2011. Andy Lemm, General Manger at The Wild Boar, said: “We are delighted to receive this award. The Wild Boar team is committed to providing a guest experience as individual... Continue reading

In April we announced our new Individual Rooms where Waterhead became the first hotel in the Lake District to give its guests the opportunity to personalise their rooms. Following a public vote, today we have an addition to our individual room collection chosen by you. Before now we have simply referred to it as “Modern Teapot” which received over 150 votes in our Facebook competition. The new addition is an Alessi Tea pot designed by Michael Graves which adds a contemporary look to the much used and loved tea pot. On our Facebook page Kara Harris described it as “a... Continue reading

The Midland is proud to host ‘Ladies Day at the Races’ this Sunday 3rd July 2011, an event in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK organised by fundraiser Kate Hardcastle, who has worked tirelessly to raise funds and awareness of the cause. "Pancreatic Cancer claimed the lives of my mother, Marguerite, and my brother, Terry. Their pain made me determined to raise awareness of and funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK; so that a test may be found to detect this cancer early and so to save more than the 3% who currently survive." "Since 1st March 2009 over £10,000 has been... Continue reading

Rare cinefilm depicting Morecambe life in the 1950s is now on show at the iconic art deco Midland hotel in Morecambe. The film gives a fascinating insight into life in a sunkissed Morecambe in 1959. It features a packed seafront of happy go lucky holiday makers enjoying the summer sunshine, with children playing in the outdoor swimming pool and enjoying a traditional Punch and Judy show on the beach, and even tall ships moored by the pier. Historic Happy Mount Park is also featured with its gardens, mini train and even a small zoo with seals, pelicans and bears. The... Continue reading

Fresh from last year's successful ascent of the British 3 peaks in under 24 hours in aid of Open Arms International and Primrose House Trust, Tim Bell, General Manger of Lancaster House has once again set his sights on another epic mountain challenge for charity. In September he will be attempting to climb the world's largest free-standing mountain, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. At 19,340ft the famous African peak is considered one of the world's most gruelling physical challenges, with climbers having to combat not only the sheer height of the mountain, but also the dramatic and potentially life-threatening effects of altitude... Continue reading

As one of the event sponsors we have an exclusive last chance offer for swimmers to take part in the swim as well as experience a night of luxury at the 4 star Waterhead close to the events venue. Dinner bed and breakfast in lake view room as well as entry for 2 people to take part in the fully booked swim on Saturday 18th June (Sunday swim places also available). Package prices from £125 per person (PLUS save on the £37.50 per person registration fee!) Be quick! The last date of registration for swimmers is 23/5/11 and this great... Continue reading

Waterhead with become the first hotel in the Lake District give its guests the opportunity to personalise their rooms. The hotel will give people a choice of ten different categories, including the paintings, teapots, sweets, pillows and even aromas. With thousands of different combinations to choose from guests will be able to give their room a personal touch. Mark Needham, the general manager at the Waterhead, says: “We want to give our guests the opportunity to make their room their own. The pictures on the walls are obviously a major factor in the feel of the room, so we are... Continue reading

The Autumn and Winter Lake District Film and Photography competition came to a close on the 28th February 2011. The competition received over 500 high quality and unique video and photo entries. They were submitted by contributors of varied abilities, making it such a difficult task for Simon Berry, the Chairman and Managing Director of English Lakes to judge. We were looking for films and photography that best portrayed aspects of the Lake District, with this competition focusing on autumn and winter. The winning film was submitted by Andrew Mason. It is a short video showing a family holiday at... Continue reading

Every winter the team at the Watersports Centre take all of the boats, based at Low Wood Bay Marina, out of the Lake and store them on dry land for maintenance. It is always a sure sign that Summer is on its way when the crane returns to lift the boats back into Windermere once more. This morning we took a camera down to the marina to film some of the boats going back into the water. Low Wood Watersports Centre, with its extensive range of equipment and an inspiring setting against a backdrop of the Lakeland fells is a... Continue reading

The English Lakes annual Awards Lunch celebrates English Lakes staffs commitment and dedication to quality service. Over the past few weeks managers and members of staff have been given the opportunity to nominate colleagues for each award through our Plus One programme. Competition for all awards was fierce and all nominations were of a very high standard. Below is a breakdown of all winners and shortlisted finalists. Chef of the Year Winner: Alicia McCabe, The Midland Other finalists: Adelaide Njue - Storrs Hall & Miroslav Likus - The Wild Boar Receptionist of the Year Winner: Yvonne Dawson, Low Wood Bay... Continue reading

A massive earthquake, the seventh largest recorded in history, struck the east coast of Japan on Friday 11th March. While the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami have passed, the recovery and mourning have just begun. The disaster could become the most expensive earthquake in history. Now, more than ever, the Japanese people need our help and support. British Red Cross is taking donations online. Alternatively, if you wish to send postal donations further information and print out postal forms are available to download. http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal Save the Children UK is taking online donations and credit and debit card donations over the... Continue reading

A former Olympic athlete from Windermere has been commentating at a sporting event to a massive audience of around 500 million viewers. Ian Woods, 45, the director of Low Wood Bay-based people development company Onesimus, temporarily swapped working with managers at top UK firms for a microphone and headphones at... Continue reading

A former Olympic athlete from Windermere has been commentating at a sporting event to a massive audience of around 500 million viewers. Ian Woods, 45, the director of Low Wood Bay-based people development company Onesimus, temporarily swapped working with managers at top UK firms for a microphone and headphones at the recent Asian Winter Games held in Kazakhstan. Mr Woods, who represented Great Britain in biathlon at the Albertville and Lillehammer Winter Olympics, was commenting on his former sport as well as the cross country skiing event. “It was a great adventure,” he said. “I really enjoyed doing the work... Continue reading

Storrs Hall and Kendal College are working in partnership to bring you a culinary treat, in the form of two spectacular dining events on two separate nights, one at Kendal College and one at Storrs Hall. On March 24th the Kendal College culinary team will be cooking and serving at the prestigious Storrs Hall, to recreate the Grade 1 Centre of Vocational Excellence food that Kendal College is well known for. On March 31st Will Jones and his team from Storrs Hall will be taking control of the Kendal College kitchen and restaurant to produce the two AA red rosette... Continue reading