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Coniston Water
Top Five Tips: The Lake District
Ken Bennett11/10/2008
FEW places deliver the autumn of our imaginations like the Lake District.
This is the place to go for leaf-strewn woodlands, orange brackened fell-sides, morning mists over the lakes and the first whiffs of woodsmoke.
It's also perfect for a weekend getaway or longer with the October half-term in mind. Here Cumbria Tourism offers ten top tips to get into the autumn spirit...
1)
Season of hot broths
Pumpkin soup is just one of the seasonal specialities on offer in a series of cookery courses run in the cosy kitchens of High Chapel House - a stylish B&B built in 1854. The master classes are run by Yelly de Jong; a cookery teacher of Dutch descent who shares her culinary secrets by teaching City and Guilds cookery at the local grammar school. High Chapel House is set in half-an-acre of grounds with views of the muscular Howgill fells and a playground for native red squirrels. The only noise from traffic you're likely to hear is the local tractor.
www.highchapelhouse.com
2)
An apple a day...
Like all good Castles, ivy-clad Sizergh Castle on the outskirts of Kendal, comes complete with creaky staircases, portrait-lined walls, a resident ghost, and a lush estate to explore. During autumn, the ivy covering the 14th century Pele tower turns a blood red and there's always a patchwork quilt of bright yellow fallen leaves to negotiate on the paths. Take a seat beside the expansive pond and see if you can hear the screaming ghost{hellip} The story goes that in medieval times a husband locked his wife in the castle and then fled... starving her to death in the process. There's no such danger for visitors who are catered for with an onsite café.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
3)
Another brick in the fall
Some of the Lake District 's biggest slopes are lined with gravity-defying dry-stone walls - many of which have held fast for over 700 years without a spread of mortar required. Coniston landscaper Andrew Loudon is keeping this ancient art alive and offers a series of courses to learn the secrets of this historic network of walls which span over 3,000 miles in the Lake District alone.
www.drystone-walling.co.uk
If making walls isn't your thing, visit one they made earlier - Hadrian's Wall, the 73-mile long fortification built around AD 122 is one of Britain 's most visual examples of what the Romans did for us. Check out Birdoswald Roman Fort which offers one of the best stretches of the wall and a switched-on visitor centre detailing all you need to know.
www.hadrianswallcountry.org
4)
An autumn stroll
The famous Lake District guides author Alfred Wainwright tramped up and down over 214 fells to get material for his books - taking on ice age mammoths like Scafell, Great Gable and Skiddaw. One of the fells overlooked by the peak-baggers is Holme Fell near Coniston. It's a tiddler at just over 1,000ft, it won't take you all day to walk but the views of Coniston Water and Langdale Pike in all their autumn glory will take your breath away. What's more there's a reservoir to explore and a top-notch walker's tea-room down the road at Yew Tree Farm.
www.stridingedge.net/walks
5)
Roaring Fire
There are no lattes and frappucinos at the Sticklebarn Tavern in Great Langdale as it's positively no frills throughout. This is a dense-walled, oak-beamed shelter from the elements where hardy hillwalkers resuscitate frozen hands at the bonfire crackling in the range.
www.langdaleweb.co.uk/sticklebarn.html
www.golakes.co.uk orCumbria accommodation booking service on 0845 450 1199.
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