After my recent posts about my friend’s hen parties (Goa and Windsor, as well as my hen party organiser tips), I thought it was about time that I summed up my experiences of a fantastic long weekend spent in The Lake District playing bridesmaid to one of my nearest and dearest friends.

The last (and only other) time that I visited The Lakes was when I was 15 on a geography field trip, and I found myself retracing my steps to Ambleside and Lake Windermere for this trip. Not a lot seems to have changed in the last 20 years, although as I drove along the winding country roads, through the rolling hills with fields of sheep bordered by dry stone walls as far as the eye could see, I certainly found myself a lot more in awe than I remember from my teenage years.

The scenery really is stunning throughout The Lakes, and the pretty little village of Hawkshead, the location of the wedding, was no exception. As part of the celebrations, we had afternoon tea at Jumping Jenny coffee house in Brantwood, followed by a steam yacht gondola around Lake Coniston, which was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, to really admire the scenery, and (had we been listening properly rather than talking amongst ourselves,) learn a lot about the local area and history.

Hawkshead had some great tea rooms, and for those who prefer something stronger, some lovely little pubs, and although I heard great reports about all of the different accommodation options taken by the wedding party, I would highly recommend The Old School House bed & breakfast for the absolutely faultless and wonderfully personal customer service, and clean, comfortable rooms. The location was also perfect, on the edge of the village, enabling me to go out for an early morning run through the fields and clear my head before the big day.

The wedding itself was actually held at Belmount Hall, and the following afternoon saw us return to the scene for a recovery hog roast – a great choice, especially as we were blessed with the sunshine and able to make the most of the lovely grounds.

The final day for me was spent with the newlyweds and her siblings in their new home on the edge of Grizedale Forest. We had been keen to visit Go Ape, but unfortunately, timings had prevented us from being able to do that. Being located in such beautiful forest though, the attractions of the adventure centre were not missed, we took a gentle walk through the countryside to the nearest village for dinner and a couple of drinks, and were able to enjoy another couple of sheep-scaring early morning runs too!

It was a memorable weekend for me, and I would highly recommend others to visit, I’ll certainly be looking to return again after being reminded of how beautiful the area is, and especially given that my friends have a holiday let there now – for anyone interested, please check out: https://www.lakeland-cottage-company.co.uk/lake-district-cottage/force_mill_barn/.