we know......

Based around Derwentwater - "The Queen of the English Lakes" - and the picturesque Borrowdale Valley, our Lakeland holidays are the active way to explore some of England's most beautiful countryside. Our activity agenda ensure that you see the best of the mountains and lakes whilst participating in some fantastic activities.

The Lake District is one of the most unspoilt regions of the UK and easily accessible providing a great playground for active families.  We offer a six night family activity holiday allowing you to fully experience the area's delights

This area of The Lake District is perhaps less visited than its more southerly lying counterparts but rest assured it is the crowds that are missing out.  Keswick is a lovely market town and Derwentwater is, in our opinion, the most beautiful of the English lakes.

Our accommodation is in a superbly located hotel just 5 minutes walk from the bustling market town of Keswick, so we are sure you won't be short of things to do and see during your stay.

You know.....

"The hotel was perfectly placed in Keswick allowing families and the children to get out during the evening. The hotel staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The activities were well organised and the instructors were expert, friendly and entertaining." Peter Featherstone - August 2010

saturday - arrival and welcome
Your room will be available from 2pm offering you the opportunity to settle in. A welcome meeting with your guide to discuss the week’s programme will be followed by dinner in the hotel restaurant.

sunday - lakeland mountain experience
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel you will be picked up to spend a day exploring one of the Lakeland mountains. During the day your guide will discuss the local flora and fauna and depending on the route, include visits to caves, mines and rivers. Games will be played along the route to ensure the group get the chance to bond and make friends!

monday - rock climbing and abseiling
Following a full safety briefing, the group and your guide will head to a local rock face which is a popular area for locals to practise their climbing skills, to enjoy a full day of climbing and abseiling. If the weather is unsuitable we will arrange for you to visit the renowned indoor Keswick climbing wall which has recently been refurbished.

tuesday - gorge scrambling
Gorge walking or canyoning as it is known elsewhere in the world, is a thrilling activity. Beginning at Stonycroft Ghyll, with the guidance of the instructor, you will make your way downstream with a series of jumps, slides, scrambles and often swimming or wading through the deeper water. We recommend a waterproof camera to capture your family’s enjoyment of this fantastic adventure.

wednesday - derwent water activity day
Today you will spend a full day on the Queen of the English Lakes, Derwent Water. There will be a range of water based activities for you to experience including Canadian canoeing and dingy sailing. Whether you have tried your hand at these activities before or are a complete beginner, our instructors will be on hand to ensure you have as much fun as possible. Depending on the weather, it may also be possible for the group to work together and sail a Viking long ship and some Dragon Boats.

thursday - free day
Today you can either choose to explore the town of Keswick, taking in the pencil museum, the cinema or the crazy golf and boules available at Hope Park on the shores of Derwent Water. All are within walking distance of the hotel. Alternatively you could arrange locally to take part in the famous Via Ferrata at Honister Slate Mine for some extra adrenaline.

friday - the borrowdale challenge
The perfect competition to end your week in the Lake District. This fun filled family challenge is packed with games, activities and challenges including archery, raft building, problem solving and orienteering. A great way to round off the activity week on a high... especially if your family win!

saturday - depart or extend your stay
Today you will return home or we can also arrange for you to extend your stay in The Lakes.

Would you like this holiday tailor made especially for your friends and family?  If you have a group of at least 4 people then please contact one of our travel experts to discuss the options of a private or tailor made programme.

Our Activity Centre is located at the head of the stunningly beautiful Borrowdale Valley in the Lake District National Park. The centre offers a large range of outdoor activities and is operated in an environmentally responsible and community friendly manner. The Centre's management prides itself on employing local people on long-term contracts, allowing staff to stay resident in this beautiful area. All of the centre's instructors and staff are briefed on responsible travel and use of the environment, in turn passing on this message to the many customers. 

The centre uses only produce provided by local suppliers, thus providing only the freshest produce for its customers whilst supporting the local economy. The centre has an active recycling programme, which all staff and customers are briefed in and encouraged to use. Each year the staff monitor the centre's energy consumption and investments are made in new energy saving appliances and procedures. The ideal location in the heart of Borrowdale means that use of transport for activities can be kept to a minimum. If transport is needed local companies are used to help boost the local economy.

The centre works closely with the National Trust, the National Park Authority, the local community and other nearby outdoor centres to ensure that the local area and activity sites are managed thoughtfully, with any environmental impact kept to a minimum. The centre is also a key member of the Borrowdale User Group (BUG), through which they assist in reporting and informing other users about any areas of concern and implement plans to deal with any current or potential problems.

Our accommodation is situated just 5 minutes walk from the centre of Keswick. Despite being owned by a small chain the hotel adopts a sound environmental policy. In this respect recent changes have been made in the housekeeping department. In order to cut down on plastic containers being used and liquids, the hotel now uses concentrated chemicals and have re-usable containers for these.

The amount of full linen changes on stayovers has been reduced to cut down on laundry and kitchen aprons, clothes and restaurant serving clothes are washed in-house. Guests are asked to place towels in the bath if they require them to be changed otherwise they would be placed back on the towel rail to be re-used. If a bedroom is for single occupancy we always use a twin room (2 single beds so only 1 bed will be used instead of a double bed) and make sure only one set of towels are in the room.

The hotel has invested in a compressor for cardboard boxes which are then sent away to the council for re-cycling and all paper is put into a recycle bin in reception which is then transferred to the outside large recycling bin. There are 3 bottle bins which all bottles from the bar and restaurant are put into each day. All printer cartridges are kept and sent back to the supplier to be re-cycled. When ordering copier paper we always use re-cycled. The night porter turns all lights and lamps off in public areas once the guests have gone to bed and then turns them back on at 7am. Housekeeping turn lights and TV`s off in rooms once they are serviced. Radiators are checked in warmer months to ensure they are turned off. The heating times are reduced in warmer months.

The hotel endeavours to employ local people wherever possible but admits that it is difficult to attract residents into the lower paid jobs such as waiting and kitchen portering. Nevertheless, job vacancies are always advertised in local papers and the local job centre first, if no suitable employee is found then the hotel broadens the advertising.

The hotel strives to support local businesses by using only local tradesmen for any building and maintenance issues. With being in a chain of hotels, most of the contractors are signed to the company for the Lake District and the Blackpool hotels and are all local.

All the food is supplied from the North West ranging between Keswick and Blackpool (Head Office suppliers) and the head chef endeavours to use local ingredients where possible. As a chain, the hotel raises thousands of pounds every year through events for many different charities and has provided many vouchers for various fund raising events.