What's on in the Lake District in May? Apart from Lakes, Fells, amazing scenery.......

Apart from the obvious- Lakes, Mountains, walks, admiring the scenery, taking photos.....there is lots more to do in the Lakes, and May is a great time to visit.

You might like to check the official Cumbria Tourism website for details. This will tell you about special events, festivals and loads more.

For more local information you can check some of the pages I've written such as Things to do in Ambleside and 10 things to do in Grasmere for ideas.

One of the top things to do in Ambleside is to visit Zeffirelli's Cinema and restaurant. We have some very sophisitcated American guests with us right now who went to see The Place Beyond the Pines last night on a meal deal. They were amazed at the qualilty of the cinema, the meal, and the all round experience of being able to see a hot newly released film in our little town of Ambleside.

We still have Room 2 available for this Bank Holiday weekend- email me asap if you would like to book. Plus , we are offering greatly reduced rates for 3 night midweek stays until 24 May. See our website for details, or email sue@whitemoss.com for our best Grasmere special offers.

Here's how our terrace looks in summer. Let's hope the sun umbrellas are needed in May.

It's nearly 200 years since Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount

White Moss House is situated halfway between William Wordsworth's two famous homes, Dove Cottage, Grasmere and Rydal Mount in the village of Rydal.

It was in May 2013 that Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount, and he lived there until his death in 1850 at the age of 80. The village of Rydal is celebrating this event on 4 May 2013. You can read more about this here.

Visitors come to stay with us at White Moss House from all over the world to get a piece of the Wordsworth experience. We believe that White Moss House is the only house that Wordsworth owned where guests can stay. The Wordsworth family owned White Moss House until the 1930s. We have lived here for 33 years now, and although it may sound a little pretentious, we do really feel that we are holding onto and passing along a slice of history. We have deeds signed by William Wordsworth- how wonderful is that!

Here's a picture of Rydal Mount, courtesy of David Willis and Cumbria Tourism, not for reuse without permission of Cumbria Tourism.

Visitors to White Moss House can stroll along Rydal Water to Rydal Mount. Why not follow the Walk around Rydal Water from White Moss that I've published here?

You can check our website ( link on the right) to see our rates and availabilty.

Rain, wind and primroses

We've just taken our favourite short walk- out of White Moss House grounds, up the path by the waterfall to Brockstone Cottage- our lovely holiday cottage with amazing views., then left past White Moss Tarn, down to the duck pond, back along the old road to White Moss again.

The waterfall was in torrent following last night's heavy rain. You can see a photo of the White Moss waterfall by clicking here. There are branches down everywhere.

Then we saw ( nature notes here) -

• Primroses by the stream on the right walking up to the cottage
• Frogspawn on White Moss Tarn
• The resident heron was standing in White Moss Tarn too
• Brilliant early pink rhododenrons in the garden of the house next to the tarn

As I didn't have my camera I'll have to use photos I've already got of the primroses.

Primroses near White Moss House in 2012

 I took this photo on 5 April last year. They aren't out as much as this yet this year- we're about 3 weeks behind at present.

If you want to come and see for yourselves, we have excellent rates right now for last minute bed and breakfast bookings at White Moss House, Grasmere .

We are also offering 3 nights for just £290 at Brockstone Cottage until 26 April.

Spring at last in the Lake District

It's finally warmed up, and we have some much needed rain top help the buds open. That's the good news.

More good news if you're planning to visit the Lakes is that it's very quiet here. We're offering exceptionally good rates for bed and breakfast in the next two weeks. Follow the link here for more information.
We are also offering 3 night breaks at our lovely cottage for just £290 (£590 for a week) Here's the link to find out more about the cottage.

I always like to add a photo,so I've used one I took last year, of a herdwick lamb hiding behind a bluebell. Our local lambs haven't been born yet- the farmer aims for St George's Day, 23 April. The sheep and lambs love our back garden on the fell side.

Herdwick lamb White Moss House garden.

This is a wonderful time to visit the Lakes

April and early May 2013 is a great time to visit the Lakes.

Why?

Here are some of the reasons;

• The children are all back in school, so the area is quiet.
• People are feeling the economic pich so the area is quiet
• Most overseas visitors don't come until the summer, so the area is quiet
• It's Quiet- that's great for those of you who make it here!

Also-

• The daffodils are still out because it's been so cold
• The cherry blossom is coming along and will soon look great
• The azaleas and rhododendrons are just waiting to burst into life

Click down the blog to this post which shows Sizergh Castle Gardens on 5 May 2010 . to get an idea of what you could see in the next few weeks.

Then there are

• Great walks from the door
• Wordsworth's homes nearby to visit, along with Beatrix Potter's (Hill Top) and  John Ruskin's (Brantwood) homes
• Many cultural events- festivals, theatre, music- there's always something going on
• And of course the Lakes themselves- boat, sail, row or just admire.

View of Rydal Water from White Moss viewpoint, April

I could go on- I often do......but let's just say- try to fit in a visit to the Lakes. Ideally, visit White Moss House ( owned by Wordsworth) for B & B or Brockstone Holiday Cottage perched above Rydal Water for self catering. We're offering special rates at both places- did I mention that's it's quiet here- that means you can grab a bargain!

We've had a cancellation this weekend so we've slashed the rates- can you fill the rooms?

We have room 1 and 4 unexpectedly available now for this weekend.

Here are the special rates .Click here to see our special last minute rates for this weekend, 5, 6, 7, April.

Please ring 015394 35295 or email sue@whitemoss.com to book at these rates ( not available via online booking systems)

April reductions for our holiday cottage with amazing views.

Don't miss the chance to book our lovely cottage with amazing views at very attractive rates this April.

Speical Offers at our Grasmere holiday cottage
(overlooking Rydal Water in the Parish of Grasmere)

We have a 6 night break from Sunday 14 April for just £490.

We also have the week beginning 20 April, and the week beginning 27 April, for only £590.

There are 3 night breaks available too if you can't stay for a whole week.

For more information and pictures click through this link to take you to our Lake District Holiday cottage- Brockstone.

If you are staying at Brockstone, you'll find yourself perfectly placed for walks. One of the best short walks goes to Rydal Village- make sure you visit the garden of Rydal Hall.

Here is a photo I took from the "Grot" of the falls at Rydal Beck.

Rydal Falls from the Grot

 The Grot, a summerhouse, was built in 1694 as a viewing station from where visitors could get a perfect view of nature. Turner painted this scene. There is more information from the architects who restored it here.

Fabulous Sunny Weather in the Lakes!

It's dry! It's sunny! (OK, it's cold, but that's not bad when you're out walking)

This is just wonderful hiking weather- perfect for a stay at White Moss House, 4 Star Bed and Breakfast. Rydal Water, Grasmere, or in our self catering holiday cottage with amazing views.

Whilst you are here, you can do a wide range of walks from the door. You might like to read two articles I've written- on is a very detailed one about the circular walk round Rydal Water, from White Moss House.

The other has  6 beautiful circular walks from White Moss House described for you.

Here's a photo of the views you'll get-

Grasmere from Loughrigg Terrace- 20 minutes walk from White Moss House