Who reads my blog?

Who reads my blog? The surprising answer this week is that people in Saudi Arabia have been reading my Lake District blog in their hundreds. I've no idea why, and it seems like a one day spike, but thank you Saudi readers.

News from the Lakes is that this summer has seen an influx of visitors, with many of the shops, hotels and tourist attractions reporting high volumes of trade. After the desolation of Storm Desmond this is very welcome, and it's a credit to all those who have spread the message that the Lake District and the whole of Cumbria is open for business and looking forward to welcoming visitors.

If you haven't visited the Lakes for a few years you would notice some changes. The landscape obviously remains the same, but there are subtle changes in the towns and villages. Our son, (who grew up here) was recently visiting from London, and commented on the plethora of excellent new cafés, delicatessens featuring wonderful local produce, bars with local craft beers, shops selling proper local crafts ( not tat or tut), musical events, theatre and a general good buzz about the area.

If you have a week free from 27 August, you can still book to stay at Brockstone, our Grasmere cottage with amazing views. This week has bee reduced from £890 to £790 for last minute bookings. The added bonus is that you would be able to visit Grasmere Sports on Sunday, 28 August. 

 The ground floor of the cottage has been completely refurbished this year- here are a few taster pictures.

and the kitchen is new too

If you can't fit a break in in August, our next available dates are from 8 October. October half term and New Year are already booked, but we have other dates free throughout the winter, when we are happy to offer short breaks rather than the usual one week stay.

Is Brockstone Cottage the most perfect Lake District Holiday Cottage? Amazing views, traditional cottage, away from neighbours yet within a mile of Grasmere village , all modern conveniences, yet still retaining the special characteristics of a 200 year old cottage................ ? We think it's pretty special, and so do our guests.

We were delighted when the lovely guests who stayed last week told us "we have stayed in many cottage over the years, and Brockstone is without doubt the best we have ever stayed in"

You can find Brockstone Grasmere Cottage on Facebook, and on the HomeAway website (you won't now find us on Holiday Lettings/Trip Advisor as they are very keen to persuade guests to book via their site and charge them extra for that- we don't like that policy so we've pulled out)