Lake District & its Summer Music Festival

Lake District & its Summer Music Festival


6 day holiday - Sunday 28th July 2024


Highlights...

Concerts by the Lumus Wind Quintet and the Alkyona Quartet with Jess Dandy

Cruises on Lake Windermere and Ullswater

Wordsworth House in Cockermouth 




The Lake District in Cumbria, North West England, is England’s largest National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and since 2017, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It boasts spectacular landscapes, picturesque villages, a rich cultural heritage and of course, the famous and beautiful lakes from which the area takes its name. The area has been home to many giants of literature, with William Wordsworth being perhaps the most famous. His poem ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’, which was inspired by the daffodils growing on the shores of Ullswater, remains one of the most famous ever to be written. Wordsworth, along with Coleridge and Southey are known as the Lake Poets. During the early 20th century, Beatrix Potter lived at Hill Top Farm and many of her Peter Rabbit books were set in the Lake District. We will listen to a talk about Beatrix Potter and her life in the Lake District when we visit the Armitt Museum in Ambleside. During our holiday we will take cruises on the two largest of the lakes, Windermere and Ullswater, both of which are known as ribbon lakes as they are very deep and occupy ancient glacial troughs formed after the last Ice Age. We will attend concerts in Ambleside and Hawkshead parish churches, situated in the beautiful unspoilt surroundings of two of the Lake District villages. 


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MacDonald Old England Hotel & Spa 4*


We will be staying at the 4-star MacDonald Old England Hotel & Spa in Bowness on Windermere, set within its own grounds, with magnificent views over Lake Windermere. The hotel, situated right on the shore of Lake Windermere, is ideally situated for the trips we will be making during our stay. The modern rooms are en-suite with fluffy bathrobes and luxury toiletries, WiFi, Freeview TV, tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer and air conditioning and guests have complimentary use of the swimming pool, spa and steam room. Guests are also able to book other treatments in the spa at favourable rates. The exceptional 3-course dinner in the hotel restaurant, known as the Restaurant by the Lake, features seasonal dishes that have been carefully created by the head chef using the freshest ingredients and includes two glasses of house wine, beer or soft drinks. 

Itinerary

Day 1 – Sunday 28th July


Collected from your home by door-to-door car, you will be taken to the Crowne Plaza, Gerrards Cross, to be greeted by your tour manager. Tea or coffee and pastries will be served before we board the coach for our trip to the Lake District. En route, we will stop for lunch at the Mill in Worston and will expect to reach our final destination, the MacDonald Old England Hotel & Spa, by late afternoon. After booking into the hotel, we will have time to settle in, explore our surroundings and meet with friends old and new, before enjoying our three-course dinner in the hotel restaurant by the lake. 

Day 2 – Monday 29th July


After breakfast, we will board the coach for the drive to Glenridding Pier, where we will board the boat for a cruise on Ullswater, a strong contender for the most beautiful lake in England. The journey will take us from Glenridding in the south to Pooley Bridge at the northernmost point of Ullswater. This lovely lake is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery at its south, softening to the gentle hills of the north, where we will disembark. The lake is the second largest in England at seven and a half miles long but is less than a mile wide, giving us a view of the natural features all around. On arriving at Pooley Bridge, we will disembark and re-join our coach, which will take us to Dalemain Mansion for lunch, a tour and time in the beautiful gardens. 

Day 3 – Tuesday 30th July

Today we will board the coach after breakfast to travel to Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, home of William Wordsworth, one of the world’s greatest loved poets. Here we will see where Wordsworth lived as a young child and developed his love of nature and literature. Following this visit, we will have a light lunch and some free time in Cockermouth before returning to the hotel to prepare for an early dinner before the first of our Lake District Summer Music festival concerts, the Alkyona Quartet and singer Jess Dandy, in Hawksworth Parish Church. 


Day 4 – Wednesday 31st July


This morning we will board the coach after breakfast, to travel into Ambleside for the second of our summer festival concerts, given by the Lumus Wind Quintet in Ambleside Parish Church. Following the programme of Ligeti, Shostakovich and Nielsen, we will have a one course lunch in Ambleside village before visiting the Armitt Museum. The Armitt Museum has a gallery dedicated to Beatrix Potter, showcasing her life and work in the Lake District. 

Day 5 – Thursday 1st August

On our last full day in the Lake District, we will take a cruise around Lake Windermere. This will commence from the landing stage at Bowness, a very short walk from our hotel, and will consist of two parts. We will be travelling in one of the historic steamer boats, firstly from Bowness to Ambleside in the north of the lake and back and then, after lunch in a local restaurant, from Bowness to Lakeside at the southern end of Windermere and back to Bowness. Following the cruise, there will be time for you to look around the town of Bowness or relax at the hotel with friends before dinner. 


Day 6 – Friday 2nd August

After breakfast, we will check out of our rooms and board the coach for our journey home. We will stop for our farewell two-course lunch at the Mill in Worston, and expect to arrive at the Crowne Plaza in Gerrards Cross by late afternoon. Tea/coffee and cakes will be served before our door-to-door cars arrive to take us home. 


Total Price of the Holiday:        £2,775 per person


Deposit:         £200 


Balance due:        2nd June 2024


Whats Included:

  • Door-to-door cars from your home to the meeting point and back
  • Coach travel throughout the holiday
  • Five nights at the MacDonald Old England Hotel
  • 3-course dinner with 2 glasses of house wine each night
  • Full English or continental breakfast every morning
  • Lunch with coffee or tea every day
  • Ticket for the Lumus Wind Quintet Concert
  • Ticket for the Alkyona Quartet and Jess Dandy concert
  • Ticket for the Ullswater Cruise
  • Admission to Dalemain Mansion and Gardens
  • Admission to the Armitt Museum
  • Ticket for the Lake Windermere long steamer cruise
  • Admission to Wordsworth House
  • Gratuities
  • The services of your tour manager throughout your stay
  • V.A.T.     


For more information or to book call 020 4568 3377



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