As Dougie’s Birthday approached and lots of requests from him and Finlay to escape and climb a mountain, I started to plot a plan to celebrate as a family and combine a walking break for him! I decided to look at budget family breaks in the Lakes.
I started scouring different available accommodation that would sleep a family of 6 as we needed a little more protection than a tent, as the weather was still a bit unpredictable for camping. There was no glamping options for our party size available last minute so I checked out the airbnb website. With plenty to choose from I noticed the Bunkhouse accommodation, something I have fancied trying out before. So I downloaded the airbnb app and contacted the owners and booked a 7 bed room in a beautiful quiet national trust area in the Lakes.
The Bunkhouse was sandwiched between a hotel and a national trust public house so we could celebrate and have 2 nights off from cooking -perfect!
The walking from the Bunkhouse was very simple. The Bunkhouse itself sits at the start of the Wainwright classic ‘Langdale Pikes’. Dougie and Finlay completed this route on day one while I took the little ones to Beatrix Pitter museum and had a ferry boat ride on Windermere. The next day we went up the route of the Langdale Pikes as a family to the lake below the first summit and picnicked there, with sausages & eggs appearing from Dougies rucksack along with a gas cooker & frying pan – there were several envious glances as the smell drifted around! The following day we went walking to see the famous Wildcat Island from Swallows & Amazons, and stumbled across a lovely quiet spot on the shore just across from it to spend some time.
We had to take our own duvet/sleeping bag, towels (sheets and pillows/pillowcases were provided) for the bunk beds and single bed in the room. The accommodation was very basic but clean. Toilet block, with a shower, kettle in the room and nothing else provided. There was space for drying kit out and boots etc. I have never stayed in a youth hostel before but Dougie has lots and assured me that this is of a similar set up. There was no kitchen at this Bunkhouse so we just used the space in our room to store breakfast, snacks and lunch.
This was a great adventure for the kids who loved sleeping in the sane room – as annoying as they were at 9pm after a busy day of fresh air – but we still had a giggle. The area was breathtakingly beautiful with waterfalls, etc etc to explore and of course to picnic! The public house was a real gem and great for much needed comfort food and drink at the end of a busy day.
We were very lucky to get good weather which makes such a difference to explore the Lakes, and with the fact that the whole booking process was so simple the break was a breath of fresh air (apart from the occasional fall out from the monkeys!).
We would highly recommend making time to visit this area in this manner, as we all had a great time and there was something for everyone.
how bad is it that I’ve never been to the Lake District and yet its not that far from me! looks like you had a fab time x
You should definitely plan a trip there soon as it’s great for the kids! Thank you for visiting our blog x