Find your freedom in 11 wooded acres of the Eden Valley – a freedom that comes peppered with pleasure. Load up the coal barbecue with bangers and burgers from Low Howgill butchers and eat out on the terrace in the Lakeland sunshine while the kids discover the lawn cricket, trampoline, zip wire and play area.
Wander the two large lawns with gin in hand and dog by your side (watch out for sheep), admire the flower beds, yomp through the woods. Stay jolly playing the sound system in the summerhouse. And make the most of your 400 metres of fishing rights on the banks of the Eden, hunting ground for some of the UK’s best trout fishing.
Get ready to feel rather grand. Get yourself in a Grade II* listed frame of mind to enjoy all the Octavius Wing has to offer. Like the double-height central main hall with large skylight with open fires to light. The grand oak staircase that’s worth a sashay for Insta. And the fine corniced ceilings, working window shutters and three open fires.
You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back into the Edwardian era. Although there’s nothing old time about the 85” smart TV in the glorious 30-foot drawing room. Gather round and make a Netflix night of it. Stream away on the full-fibre broadband. Release the kids or the inner child onto the games room’s pool, table football and board games.
Feed the flock in the magnificent dining room with huge oak table, and feel like Henry VIII, his wives and courtiers, although with much less chance of being beheaded. You’ll also love the Rangemaster oven, although your experience could be all the better for booking the pro chefs from DineIndulge.
Prefer your meals with the Mediterranean feel? Eat al-fresco on the terrace in the clear Cumbrian air with fresh meat from Low Howgill butchers on the coal barbecue and fizz from Tufton Mews Wines. Or dial-up your dinner with takeaways from China Moon Chinese, Ashiana for Indian and Pizza Roma for Italian.
Popping out to the pub? The Three Greyhounds Inn is a cosy stop for home-made burgers, scampi and pizzas and The Black Swan Inn in Penrith is good for sea-bass fillets, trout with almonds and chicken breast with Stilton. Or try The New Crown Inn for Cumberland sausage, battered chicken strips or pie of the day.
In Appleby, The Tufton Arms Hotel serves up classic fish and chips, falafel burger and Aberdeen Angus sirloin steak. Or for something unique, try authentic tapas made with Cumbrian ingredients at La Casita Penrith. For the only Michelin starred dining in Cumbria, book in advance for a culinary experience at the Dog and Gun in Skelton.
Curlews and lapwings might be the only sounds that pierce the blanket calm at night in the Eden Valley. So sleep will be tight in six bedrooms sleeping 12, plus a couple of little ones on zed-beds in the Regal and Seaman bedrooms. All rooms will fit a cot.
The master bedroom (Isinglass Suite – main room) offers a kingsize on a mezzanine floor, while the Isinglass Suite (room 2), another mezzanine room, is accessed through the main room and sleeps two in twin singles. The rooms share a private toilet and shower room.
The Regal Room is a four-poster kingsize that shares a bathroom with the Seaman Room, another kingsize four-poster. The Harvest Room is a kingsize with private toilet and shower and the Reugny Room is a twin single with a shared bathroom.
