A few weeks back my family gathered in the Lake District of north-east England. We had looked for somewhere that could take twelve of us. Lakefield Boathouse has seven bedrooms and sits on Ulswater. It looks like there was an old boathouse there, but the owners built bigger this place recently.
The location is pretty stunning as you look out over the lake to the hills on the other side. You can see very little of any other buildings or roads.
They have obviously spent some money as everything is top quality. There are lots of windows. On our first night there was a bit of storm blowing down the lake with driving rain, but it got better the next day. In that area the weather can be very variable. The place is decorated with oars and other boating items.
The main living area is mostly open plan. Under that coffee table is a window looking down into the current boathouse. You can see the fireplace is finished in the same stone as the exterior.
There is a well equipped kitchen with three ovens! We got a little confused by the tap that can supply boiling, chilled and even fizzy water. There is lots of automation, so lights can be controlled from a central panel and sound piped to speakers in the ceiling.
There is a snug media room with a big TV where you can gather. Blinds can be lowered using a remote control and that applies in a lot of the rooms.
There is a huge deck running along the side facing the lake. We did sit out for breakfast one day. You can see it was still a bit wet from the storm. The glass balustrade does not block the view.
Most of the bedrooms face the lake so you can wake up and raise the blinds to enjoy the view. There may be some boats sailing by. This room is at one end and can be a separate annex with its own lounge/kitchen downstairs. All the rooms have their own very nice bathrooms. One issue I found was that the bathroom lights would come on if you needed to go in at night. There were some set low in the wall that would have been enough to see where you were going. That may be a matter of changing some settings.
It looks like some of it is still being worked on. The dock looks original and those gates need some work. It has a big garden with lots of trees and a private beach.
We found this old Range Rover crushed by a fallen tree in the garden. I assume that happened a while ago.
The house is mostly solar powered with a bio-fuel boiler that we think was in one of the other buildings that we did not have access to.
It is a stunning place that most of us would just dream of owning, but it was nice to experience it. Obviously it is not cheap to stay there, but when you split the cost over a big group it could be cheaper than a luxury hotel. You could go sailing or paddle-boarding from there.
Penrith is the nearest large town, but it is a bit of a drive, so it would be worth stocking up on supplies. There is a hotel called Another Place much closer with a pool and a very nice restaurant. We also went to Dalemain House that was interesting and has a nice garden.
| The man behind: |  @tenkminnows: Helping good Hivers level up
#BritList: A monthly list of Hivers in the UK |
@proofofbrian