High Spy

The Lake District's northern reaches, around Bassenthwaite, offer a different pace from the busier honeypots further south. High Spy sits on the village edge, where walking trails start practically from the door and the scenery opens onto the lake and surrounding peaks. The cottage itself is compact but properly arranged: a living room with a woodburner, dining room leading to an enclosed garden, and a kitchen equipped for real cooking rather than holiday convenience. Upstairs are two bedrooms—one with a double and two singles, the other with a three-quarter double—sharing a bathroom with shower and heated towel rail.

The enclosed patio and rear garden give you outdoor space without fuss, and there is parking for one car on site. Essentials like heating, electricity, bed linen, towels and wi-fi come included, along with initial fuel for the fire. No smoking indoors. Bassenthwaite village itself has a stream where children play pooh sticks, a small green for ball games, and benches for sitting still. Keswick, a proper hub with restaurants, galleries, outdoor shops and a brewery, lies within reach but far enough that you need not see it unless you choose to. Cockermouth offers a quieter alternative with independent shops and the Wordsworth House nearby. Walking of every difficulty radiates from the cottage; if you want to leave the fells for a day, Cockermouth's food festival happens in September.