Archive for the ‘Lake District’ Category

The winners of the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2008 were announced last night at a special ceremony at the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal. The winners were:

Most Outstanding Customer Service Award – Daniel Fairweather, Windermere Marina Village
Unsung Hero – Alan Denwood, Lakes Aquarium
Lady Inglewood Award for Innovative People Management - The Old England, Bowness-on-Windermere
Large Hotel of the Year - The Old England Hotel, Bowness-on-Windermere
Small Hotel of the Year - Appleby Manor Country House Hotel, Appleby
Bed & Breakfast of the Year - Augill Castle, Kirkby Stephen
Self Catering Holiday of the Year - The Lodge, Brampton
Holiday Park of the Year - Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Estate, Windermere
Large Visitor Attraction - South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Dalton-in-Furness
Small Visitor Attraction – The Quaker Tapestry, Kendal
Taste of Cumbria – Village Bakery, Melmerby, Penrith
Tourism Experience Award – Shacklabank Free Range Walking, Sedbergh
Business Tourism Award – Rheged, Penrith
Tourism Website – Windermere Lodge, Windermere

The Lake District’s famous ospreys have settled in a new nest on the eastern side of Bassenthwaite Lake after spending 7 breeding seasons on the opposite site at a nest in Wythop Woods.

Despite the move, the existing viewpoint at Dodd Wood remains open and gives visitors the change to see the ospreys fishing in the lake and watch woodland birds. The Lake District Osprey Team is hoping to set up a new viewpoint near the new nest.

Graeme Prest of the Lake District Osprey Project said, ‘Over the years we have learnt to ‘expect the unexpected’ when it comes to our ospreys and clearly this year it’s going to be no different, with yet another twist to the tale. However, it’s great news that it looks like it’s going to be business as usual for our ospreys but just at a different nest and it does mean that we’ll need to alter our osprey viewing arrangements for visitors slightly.’

North West picnic lovers can vote for their favourite picnic spot in a competition being organised by Bolton-based bakers Warburtons. Ten sites in the region have been nominated:

Stanley Park – Blackpool
Lyme Park – Disley, Cheshire
Heaton Park – Manchester
Formby Beach – Merseyside
Beeston Castle – Tarporley, Cheshire
Barley Picnic Site – Pendle Hill, Ribble Valley
Jumbles Reservoir – Bradshaw Valley, Bolton
Beacon Fell – Goosnargh, near Preston
Fell Foot Park – Windermere, Lake District
Crook o’ Lune – Lune Valley, Lancaster

Votes can be registered at www.welovebread.co.uk until May 16 2008. All voters are entered into a draw to win a picnic in Central Park, New York.

The winner will be announced at the start of June and will go compete against the other regional winners for the title of ‘Warburtons Best Picnic Spot 2008’.

A new exhibit was unveiled at the Aquarium of the Lakes at Lakeside on Saturday by television presenter Michaela Strachan. The £100,000 Virtual Dive Bell allows visitors to get close and personal with the undersea life via interactive computer screenings.

Blackburn’s new bridge on Freckleton Street is to be named after guidebook author Alfred Wainwright after a poll conducted by the Lancashire Telegraph. Wainwright was born in Blackburn in 1907 and is best known for his guides to the Lake District, in particular the seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.

Moorfield Media have announced the nominations for the Northern Hospitality Awards 2008. The winners will be announced at the Lowry Hotel on April 7. The finalists include:

Best Restaurant

Brasserie Black Door, Newcastle Upon Tyne
El Gato Negro, West Yorkshire
Holbeck Ghyll, Cumbria
The London Carriage Works, Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool
The Peacock at Rowsley, Derbyshire

Best Hotel

City Inn, Manchester
Hilton Manchester Deansgate
The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
Malmaison, Liverpool
Radisson Edwardian, Manchester

Best Pub

The Bayley Arms, Lancashire
The Highway Man, Lancashire
The Q Bar, Cheshire
The Shoulder of Mutton, Harrogate
The Swettenham Arms, Cheshire

Best Chef

Lisa Allen, Head Chef, Northcote Manor, Lancashire
Paul Askew, Chef Patron, The London Carriage Works, Liverpool
David Kennedy, Executive Chef, Black Door Group, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Simon Shaw, Chef Patron, El Gato Negro, West Yorkshire
Eyck Zimmer, Executive Head Chef, The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

Best Wine Offering

The Devonshire Brasserie and Bar
Hillbark Hotel
Malmaison, Liverpool
Northcote Manor, Lancashire
Warehouse Brasserie, Southport

The Forestry Commission have launched a new shuttle bus service in a bid to cut traffic congestion in the Lake District. The Grizedale Wanderer X30 connects Haverthwaite to the Grizedale Visitor Centre at Grizedale Forest. The service commenced on March 21 and will run until November 2 2008.

A copy of one of the most important books in the history of British poetry has gone on display at the Wordsworth Museum in Grasmere. The 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads is a signed presentation copy given to one of Wordsworth’s childhood friends. It is one of only seven copies in existence that contain replacement pages to correct a misprint. It was recently purchased by the Wordsworth Trust for £42,000.

Keswick’s Cottage in the Wood Country House Hotel was the only hotel in North West England to Feature in Trip Advisor’s 2008 Travellers’ Choice Awards announced earlier this month. It ranked 7th amongst the Top 10 Best Bargains in Europe.

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest online travel community. The Travellers’ Choice Awards were determined by a combination of TripAdvisor’s Popularity Index and traveller ratings.

City centre restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool have failed to gain a coveted Michelin Star in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland published yesterday. The North West restaurants retaining their single star were Juniper in Altrincham, Northcote Manor in the Ribble Valley, the Arkle at the Chester Grosvenor, L’Enclume in Cartmel, and Sharrow Bay on Ullswater.