THE EARLY DAYS
Like many who holiday in the Lakes, the Abbotts dreamed of living here one day. A once in a lifetime chance came along, and despite the anxiety about leaving our life in London, we all decided to go for it.
First to move up were Beth, Paul and Emme. They renovated Lake View and got going with The Good Sport (then called Potted Out). The barns that would site Grasmere Brewery were completely derelict...but Paul had a plan!
Life was pretty hectic, but with commuting and office life far far behind us, it always felt worth it.
THE PIGS
For about a year we had three pigs here at Lake View: Beatrix, Dorothy and Conan.
They cleared the over-grown ground down by the barns (now Grasmere Brewery...told you Paul had a plan!) The pigs kept him very busy!
There was briefly talk of having many more pigs...but surprisingly enough pig farming was not Beth's dream and we decided to focus on making beer!
THE GROWN UPS
Richard and Ros had been visiting the Lakes for many many years. It was their dream to move here originally, so it is wonderful that they are now able to live and work here.
On top of many other things, they are responsible for the guest house, Lake View Country house, with its stunning gardens, and the beautiful flowers at The Good Sport,
If you can't find them in the garden, they will most likely be up a fell.!
IT STARTS TO COME TOGETHER
Five crazy years. Let's re-cap! We move from London to a run down B&B in Grasmere. Renovate. Take over a run down café. Renovate. Pigs! Turn derelict barns into a brewery. Turn café into pub. Make and sell beer for the first time. Phew!
We had just got into our stride when Covid-19 hit. The pause has given us time to rest, reconnect and get on top of jobs!
With gradual reopening from lockdown in 2021, we were at last able to welcome guests back to Lake View and The Good Sport, many for their first-ever trip to the Lake District!
A WILD LIFE!
So…we no longer have pigs. But what we forgot to tell you is that we did go through a duck phase. But now we don’t have ducks either….(they went to a good home, we promise). Of course we continue to have lots and lots of badgers - and rabbits and foxes and jackdaws (not to mention swallows, martins and swifts) and vibrant, turquoise dragonflies, and the occasional red deer. In fact the place is thankfully teeming with wild life.
We have taken steps to be more climate conscious – by introducing biodegradable bin bags, biodegradable tea-bags (yes, most tea-bags actually contain plastic, but ours don't), biodegradable loo cleaner, Ecover washing-up and other cleaning products, and by reducing plastic packaging throughout the guest house. We are working towards making available an electric charging point for cars. Watch this space !
SORTING THINGS OUT
So, Richard and Ros now run the guest house and gardens. Paul manages Grasmere Brewery and Distillery and is chiefly responsible for building development. Beth oversees the Good Sport and all our fantastic staff. We are all looking forward to the seasons ahead, working together for the good of our guests, our lovely locals and the village of Grasmere. THANK YOU for all the support and encouragement you give us. We couldn’t do it without you.
There are always refurbishments and ‘sortings out’ going on at Lake View. A bit like the badgers, we find it difficult to stop ‘tweaking’ to improve what we offer. - e.g. we have introduced solid oak sofa beds in many of the guest rooms. We hope this will allow families and groups of friends to more easily enjoy our fantastic location amidst the beautiful lakes and fells.