Private Path to the river Rothay and Grasmere lake

It will take you just 10 mins or so to wander down the path to the River Rothay and Grasmere lakeshore from the edge of our grounds. Access is available only to those staying in Lake View Drive. Borrow one of our folding chairs and while away a few hours in June watching luminescent, turquoise dragonflies Calopteryx Virgo.

​

Or walk out onto the slate spit and swim/paddleboard from the left (deeper water) or dip your toes (and the dog) on the right at the shallow river mouth. Wait in hope for otters and kingfishers (preferably without the dog)!  But always readily enjoy the cormorants, herons, swans, geese (Canada and Greylag), oyster catchers, and a variety of ducks. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

Badgers, Buzzards and Barn Owls 

Our resident badger sett is extensive with burrows and subsetts around our plot (under the garage, under our craft brewery, amongst the rhododendrons, under the lawn etc). Far from being totally nocturnal (the badgers not the guests), folk staying with us regularly observe our badgers in the late afternoon and evening. Remember that badgers are shy animals and have a strong bite. The badger will probably bolt for cover if you accidentally meet one in close proximity. If you have a dog with you, please always keep it on a lead. We are planning to build a badger hide in our orchard,  which is criss-crossed by many ‘badger runs’. Badgers like to walk the same paths every day. Like us they are creatures of habit, and they love to play with one another. The blind and mostly bald babies are born (under our neighbour’s garage!) in February and the youngsters emerge with their mums on our plot in April - just in time to hear our local cuckoos calling!

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

Speaking of birds – Lake View and its wider environment is a budding ornithologists dream. Owls are a particular feature of the winter months, whilst buzzards regularly call overhead in spring and summer, with swifts, martins, jackdaws, sparrows and a host of various kinds of tits nesting in the house walls and eves. Dusk on warm evenings bring a welcome bat or two which we are trying to encourage through bat boxes in the grounds. Winter brings the red deer and the sacrifice of one or two scratched tree trunks as they shed the skin from their antlers. Red squirrels store hundreds of conkers in our compost bins, and our garden pond is occasionally visited by one of the many local herons looking for frogs (and alarmingly, occasionally finding one to gulp down !) Our proudest moments are when guests have observed otters playing at the river mouth at the bottom of our private path to Grasmere Lake.

​

Please follow these links for some great videos and more information about badgers:

https://www.badgertrust.org.uk/badgers

https://www.binfieldbadgers.org.uk/video-clips

 

Fishing  

Fishing rights from our private path (to the Rothay river and Grasmere Lake) are included with your stay at Lake View. People tend to fish at several points around the lake, so beyond our very accessible shoreline you would need a daily licence from WADAA (https://www.lakedistrictfishing.co.uk). WADAA say "This small lake is one of the region’s best natural coarse fisheries holding prolific shoals of roach, quality perch, and big pike. Genuine thirty pounds plus pike have been caught in the past and twenty-pound fish are caught every year, along with good numbers of doubles... Grasmere is surprisingly underfished for other species. The roach have a high average size and 2lb fish are not uncommon. Similarly, 3lb perch are by no means unusual."

​

Important Note

Please note that guests use our grounds, the footpath down to the lake, and Grasmere Lake itself at their own risk.

​