I’ve never felt so much pressure to get a blog post written before, but I’ve had so many messages after our stay in the Lake District over the May bank holiday weekend, and the photos I was sharing on instagram. So apologies for the slight delay, and I hope this answers everyone’s questions! We stayed at the Langdale Estate, which is about ten minutes from Ambleside.

The estate is basically a small village, and is made up of the main hotel which has normal rooms of various sizes, luxury lodges – again with varying sizes that sleep from 2 -8, and the Brimstone Hotel, which is a newer part and here you have the high end luxury hotel rooms.

As a child I stayed at both the Langdale Hotel and in one of the lodges, and have many happy memories of the place, so when my parents booked one of the lodges for a week, for them, myself and Kieran, and my sister and her boyfriend it was something I looked forward to for absolutely ages.

The opportunity to switch off, be in one of my favourite places in England, and have a day in the spa was more than appealing after a busy start to the year. We were in a Windermere Lodge, which is a two story, two bedroom lodge with a pull down bed.

Langdale Estate Accommodation

The three bedroom lodges were fully booked for the week we needed, but it wasn’t an issue at all and the pull down bed wasn’t actually a sofa bed, it didn’t impact on the space in the lodge at all. Caroline might say that’s easy for me to say, as I wasn’t the one on it haha but they said it was absolutely fine.

Our lodge had the master bedroom and twin bedroom both with en suites located on the ground floor, as well as a drying cupboard which is always essential in the Lake District. 

Up the stairs you find yourself in the open plan living space, with big comfy sofas, TV, dining area, side panel and storage that turns into the pull down double bed, kitchen area and upstairs bathroom complete with a decent sized sauna.

The kitchen is fully equipped, there’s a side cabinet full of all the glasses you need for a range of drinks, and the coffee tables has plenty of travel and board games. 

The balcony outside has a table and seats, and overlooks one of the water ponds that many of the lodges are built up around. The high glass windows of the lodges mean you have a lovely view up onto the Langdale Pikes, or if you’re in one on higher ground down over the estate and valley.

It’s the most beautiful setting, and a coffee out on the balcony in the fresh air each morning was my favourite way to start the day. There’s no phone signal whatsoever, so if you do want to switch off entirely it is doable, however there is free wifi available throughout all the accommodation, facilities and public areas.

There’s multiple parking spaces per lodge, and the whole estate is so well maintained. As you drive in you come to the main reception building which is where you check in, and get a map of the estate.

All the facilities including leisure facilities, restaurant, outdoor fire pit and seating area, public lawn and the private Brimstone spa are around this central point, with the lodges sprawling away among the trees and mini lakes.

 It might be unusual for the Lake District but within the estate no dogs are allowed, but it’s otherwise perfect for couples, families or groups looking to escape from reality for a while. The hotel is lovely, but the lodges are a great option for privacy and plenty space.

Brimstone Hotel

So I’ve not stayed in this part of the Langdale estate but my parents did their first evening over there for their anniversary, and have a couple of times previously. It’s significantly more expensive than the other hotel, as the rooms are limited and are more like suites, the full range can be found on the website.

Check in is in room, there’s a reading room, and space downstairs that serves unlimited coffee, tea, cheese, biscuits and other refreshments throughout the day. Breakfast is delivered to your room and can be enjoyed in your room or set up out on the balcony. 

Staying here also gives you access to the Brimstone Spa, a secluded, adult only spa facility separate to the main leisure facilities. If you aren’t staying in the Brimstone Hotel you have to pay £90 per person for access. Worth. Every. Penny.

An incredible spa experience at Brimstone Spa 

As we were in the lodges we had to pay the supplement per person to enter, which gives you full access for a set amount of time to all of the themed saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas, spa bistro, outdoor pool and fire pit. 

Treatments work at a set fee of £90 for all treatments and they all last an hour. If you book one it counts as your entrance fee to the Brimstone spa, so you might as well!

Kieran and I booked an afternoon session, and both opted for a full body massage. We turned up on our first afternoon within an hour of arriving, fully ready to immerse ourselves in the Lakeland themed spa.

The spa itself is landscaped out so beautifully overlooking the water, and the decor and theme of the whole spa reflects the local natural landscape. The heated slate floors, wooden huts and loungers, and outdoor pool with fountain that overlooks the hills in the distance just throws you into that environment combined with pure luxury.

On arrival we were given our own lockers, high quality flip flops that you can keep, and fluffy robes. We were also given a card which detailed all of the different steam rooms and saunas, as well as the suggested order to go through them. Our appointment time for our massages was on the back.

We went straight for the pool, which is half inside and half outside, turned the fountain on and offered glasses of prossecco and wine. Due to limited numbers being allowed in we had the place to ourselves for a good while, and just enjoyed being in this beautiful place of peace and quiet except for the occasional chirp from the birds.

As a few more people came out we ventured back in to start going through the different steam rooms. There were about twelve in total, starting with a hot and cold foot spa, before the one that had heated loungers as you lay in front of a lit up woodland scene.

Each one gets progressively hotter, and has different scents being pumped through. I loved the lava one, but couldn’t stay in it too long. We spent between ten and fifteen minutes in each, stopping for a bite to eat and some more wine half way through, which took us right through to our appointment times for our massages. 

I’m glad we did them before our treatments, as I was so relaxed afterwards that we just spent some time relaxing on the loungers both inside and outside. After one last dip in the beautiful pool we head back to the lodge feeling like we’d been away for a month not just four hours. 

It was the perfect start to the trip and I can’t recommend the spa enough. It’s one of if not the nicest one I’ve ever been to. Pure luxury.

Other leisure facilities, public spaces and the restaurant. 

We used the standard leisure facilities as well throughout our stay, and although they weren’t nearly as fabulous as Brimstone spa they were still way above ‘standard’ quality. The big main pool has swimming lanes, and a huge jacuzzi at the far end. There’s also a sauna and a steam room here too. 

Stove Bar and Restaurant 

The main restaurant on the estate is called Stove, and has a full restaurant area for brunch, lunch and dinner. We are here one of the evenings and it’s probably as dressy as you’ll get in the Lake District, yet still fairly casual.

We ate their one evening for my dad’s birthday, and it serves traditional British fine dining that you’d expect to find in the Lakes. I had a scotch egg to start, and then mussels. 

As well as some of the main dishes like lamb, chicken and fish, there’s also options like pizza available too. Service is excellent and it’s a nice change from the usual pub meals or self catering options you tend to go for in the Lake District. 

Stove also offers a smaller takeaway version of the same menu, and you can even order from it to be delivered directly your lodge if you want a takeaway night in. Everything on the estate can be added to one tab, so you never need to worry about carrying cash with you when you’re on site.

In addition to the dining restaurant there’s seating at the cocktail bar, an adults only wine bar, an upstairs mezzanine and an outdoor seating area by the fire pits with a view of the old water wheels.

It really is so beautifully done and is in my opinion the ultimate luxurious Lakeland experience. They’ve got everything covered that you could possibly need.

What else is nearby? 

Food options include the traditional Lakeland pub that’s just a few minutes walk from the estate called Wainwrights. It’s so close that they also let you put your bill onto your Langdale tab. We are here one of the evenings and the Cumberland sausage and mash should be very much top of your list to try, or the steak and ale pie.

The Brittania pub in the village is also old school and another great option, about ten minutes walk from our lodge. Their roast lamb for Spring was incredible for an evening meal, but it’s also a great spot to sit outside with a pint and packet of crisps in the sunshine after a walk along the river.

There’s plenty walks close by that are relatively easy, because for me this trip wasn’t about any big hikes or mountain climbs. The walk along the river to Chesters at Skelwith bridge takes about 50 minutes and is both easy and very pleasant with the Langdale Pikes providing the backdrop.

You’ll be rewarded at Chesters with a gorgeous shop and cafe, serving home made cakes, bakes or something more substantial, again in the prettiest little setting. If you can’t be bothered with the walk back the little local bus drops you off right by the Brittania. 

Short drives away you’ll find both Grasmere and Ambleside, two of the most popular towns in the Lake District. Will share more on both of these soon.

We left the lodge we called home after four days, and we had the most relaxing time away from reality. Brimstone spa really was something else and I’m already deciding when to return to stay in the Brimstone Hotel too. 

The whole Langdale estate offers something for everyone, and for a range of budgets depending on your choice of accommodation. If the Lakes isn’t somewhere you’re familiar with or you want to try somewhere different then I’d really consider staying here.

I’d also suggest looking for last minute deals, as we found that even over bank holiday there were some last minute deals available at very reasonable prices. Let me know if you book! 

Other posts you might like;

22 things to do in the Lakes that aren’t hiking

15 things to do in Keswick

A hot tub stay at Keswick Reach Retreat

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