I’m thrilled to announce our luxury holiday home “High Biggin”  has just received a fantastic 5 star gold award from Visit Britain! This confirms the quality of this outstanding property, and allows me to relax in the knowledge that all the hard work was worth while!

I was proud to show the inspectors around the house and gardens, I obviously showed them the guest book, every comment left was wonderful. More importantly for me, they all finished with “10/10 – we can’t wait to come back”. It means a lot when guests feel as though they have found somewhere that’s perfect for their family holiday.

Visit Britain has a great reputation for assuring quality, there inspector’s certainly put the properties through there paces! That’s no bad thing and as a customer it gives peace of mind, I know as someone who takes the family away on self catering holidays occasionally, it’s a sure fire way of understanding what you get for your money. I’m pleased to say that obviously they loved the house, its position over looking Lake Windermere and of course the privacy of its gardens.

It’s been a great first few months of letting, and for me, being able to offer something different, something special, where guests can incorporate the hospitality of the hotel with the privacy and luxury of the house has really and truly worked. Guests are enjoying the flexibility on offer, dine in or book a table in our award winning restaurant, we can even cater for you at the house! Personally, I would recommend the barbeque and the hot tub be used at least once, where else can you cook and eat dinner and relax with such breathtaking views?!

If you’re thinking about booking a self catering holiday in the UK, don’t book anything before considering “High Biggin” believe me, you won’t be disappointed! Don’t just take my word for it, ask Visit Britain, 5 star gold say’s it all!!

I look forward to welcoming those of you who book with us for the coming year! Oh, and don’t forget to visit our facebook page for details of how to win a free holiday, that’s one week in this stunning house with four bedrooms and five bathrooms without spending a penny!!

Jonathan Allan

General Manager

I just thought I’d bring you up to speed on a few things to look out for over the course of the coming year.

I know we all enjoy the garden for different reasons, here at the Beech Hill we’ve tried over time to keep things interesting and colourful. Some of you who have already stayed with us will know the grounds and that they are mainly terraced, stepping down all the way to the waters edge. Some of you may even remember I tried a herb garden a few years ago. It only took the local family of ducks about two minutes to discover it, then a further two days to eat every last bit of it!

During the quieter months of winter our gardener, Ashley, has been busy working through our plans to bring the garden back with even more colour than ever! We’ve carefully selected and planted nearly a thousand new bulbs in and around many of the borders.  As spring moves into summer we’re planning to introduce masses of summer bedding plants to really lift some of the less colourful corners of the garden.  On top of that we’ll have all the usual pots and hanging baskets.

We also have a seasonal “Tea Garden” which is literally on the waters edge, this is a treat not to be missed! Open during the summer months (weather permitting) we serve a selection of tea’s and coffee, soft drinks, and of course we always have a chilled bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge. What better way to spend a peaceful summer’s afternoon, believe me, if the suns out, you’ll be back tomorrow!

I just wanted to mention “High Biggin” in this blog. It’s relevant because it’s our luxury holiday home with a difference. It’s different in so many wonderful ways; however, in this case it’s obviously the garden I want to talk about. The garden is beautiful from every angle, but the best bit for me is the kitchen garden.

The idea here is simple, it allows you, the guest to make full use of something quite different. Our gardening team keep the kitchen garden “growing” through the seasons. If you’re booked to stay at the house for a week, you can feel free to help yourselves to all the goodies on offer. It could be rhubarb in the spring, strawberries in the summer or simply fresh herbs to accompany your barbeque! Just remember to close the gate behind you, the wild deer enjoy nothing more than a free dinner!

For those of you with a more intense interest of gardens, the Lake District offers a wealth of choice. From one the countries oldest Topiary gardens at the stunning Leven’s Hall, to the annual garden and flower show at Holker Hall. Visit our events calendar on line for more information, or feel free to ask!

Until next time, happy gardening!

Jonathan Allan

General Manager

As an update we just thought we’d show you the result of Ashley’s hard work on our garden: