The Northern Lakes — A Slower Kind of Escape

There are places that instantly remind you of the Mediterranean. Not because of the sea or the sunshine, but because of the feeling they give you. Rolling hills, old stone houses, sheep wandering through endless landscapes, horses in muddy fields, quiet roads, little cafés and long days spent outside.

The Northern Lakes in the UK gave me exactly that feeling. A slower rhythm. A softer kind of living.

We flew into Manchester and rented a car from there — honestly the easiest way to explore the area properly. Since we had lots of hikes and little adventures planned, having a car made everything much more accessible. From Manchester it took us around two hours to reach Troutbeck, close to Penrith.

This part of England is a place I’ve returned to a couple of times already. During my studies in the UK I met some wonderful people here — friendships that thankfully stayed over the years and slowly started feeling more like family away from home. Every now and then, I make my way back up north to slow down, reconnect and breathe a little deeper again.

For the next ten days we stayed at Rookin House Equestrian & Activity Centre. A place tucked into the countryside with cozy renovated stone cottages, horses outside your window and the kind of rainy weather that somehow forces you to slow down.

And honestly? The rain feels important here.

At Rookin you can rent cottages of different sizes — all beautifully renovated, warm and perfectly equipped for both short and longer stays. The old rural stone houses feel incredibly cozy after long wet hikes and windy afternoons outside.

Apart from the cottages, there’s so much to do here. Horse riding, trekking, archery, quad biking, clay shooting, paintball and more. It’s one of those places that somehow works for everyone — solo travelers, couples, groups of friends or even bachelorette weekends away from home.

After arriving, we simply unpacked, had dinner and watched the horses slowly making their way toward their favorite field for the night. A pretty perfect welcome if you ask me.

Buttermere & Red Pike

On our second day we drove to Buttermere for a hike. We started the morning slowly with tea and fresh scones in a tiny café before walking through bluebells, sheep fields and lake views toward Scale Force — a tall, thin waterfall flowing down from Red Pike.

The walk felt almost unreal at times. Fairy-like rivers, endless green hills and that dramatic northern landscape that somehow feels both wild and calming at the same time. After climbing higher toward Red Pike (755m), we passed little streams, sheep and eventually reached Bleaberry Tarn on our way back down.

waterfall

fairy bridges in buttermere

bluebirds in buttermere

old stone church in buttermere

A Slow Day at Lowther Castle

Tuesday was intentionally slower. We visited Lowther Castle — an old castle ruin surrounded by enormous gardens and wide countryside views.

Before entering the castle grounds you walk through a small museum explaining the history of the Lowther Estate, which made the whole place feel even more special. We grabbed coffee from the café and slowly wandered through the different gardens — rose gardens, Japanese gardens, hidden pathways and old stone walls everywhere.

There’s also a beautifully curated little shop inside, full of books, homewares and thoughtful gifts.

Our evenings almost always ended back at Rookin — sitting outside watching the horses, listening to live music in the bar when they had it on and simply enjoying quiet evenings together.

loather castle cafe

lowther castle

view towards loather garden

loather castle

lowther castle

Rainy Days in Keswick

Wednesday brought heavy rain, so we embraced a slower day. We drove to Keswick and walked around Derwentwater before wandering through Hope Park.

Keswick feels lively without losing its charm. Small outdoor shops, old pubs, cozy cafés, bookstores and tiny streets tucked between the mountains. It has a lovely balance between adventure town and slow rainy-day escape. There’s also the beautiful Theatre by the Lake sitting right by the water, which makes the whole town feel even more atmospheric.

Great Mell Fell & Cold Plunges

Thursday started with the discovery that the pond outside our cottage was apparently used for cold plunges. I personally stayed warm and watched from a safe distance — but the others absolutely loved it.

Later we took Max, one of the sheepdogs from our friends, and walked up Great Mell Fell directly from Rookin. The views from the top were beautiful, though the steep way back down definitely kept us awake.

Ullswater & The Steamer Ride

Friday might have been one of my favorite days. We drove down to Glenridding at Ullswater and took the famous steamer across the lake toward Howtown.

Of course we stayed outside on the boat the entire time despite the freezing wind — but the views were absolutely worth it.

Once we arrived in Howtown, we walked into the tiny village and stopped for coffee and carrot cake at a beautiful little tea room before hiking the three-hour lakeside route back toward Glenridding. The walk itself is relatively easy and gives you endless lake views the entire way. If the weather allows, you can even stop for swims or continue higher into the surrounding fells.

Grasmere, Ambleside - Cakes & Scones

Saturday we visited Grasmere — one of the cutest villages in the Lake District.

Originally we planned to hike around Rydal Water and Grasmere, but somewhere along the way we spontaneously decided to walk toward Ambleside instead because I had saved a café there that looked too beautiful not to visit.

Ambleside was definitely busier and more touristy than the places we had seen before, but still worth visiting for its little streets, cafés and shops.

If you walk past Stock Ghyll Force and continue upward through the park, you eventually reach Grove Barn Café — an old stone barn with incredible views, great coffee and delicious food.

On the way back we stopped at Cornish Bakery for what might have been the best apple crumble scone I’ve ever had. Easily 10/10.

Horses, Gingerbread & Slow Sundays

Sunday brought more rain, but honestly at this point that simply became part of the experience.

We joined a one-hour horse trek through the woods in the morning which felt like the perfect slow Sunday activity. Afterwards we drove back to Grasmere and finally made it to Emma's Dell for lunch after missing it the day before.

We then spent nearly an hour inside Gather Grasmere — one of the most beautiful little shops we found during the trip.

Of course we also stopped at the famous The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, where gingerbread has been made using the original recipe since 1854.

Afternoon tea and homemade carrot cake followed at Baldry's Tea Room before heading back to Rookin to say goodnight to the horses once again.

One Last Slow Morning

Monday started early with a peaceful morning ride around Rookin before we stopped at Basecamp North Lakes Farm Shop & Kitchen — a lovely farm shop where you can find local produce, little gifts and even alpacas.

And somewhere between coffee cups, muddy boots and horse cuddles, I ended up writing this journal entry for you guys.

Tomorrow is our last day here. We’ll spend it slowly — drinking tea, cuddling horses, watching the rain and soaking in these last quiet moments before heading home again.

Sometimes slowing down doesn’t look like sunshine and beaches.

Sometimes it looks like rainy walks, muddy dogs, warm scones and old stone houses in the north of England.

And honestly?

That might be just as magical.

All information about the cottages, activities and prices you can easily find here - Rookin House Activity Center