THINGS TO DO IN CUMBRIA AND YORKSHIRE DALES
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Helvellyn, Striding Edge and Britain’s Favourite Walk
In 2018, the general public got to vote on what they felt was Britain's Favourite Walks and so we went to check out for ourselves, if Helvellyn via Striding Edge deserved the number 1 top spot. Spoiler Alert. It is pretty spectacular! Moving to the Lake District, we...
A Walk to Stickle Tarn
Starting from Millbeck in Great Langdale, the walk to Stickle Tarn is really worth the effort even if only for the views. They are stunning. Climbing the stones steps along the pathway carved into the dramatic slopes of the landscape, you ascend to the height of 470m...
Open Water Swimming in the Lake District
With so many new experiences to try in the Lake District, Open Water Swimming was just one of the many on our list to do more of. Especially with the summer we are having so far this year, who wouldn't find the allure of a glistening, crystal clear, world heritage...
Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge
We have had two groups staying with us recently that have completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and as we have yet to do this ourselves (don't worry we will tick it off the list at some point) we have been getting all their tips and advice for those thinking...
Walking up Catbells
Having moved to Cumbria we are keen to explore the area and walking up Catbells was a new experience, especially with the viewpoint of overseas tourists accompanying us. Damian's friends from Singapore were planning a trip to Paris and London and having been inspired...
A Visit To Cartmel
If you are looking for things to do whilst staying at St Marks, I would recommend a visit to Cartmel. Just 45 minutes away from St Marks Stays, this picturesque village located in the Southern edge of the Lake District, offers so much more than expected for the size....
Sizergh Castle and Garden
If you are looking to do something a little closer to St Marks Stays, the National Trust property of Sizergh Castle and Garden is really worth a visit. Located 4 miles south of Kendal in the Lake District and a half hour drive from us here in Cautley, Sizergh Castle...
A Diver’s Hangout
We knew we wanted our studio and St Marks to be used for all kinds of activities, but little did we know that it would turn out to be perfect for a diver's hangout. This is just what we were told when a group of scuba diving instructors and students arrived to stay...
Go Ape Adventure
Despite having a dislike of heights, I have been wanting to try a Go Ape Adventure for so long and finally got the chance to have an awesome time. We couldn't have asked for a better day to try out Go Ape's Tree Top Adventure in the stunning environment of Grizedale...
Stop waiting for the right time
On a weekday evening after work recently, Damian and I got in the car and headed in to the Lake District for a hike and some wild camping, (and yes we did adhere to the rules of wild camping) with the plan that we would be up early and back to our desks in time for...
Yoga and Positivity
When the wonderful Sonia arrived in her campervan on our drive, it was the start of a fabulous bank holiday weekend full of yoga and positivity. If you want your venue to have a boost, then just book Sonia, as her energy for life envelopes you and you spend the whole...
Good food, creativity and friendship
When we viewed St Marks, we did not even know back then that we would be gaining a week every year where good food, creativity and friendship would be a big part of our Spring season. This is exactly what we get when our quilting ladies return from Scotland and the...
Poppies Tour
Since I first saw the images of the 888,246 ceramic poppies flowing from The Tower of London in 2014, I (Joanne) have always wanted to see them and whilst the poppies from the originally installation were sold, it was still great that a Poppies Tour was created around...
Our First Yoga Retreat
Back in April 2018, when we hosted our first yoga retreat here at St Marks Stays, it was the realisation of one of our dreams from 2015. When we were looking for a new home, the thing we loved about St Marks, was the studio room and the opportunities we could create...
Appleby Horse Fair
This year was our second year to witness the travelling and gypsy community make their way through Sedbergh to Appleby Horse Fair. There is something lovely about being in Cautley, because in our location, we just hear the clip clop of horses and get to watch the...
Fun interior design. Why not?
Not taking ourselves too seriously, we wanted to have some fun interior design in St Marks Stays and why not hey! I always love hotels, bars and restaurants that are quirky and we wanted to create a little bit of that with our designs. Bedroom five is named Monteverde...
A love for Moroccan Interiors
I (Joanne) knew one of our rooms and especially a bathroom was going to have an Moroccan inspiration, because it turns out, I’m not the only person with a love for Moroccan Interiors. There is something about the vibrant tones and patterns that is so different to the...
What is a triple bunkbed?
When people are enquiring about booking St Marks Stays, the question asked a lot is, ‘What is a triple bunkbed?’ So with the unveil of bedroom three, here is exactly what our triple bunkbed looks like. Bedroom three is the middle room in the house and has had the...
Style inspired by Mackintosh
The style inspired by Mackintosh is within our bedroom number two in St Marks Stays, which sits to the right down the little steps and has the fabulous views of the hills at the back of the house. The style we are talking about, is of course Rennie Mackintosh and a...
Our Namaste welcome to you
As we open up our newly renovated rooms, here is the transformation of bedroom one and our Namaste welcome to you. We had always called the bedrooms by numbers for our reference when we moved in to St Marks, but talking to lots of people, it became apparent that...