In the Lake District there is a very wide mix of holiday cottages. High specification apartments, sometimes in ancient country houses, will appeal to some visitors. Economy grade cottages in village centres, clean but basically equipped , might be more appropriate to the stretched budget of a cost-conscious family in these times of financial constraint. Pet friendly cottages are also widely available.

The houses in the Lake District that have now been adapted as holiday accommodation are very varied in their origins. Historic country houses have been turned into top grade accommodation . Old disused barns, miners' cottages, slate-built terraces and long disused mine buildings all now act as Lake District cottages available as holiday lets.

In every area of Lakeland self-catering holiday cottages are available from local people, such as individual farmers. Many proprietors manage everything themselves. Others prefer to employ specialists to do it for them. When you rent your cottage via an agency, in some cases their office staff will be the only people you deal with , but sometimes time there you will deal direct with the proprietor regarding any day to day questions.

What benefit is there in renting a self catering holiday cottage as against paying for a hotel room? For some people it might be cost. Even if the initial price of the accommodation is not much different, you should be able to keep watch over eating costs more effectively - much less eating out and this can have a massive impact on the outlay for a week's holiday,especially if there are several in the family. Yes, you do have to allow for the disadvantage of having to do food preparation and the dishwashing and many strongly prefer to pay the extra to have all of that done by others, but there are additional points to consider. With a holiday cottage you have much greater flexibility, especially if you plan to take your children and/or a pet.

When you take very young members of the family with you on your break a self-catering cottage gives the benefits of increased space compared to a hotel room, considerably more flexibility of timings (with no need to be concerned about dining room opening/closing times), selection and type of food, and no worries regarding noise or clothing. Most properties will have a washing machine, so laundry is not a big problem when its required. There is no need to get all worked up about shepherding a line of muddy children through a shiney clean hotel foyer en route to your room. Yes, so long as you hand back the cottage as it was at your arrival youre under your own management and dont have to worry.

One great characteristic of Cumbria is the number of cottages that welcome pets. Lake District walks up the valleys and over hills bring wonderful opportunities to enjoy special times with your dog. Yes there are many pet friendly hotels , and for some these will seem preferable, but self-catering accommodation gives more flexibility with no need to be anxious about any effect of your dog on any other guests.

Cumbria holiday cottages are to be found in a great range of sizes. You can find small single bedroom cottages well suited to a single individual or couple who plan to spend the majority of their time in the hills come rain or shine. In _marked contrast there are big houses with five or six bedrooms, that will better suit large, maybe extended families or groups of friends . In between these there is self catering facilities of a size and shape to fit just about any family or group need.

Where you would prefer your cottage might possibly be inluenced by the kind of break youre planning. Fortunately there is a wide choice . Planning a weekend of mountain walking? Then you might like something close to the mountain paths you intend to walk. Thinking of taking the children to popular attractions? Maybe a place in town would attract you. Do you want to be in the busy towns of the Lake District, or on the more peaceful outer areas? Ambleside ? Or away near the sea at Ravenglass or the Eden Valley?

There are also hotels which have converted annexes around their main block for self catering. Elsewhere some hotels have added cooking facilities into a selection of their larger rooms. At Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass,for example, there you will find b&b accommodation in the coachman's quarters and can also have the use of a kitchen/dining area.

Finally we feel it is important to mention a socially significant point - self-catering supplies during the holiday, such as food and household bits and pieces. In some areas of the Lake District there is now a serious problem caused by the high proportion of self catering cottages. Visitors to these areas tend to be concentrated into the middle of the year and few local families especially young families on low incomes who would be there around the calendar can afford the inflated property prices. As a result local businesses are getting fewer. We often appeal to visitors renting Lake District holiday accommodation to please patronise the village shops and other local businesses rather than driving substantial distances to a supermarket. Otherwise they may have disappeared by the next time you come.