There are plenty of ways to fill a family holiday. Days out, tickets, timetables, activities booked weeks in advance and the familiar chorus of “what are we doing today?” before breakfast has even finished. But some of the best childhood memories come from doing very little at all, at least by grown-up standards.
The Westmorland and Furness Way (different to the shorter route) officially opened on 15 September 2026, creating a new 120-mile walking route across Cumbria, from Alston in the North Pennines to the historic ruins of Furness Abbey on the Furness Peninsula.
October half term is a lovely time to explore the Eden Valley and the eastern edge of the Lake District, with Halloween crafts, spooky adventures and family days out to enjoy whatever the Cumbrian weather has in store.
There’s a reason so many people head to the same places for a family holiday in the Lake District. The famous lakes, the postcard-perfect villages, the walks everyone recommends and the attractions that have been on the family bucket list for years. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. But what if you could enjoy everything that makes this corner of the country so special without staying right in the middle of the crowds?
September and October are a particularly good time to explore the Eden Valley, with local markets, open gardens, walks, art, dark skies and a few rather more unusual things going on….So we’ve picked out a few 2026 events we think are worth knowing about.
Here at Augill Castle, we’ve been serving afternoon tea in the Eden Valley for years, and at some point we decided that perhaps it was time to stop doing what everyone else was doing. So we got rid of the finger sandwiches.
Yes. We said it.
And, surprisingly, the afternoon tea police have yet to arrive.
The quiet side of the Lakes: a castle hotel near the Lake District
There is a certain expectation that if you are looking for a stay near the Lake District, you need to be right in the middle of it all. Somewhere overlooking a lake, perhaps, or tucked into one of the better-known towns, with walkers in boots passing the window and plenty of places to eat, drink and explore within easy reach.
And, of course, there is nothing wrong with that.
But what if you could spend your days exploring the Lake District and then come back to somewhere altogether quieter?
There are Christmases you remember.
The ones where everyone is squeezed around the same table, the fire is glowing, somebody has had one glass of wine too many, the children are still awake at midnight and nobody really wants the evening to end.
Now imagine doing all of that in your own castle. Not visiting one for the afternoon. Not staying in one tiny room while the rest of the building is closed off. Taking the whole thing.
There is something rather appealing about the idea of staying in a castle near the Yorkshire Dales. You get the countryside, the big skies, the walking and the villages, but instead of coming back to a fairly ordinary hotel at the end of the day, you get to go back to a castle.
To request a restaurant booking please complete the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If your booking is urgent, please call us on 017683 41937
