Destination Ambleside

Ambleside is one of the chief tourist resorts and one of the most popular centres for exploring the Lake District. There are many excellent shops and  restaurants, plus a great choice of Lake District self catering venues including camp sites, bed and breakfasts, hotels and Lake District cottages.

Property in Ambleside offers many opportunities for entering the tourism trade either as a guest house or providing self catering accommodation. The property is primarily Victorian, although there has been a settlement there since pre-Roman times.  The Romans built Galava, a fort located alongside Borrans Park in Ambleside and it used to hold around 500 soldiers. The fort was built to defend Southern Lakeland from marauding Picts and Scots, and also to secure the inland end of the road across Harknott Pass to the Roman Port of  Ravenglass. They also built a fort on top of Hardknott Pass to secure this route – surely one of the most inhospitable places in Roman Britain to have a fort.

Many well known figures have been connected with Ambleside, including William Wordsworth, John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter.  The Armitt Museum in Ambleside provides more information about each of these famous characters and within easy reach of Ambleside visitors will be able to experience the World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness, Rydal Mount in Rydal which was the home of the Wordsworth family from 1813 and Dove Cottage in Grasmere, which is where William Wordsworth wrote most of his greatest poetry.

Waterhead pier is only a mile south of Ambleside town centre and this ferry terminal allows visitors to experience scenic ferry trips on Lake Windermere.  The ferries run regularly throughout the day between Waterhead, Bowness-on-Windermere and Lakeside at Newby Bridge.

A short walk from the centre of the Ambleside leads up to Stock Ghyll Force, a highly picturesque waterfall, which can be reached through Stock Ghyll Woods. This spectacular seventy foot drop to a bowl shaped pool can be viewed safely from a hand railed vantage point.  The ghyll once powered twelve watermills. The scenery around Stock Ghyll is truly magnificent and for any visitors wishing to stay in a rural location, but with the convenience of a town close by there are some excellent Lake District cottages available for rent in the area.
The Lake District offers a huge range of lower level walks. A popular area is the Central Lakes, namely around Windermere, Ambleside and Coniston. There are still some larger fells in that area for example, Fairfield and Coniston Old Man but these are set amongst smaller fells such as Loughrigg and Todd Crag. The busy town of Ambleside is always full of walkers stopping off to refuel before their next outing but is also a popular place for non walkers who just want to take in the views or a cruise on Lake Windermere.

Owning a property in Ambleside opens up the whole of the Lake District and all it’s many attractions. Surely a great place to live!

Finding the right home for you can be a protracted business. You need to think clearly about what you want and the reasons for it before embarking on the search. There are many reasons people look for lake district houses for sale. People who are looking for somewhere to live in retirement will have different requirements to those with school age children, or who need to be near to their work, for example. Many people choose a house in the lake district as a second home to be used for holidays. If you intend to let it out as a self catering holiday home this imposes additional requirements. Holidaymakers generally expect modern bathrooms and kitchens, and a good standard of decor.

If you choose to look around the periphery of the lake district, outside the national park, you will generally find a greater choice of properties, and slightly cheaper prices. Bear in mind that within the national park it is extremely difficult to get planning permission for additions and alterations. On the other hand you get the beautiful views of mountain, lakes and rivers. Whether you live within the national park or not, all the wonderful outdoor pursuits of fellwalking, climbing, sailing, swimming, hang gliding, and when the winters are cold enough, skating are available to you.

In the end the right home for you often makes itself apparent immediately you see it. It must feel right in the head, but must also feel right in the heart. When you find it you will know straight away. Enlisting the help of a good estate agent will be a big help in finding the right home for you. Give him or her as much information about what you are looking for, what the sticking points are, and, of course, the price level you are wishing to buy at. A good estate agent will have a large number of properties on their books, have extensive local knowledge, and may be able to point you at properties before they have come on the general market.

For many people the idea of living in the Lake District must seem like a dream. But in actual fact this dream is more easily achievable than many people think.

The idyllic lake district cottage with roses round the door and fabulous views of lakes and fells does exist, and in great numbers. But there is also a wide range of other types of lake district houses for sale which will cover almost any requirement. Starter homes are available in Kendal, Barrow and the other towns on the periphery of the Lake District. Modern flats and apartments are being built at an increasing rate. Sheltered and supervised accommodation is available for the older person, and large, comfortable well appointed country houses abound.

The perception is that house prices in the lake district are way above other northern areas, and while this is sometimes true of the ‘honeypot’ areas within the national park, bargains can still be found. If you have the desire, time and resources to restore and rebuild a dilapidated property, you can end up with a magnificent home at a bargain price.

Despite the recession of the last few years, the property market in the Lake District has kept moving. There is a steady supply of new property coming on the market at all times, and a wide range of very experienced estate agents to take you through the options. If you want to come and live and work in the most beautiful corner of England, there is no better time than now.