It's lakeside luxury

Let's make it clear – flooding in Cumbria and the beautiful Lake District has been devastating. Many families face spending Christmas in temporary accommodation and businesses have been ruined.

But . . . the doors are still open to visitors with as warm a welcome as you would have received in the days before the waters rose. So why not get away and show people your support by taking a break?

The area has much to offer from self catering in pretty cottages to bed and breakfasts, pubs and hotels. There is something to suit all needs.

A perfect spot for a break is next to Lake Windemere – a place I fell in love with many years ago as a child when reading Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons adventures.

I have spent some lovely time in the area including my own week-long adventure at the age of 17 doing the expedition element of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Camping and walking in the glorious Lakes with a band of schoolfriends was my own Swallows and Amazons but without the sailing!

Now of more mature years I no longer enjoy the call of canvas for a break but instead prefer a little more luxury. An ideal spot for that is alongside Windermere at the Waterhead Hotel.

The Waterhead is a four star boutique/town house hotel offering stylish sophistication and contemporary luxury. Outside it looks like a traditional stone country house hotel but inside be prepared for exactly the opposite. It combines traditional Lakeland elegance in its simply stunning setting with modern comfort.

And if you like to take your dog along, there are a number of dog-friendly bedrooms where your pooch is welcomed with their own bed, doggie treats and food and water dishes. Well behaved dogs are allowed in most public areas within the hotel except the Grill restaurant. But you can eat in the bar with your four-legged friend tucked away under the table - as my terrier Jack did while we ate breakfast. Offers of water and treats while we ate made us feel very welcome with the canine.

The bar is a great place to enjoy a relaxing drink and if the weather is good, the terrace and garden have great views across the lake. Of special note is the exotic gin and tonic menu with a Spanish and Mediterranean influence blended with local brands such as Bedrock Gin and Langtons which is made at Skiddaw.

The restaurant menu champions local ingredients with a modern twist on popular regional dishes. We enjoyed a fantastic meal in the bright and yet relaxed environment while Jack snoozed upstairs in the bedroom after a long walk!

With it's position on the shores of Lake Windermere and a pleasant half mile walk from Ambleside, the hotel is ideally located for exploring the Lakes – walking the fells, taking a cruise on Windermere or simply visiting the many local attractions in Ambleside and nearby towns and villages.

As a guest, and if you can tear yourself away from the scenery, you also get full complimentary membership of the Waterhead's sister hotel's leisure complex Low Wood Leisure Club just a mile away.

One evening during our stay we visited another sister hotel for dinner, The Wild Boar – this hotel takes its name from the local legend of Sir Richard de Gilpin who fought and killed a ferocious wild boar close by. However its fame these days has more to do with the warmest of welcomes and standard of service. The Wild Boar has its own smokehouse where the most delicious array of meats, fish and cheeses are smoked. We enjoyed a platter of smoked delights to start our meal (eaten in the bar with Jack and five other tables complete with dogs!) and what a revelation. Light and delicate smoked flavours enhanced the selection of local produce from head chef Marc Sanders who also promotes the best locally produced seasonal ingredients.

For beer lovers the Wild Boar also has its own brewhouse. Real ale does go so well with smoked food!

So, go on make that trip to the Lakes.

Waterhead Hotel, Lake Road, Ambleside, Cumbria. LA22 OER. Rooms from £139, bed and breakfast for two. Tel: 015394 32566 email waterhead@englishlakes.co.uk Website: englishlakes.co.uk

The Wild Boar, Crook, near Windermere, LA23 3NF.Tel: 015394 45225 email thewildboar@englishlakes.co.uk Website englishlakes.co.uk