Brathay Hall

Brathay Hall is a beautiful historic house situated on the shores of Lake Windermere in the heart of the Lake District.

Staying here supports Brathay Trust. Established in 1946, this charity is dedicated to improving the lives of young people – and Brathay supports more than 7,000 young people each year.

The Trust offers residential programmes that allow young people to take part in a wide range of adventurous activities in a safe space – from hiking and climbing to water sports.

These residentials help build resilience, develop social and communication skills, and improve physical and mental health and wellbeing – supporting young people to make positive choices and lead better lives.

Brathay Trust also works with young people and families at three community hubs in Bradford, Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal. These community programmes help young people – including children from disadvantaged backgrounds – to re-engage with education and gain employment.

The setting of Brathay Hall and the lodges is stunning, and the whole place is peaceful and serene. Guests can explore the estate's grounds – including a path to a beach on the lakeshore, where we enjoyed some chilly but highly scenic wild swimming. You can launch your own kayak or paddle board here too.

Guests also have access to a pleasant communal lounge in the main house. Here you can refill your water bottle with filtered water, or help yourself to complimentary tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

Despite the tranquil location, it's only a 15-minute walk to the bustling Lakeland centre of Ambleside, where you'll find an extensive range of shops, cafés and supermarkets. From Ambleside there are plenty of hiking options, including an easy ramble up to the impressive waterfalls of Stock Ghyll Force, or the more challenging ascent of Wansfell – if you're bagging Wainwrights, head along the ridge from Wansfell Pike to the high point at Baystones (487m).

There are also lovely walks in the national park from the doorstep of Brathay Hall – from lakeside wanders to high-level hiking on Loughrigg fell.

Brathay Hall encourages guests to recycle their rubbish – which is easy to do, with recycling bins provided in public areas. If you have an electric vehicle, there are charging points in the free carparking area.

We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend stay at Brathay Hall and are looking forward to returning soon. It's wonderful to be able to take a short break in quality accommodation, knowing that our stay is supporting a good cause to help secure a brighter future for thousands of young people.

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There are several accommodation options at Brathay Hall, from ensuite rooms to self-catering cottages. The rooms are let out to members of the public during quieter periods.

We stayed in one of the Scafell Lodges. These Scandinavian-style buildings are next to the main house, and each lodge houses four superior ensuite rooms.

Our ground-floor room was spacious and modern, with a large (and very comfortable) king-sized bed, a seating area, large ensuite shower room, tea and coffee-making facilities, and a fridge.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offered fabulous views of Ambleside and the mountains. It was lovely to sit with a glass of wine in the evening and watch the lights coming on in the village.

The décor in the Scafell Lodge rooms is also inspired by Scandinavian design, with wood panelling, wooden floorboards and neutral tones. The room had a lovely ambience that was very relaxing.