Retreat Information - Visiting the Lake District

Getting to Thorney How

Thorney How is situated on the outskirts of the village of Grasmere, which is located in the Lake District, in the North West of England. The Lake District is a UNESCO world heritage site and a National Park, with stunning countryside, high fells and deep lakes which have been the inspiration for artists, writers and poets for generations. The pastoral landscape has been used predominantly for sheep farming for hundreds of years but is also visited by millions of tourists each year. This beautiful area is mainly made up of small towns and villages which have been built around the many lakes in the region. The road system can be circuituous as it navigates you around the lakes but give yourself plenty of time to travel and enjoy the stunning views as you drive through this awe-inspiring countryside.

Much of the area is owned and managed by the National Trust, a private organisation to which Beatrix Potter bequethed 4000 acres of land and 14 farms on her death. Other noteable residents of and visitors to the Lake District are William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, John Ruskin, J.M.W. Turner and many more. Susan takes her inspiration for the bespoke projects provided for the retreats from this same landscape.

The address you require to arrange your travel is:
Thorney How
Helm Close,
Grasmere, Ambleside,
LA22 9QW

Domestic Travel

Travelling by car
The Lake District is easily reachable via the M6. If heading northwards, exit the motorway at junction 36 and follow the A591 to Windermere/Ambleside. Follow sat nav instructions to Thorney How.
If southbound, exit the motorway at junction 40 and follow the A66 to Threlkeld before joining the A591 and following sat nav instructions to Thorney How.

Travelling by Train
The region enjoys good train links. When looking at train options, the nearest mainline station is Oxenholme (situated in Kendal). Trains to and from Edinburgh and Glasgow on the West Coast lines all stop at this station. From Oxenholme you can transfer to the local service for trains to Windermere. From here you can either catch the 555 bus to Grasmere or get a taxi to the venue.

If arriving on public transport please note that the bus will drop you in Grasmere village. Thorney How is then a 15-20 minute walk from the village. If you would like us to collect you from here, we can arrange to collect you from 5PM on the arrival date of your retreat.

International Travel

Travelling by air
If travelling from outside of the UK, the nearest airports to fly to are Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. All three airports are less than three hours drive from our beautiful location. Car hire is available from each of these airports. Enter the location post code provided above to bring you directly to Thorney How.
See the information above about travelling by car.
Travelling from Manchester you will follow the M61 motorway before joining the M6 northbound and proceeding as above. If travelling from Edinburgh or Glasgow you will need to follow sat nav directions to bring you to the M6 southbound and then following the information above.

Although our location is in a rural setting, public transport links are extremely good from these airports. A regular train runs from Manchester Airport directly to Windermere train station, which is the nearest train station to Grasmere. From here you can travel by bus - the number 555 will bring you directly to Grasmere, or you can hire a cab to bring you to the venue.

If arriving on public transport please note that the bus will drop you in Grasmere village. Thorney How is then a 15-20 minute walk from the village. If you would like us to collect you from here, we can arrange to collect you from 5PM on the arrival date of your retreat.

PLACES TO STAY NEARBY

If you are planning to spend extra time in the Lake District either before or after the retreat, there is a wealth of accommodation in the surrounding area to choose from. Please bear in mind however that the Lake District is very busy at all times of the year so I would highly recommend booking any other accommodation in advance.

The nearby towns of Windermere and Ambleside both have a very good selection of holiday accommodation, and whilst Grasmere is smaller, it too has hotels, bed & breakfast accommodation as well as some air bnbs. There is no one portal providing all the accommodation choices available, however a wide selection are available to look through here.

The Lake District local government website is also very useful if you are hoping to spend some time in the Lake District. The main website link is here.