Rookin House offerings family fun in Cumbria, with a fantastic family deal until July 2017

With our brand new, luxury location Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat just 8 miles away from Rookin House, a family holiday in the Lake District can become a family fun and activity filled holiday in some of the most breath taking scenery in the UK.

Rookin House offers every kind of outdoor activity you could imagine, from horse riding, air rifles, clay pigeon shooting, paintballing and quad biking. With both adult and children’s activities the whole family can join in and have a blast! Including archery, Argocat rides, which is amphibious all terrain vehicle, adding to a family adventure in Cumbria! You can enjoy these activities and more, while marvelling at the stunning Lake District views around you, including the Blencathra – providing a jaw-dropping Lakeland backdrop on a 30 minute horse riding session.

Rookin House is offering a fantastic Family Half Day Package deal which is valid until July 2017 (excluding school holidays), the half day package is for a family of 4, and costs only £160 for a 3 hour session at the activity hub. The activities include an archery session, with a Go For Gold session which is a perfect game for some healthy family competition! As well as an off road driving experience in the Argo Cat Adventure, which is regularly described as the best thing ever, during your 3 hours you will also enjoy a family horse riding experience, with 30 minutes of actually riding together. What a fun idea to spend one of your days with Keswick Reach at this fun filled, adventure play ground for all ages!

Book your holiday at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat for a family fun holiday filled with activities at Rookin House Lakeland Hill Farm!

The Darwin Escapes team have been lucky enough to have a pop up tent at the amazing Chester Zoo!

As official partners to Chester Zoo, the Darwin Escapes team get to come and see you guys when you visit the world famous animals! Drop into the cafe and grab a seat on the lawn area today and tomorrow (25th & 26th August) to meet Charlie Bear’s Rangers team, have a dance with them and make some cool animal masks too! Even with the dull weather today you can see our team are still enjoying their day, why not join them? They will brighten this dull start to the Bank Holiday weekend for you today, and add extra sunshine and fun for tomorrow!

And while you’re there don’t forget to go and visit the Dinosaurs!

Chris and Michelle from the Darwin Escapes team had a rawring good time (sorry…)

Take a trip back in time during your stay at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat when you pay a visit to Ravenglass & Esdkale Steam Railway

The Lake District is a truly stunning part of the country, with gorgeous scenery and tranquil surroundings. You can enjoy this in style when you visit Ravenglass & Eskdale Steam Railway.

Jump on-board one of these iconic contraptions and take the seven mile journey up the line from Ravenglass, which is the Lake District’s only coastal village, all the way to Dalegarth near the bottom of the England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

travel in style

You can enjoy this breathtaking scenic route on-board one the stations four steam engines, the oldest of which is the River Irt locomotive, which was constructed in 1894 by Sir Arthur Heywood. It is now the oldest working 15 inch gauge locomotive in the world, having first arrived in Ravenglass in 1917, after first served at a munitions factory in Gretna.

Also almost a century old is the River Esk steam engine locomotive which was actually built for Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway by Davey, Paxman & Co of Colchester in 1923. It featured various design innovations at the time, some of which proved more successful than others. Many of the original questionable design innovations such as the steam powered tender have now been replaced, resulting in a locomotive which is surprisingly reliable for its age.

The Rivermite is another steam locomotive in service on the line, which was built by Clarkson’s of York in the year of the England World Cup win of 1966. It made headlines when it was first created, being delivered to the Lake District via traction engine and caught the public’s eye due to its stunning Indian Red colours.

The baby of the group is Northern Rock, which was built in the actual workshops at Ravenglass by an on-site team led by chief designer Ian Smith in 1976. This beautiful piece of engineering was used as the basis for two further locomotives which were designed for the Shuzenji Romney Railway in Izu, Shizuoka in Japan.

10% discount for Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat customers

With these fantastic contraptions available to view and ride on, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway really is a train enthusiast’s dream day out. However, it is not just train spotters that the railway will appeal to, with the stunning scenery and many additional attractions in the places around the stations making it a great day out for the entire family.

Between March and October you can pay a visit to the on-site museum located in the former Ravenglass railway station and signal box. This is completely free to enter and run by Eskdale Cumbria Trust, which has been set up to preserve the Railway collections. It features models, archive information and items showcasing the history of this fantastic railway.

There is even more reason for Darwin Escapes customers to pay a visit to Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway with guests staying at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat entitled to a 10% discount on the cost of tickets. Simply present the voucher you are given upon your arrival to our resort to the Railway reception when purchasing your tickets in order to redeem the offer.

Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat is still under construction, with it currently on course to be opened to the public for the first time in December 2016. Keep up to date with the Darwin Escapes blog for more information on special offers that will be available to our guests upon their arrival in the coming months.

Darwin Escapes are proud partners of Aromatherapy Associates, with all of our luxury spa locations using and stocking their outstanding products!

In honour of Aromatherapy Awareness Week and our recent partnership with the best in the field, Aromatherapy Associates, we wanted to show you, our lovely and loyal, readers what they are actually all about!

who are they?

Aromatherapy Associates offer a wide range of award winning and utterly luxurious bath, body and skincare products, that will show your natural beauty and radiance by working on a deeper level. Recognised as leaders in their field, the company has always kept the founders, Geraldine Howard and Sue Beechey, beliefs that an enriching aromatherapy experience nurtures the body and boosts the spirits, since 1987! (that was the year I was born…)

what does it all mean?

Aromatherapy is more than just a treatment that smells divine (although that’s pretty amazing in itself), the products are made up of small molecules that bring a unique healing property to every cell of your body (impressive right?). Our sense of smell is deep rooted in a part of our brains that is governed by instinct, that’s why smells can trigger deep and lost memories so easily, so it makes sense that essential oils can have an impact on our emotional state. The oils can help to transform moods and move us from one state to another, creating a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere.

what are the benefits?

Aromatherapy Associates is unique in that they focus on Mindful Beauty, this philosophy gives you time to stop and helps you find balance in your life. There are many benefits to using aromatherapy products, they have been proven to help your immune system, ease indigestion, bloating and speed up digestions! Many oils are also known to increase circulation and raise your energy levels, helping to generally stimulate your body and mind during an indulgent and sensory journey while enhancing your overall wellbeing. All this basically results in a healthy and relaxed mind, with glowing and beautiful skin that is free from harsh, and sometimes damaging, chemicals.

Aromatherapy Associates specialised artisans understand the importance of essential oils and the therapeutic benefits they have on the body and mind. At Darwin Escapes we currently use, and stock for you to take home, Aromatherapy Associates products at all our luxury spa locations, so the next time you’re visiting us why not spoil yourself with a treatment and indulge in your favourite product?

Happy Aromatherapy Awareness Week Ladies & Gents!