I love a good family get-together. We live on the other side of the country to most of my family so it’s hard to get everyone together unless we travel all the way down there. Now that Dylan is here, it’s not quite as easy to jump on a plane as frequently as we used to. Which is where Windermere Marina Village comes in. Pretty much half way between us, it’s a holiday village set on the banks of Lake Windermere with a selection of houses and apartments to suit all family set ups.
There were quite a lot of us so we ended up renting two properties. My sisters, step brother and partners were in a sleeps 6 cottage for a long weekend. As it’s still a fair drive from Aberdeen, we decided to stay for a full week to give us a more relaxing break. My mum and step dad were also able to stay for the full week so we rented a gorgeous 2 bed apartment for us lot.
Our apartment had a great open plan kitchen/dinning/living room with a terrace and view over the marina. Next to the open plan living room was a big bedroom with bathroom that could be accessed from the hallway or the bedroom. Upstairs in the attic was an even bigger bedroom with en-suite. This room had skylights so missed out on the lovely view but had a space that was just right for a travel cot so this was the room we took. There was also a small utility room with washing machine and tumble dryer which was well used during our stay!
The layout of the apartment was perfect for us as we could put Dylan down to sleep upstairs in the evenings and not disturb him. Even when the whole group got together after his bedtime, he managed to stay asleep. The apartment was big enough that we all had our own space and didn’t feel like we were living on top of each other. The whole place was spotless and the kitchen was well stocked with all the equipment you might need to whip up dinner for the family.
Windermere Marina Village is a 10 minute walk from Bowness-on-Windermere along a lakeside footpath. We walked into the town most days but didn’t venture any further afield. Bowness has lots of cute shops, cafes and restaurants and a huge number of ice cream shops. Dylan sampled his first ice cream because you’re not really on holiday until you have an ice cream are you? He loved it! You can also hire boats, take a lake cruise or visit The World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness. We were after a relaxing holiday and didn’t really want to be rushing round too much between Dylan’s naps so didn’t actually do any of these, but if we go back when Dylan is older these would be brilliant family days out.
We were blessed with some amazing sunshine during our stay at the Marina so spent our time having picnics, eating ice cream and watching the world go by. The Boathouse Bar & Restaurant was right next door to our apartment block. We ate there twice and the food is so good! Dylan enjoyed his spaghetti and we enjoyed plates of sharing starters and fantastic mains. The atmosphere in The Boathouse is so relaxed and very child friendly with a terrace perfect for hot sunny days.
Dylan had a wonderful week being doted on by his aunties and grandparents and we were able to spend some quality time as an extended family. Hopefully we can make a big family holiday an annual thing as it’s so good to be able to see everyone all together.