Armathwaite Hall: Take a plunge at the Lake District for a mind-cleansing escape

Published date12 August 2022
Publication titleExpress, The/The Express on Sunday: Web Edition Articles (London, England)
Upon our arrival, we are greeted in an oak-panelled hall, painstakingly decorated with intricate mouldings, balustraded staircases, and high windows boasting views of meticulously kept lawns

Outside, a formal garden stretches to the shoreline of Bassenthwaite, the only “lake” in the District.

I spot colour-flecked dots bobbing across the glazed waters in the distance, which I’m told are the buoys attached to wild swimmers - an activity I have come to partake in myself.

Our guide Alice, a nature enthusiast who swims in the District year-round, leads us to the waterfront to prepare for our excursion.

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I copy her and forgo the wetsuit in hope of getting a true feel of the water, and start traipsing across the stony shore that offers easy access to the lake. Within seconds of being immersed, I feel my circulation kickstart.

It becomes overwhelmingly clear to me why the Lake District has inspired the works of countless poets and artists.

The backdrop is nothing short of spectacular; the towering peaks fringed with meadows offer a true sense of scale.

We swim against the current, far enough to look back and enjoy the view of Amarthwaite Hall peaking through the grassland.

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The low impact of open-water swimming adds to the mind-cleansing experience too.

Though the cold temperatures may not be for the faint-hearted, the health benefits are alluring. Some of Alice’s older clientele, she tells me, join her solely to improve their circulation and boost their immunity.

The safety risks are minimal too. Blue-green algae, a toxic plant that sometimes booms in the region's waters, is a minor threat to human health in the summer months.

For those who’d rather wallow in clear-blue waters, however, the nearby spa facilities have you covered.

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