Walking Breaks with Ramble Worldwide at Hassness Country House

About

Specialist Walking Holidays

Hassness Country House is beautifully located in its own grounds on the shores of Lake Buttermere. This is one of the remotest parts of the Lake District and has been recognised as offering some of Britain’s best views. The house offers respite from modern communications, however free Wi-Fi is available. All 11 bedrooms are lakeside and many overlook the lake and fells beyond, whilst a couple of rooms have a garden view. Accommodation is in twins, doubles and single rooms, accommodating 19 people in total, with 7 out of 11 bedrooms having en suite facilities. At Ramble Worldwide, we offer many walking holidays based at Hassness Country House – it is a welcoming retreat from which to venture into the fells as gently or energetically as you choose. Our holidays suit individuals or groups looking for a walking break or the house can be hired to include accommodation and meals with our managers on site.

Guided walking breaks from 3 – 7 nights

We offer two grades of walking on a majority of our guided walking holidays at moderate (grade 4) and challenging (grade 7) levels.

Our programme of grade 7 walks is adventurous and challenging and includes time in wild countryside. We aim to take in peaks and rough ridges and you need to be comfortable with the odd bit of scrambling or scree. Stamina is important, and occasionally a good head for heights when there are steep drops. The walks range in distance between 8 to 13 miles with ascents and descents normally in the range of 700m to 1000m.

Our programme of grade 4 walks is designed to take in many of the most famous areas in the northwestern Lakes, including Haystacks, for example, on terrain which presents few challenges in fine weather. There may be occasional steep or rough sections, but these can be taken slowly. The walks range in distance between 6 to 11 miles with ascents and descents normally in the range of 300m to 500m.

Self-Guided waking breaks 3, 4 or 7 nights

On your self-guided Lake District walking holiday, how the story unfolds is up to you. It’s your choice whether you want all-action adventure or something more relaxed. Explore a picturesque valley such as Borrowdale, stroll round the shores of pretty Buttermere, bag a Wainwright fell or watch for wildlife. Spend time in the Northern Lake District and discover the less-frequented western fells on a hassle-free self-guided walking holiday, using our inspirational route guides and maps.

From leisurely lakeside strolls to more challenging fell climbs and classic Lakeland ridge walks, there are routes for all levels of fitness and abilities, many of which start right from the doorstep or are within easy reach of Hassness Country House. In addition to the spectacular landscapes and wild spaces, you’re close to traditional market towns like Keswick, historic sites such as Honister Slate Mine and plenty of traditional cafés, tea rooms and pubs where you can try local specialities from ice cream to sticky toffee pudding and craft ale.

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As well as these walking holidays (guided or self-guided) we also offer a variety of more specialised holidays (see below):

Navigation & Hills Skills Course (Bronze Award)

Despite GPS technology, which we'll discuss and demonstrate, traditional map and compass skills are still an integral part of safe hill walking. This two day practical course will take you through all the essential map and compass skills you need to plan your own walks and navigate safely and confidently.

The course is aimed at beginners, or those wishing to improve their rusty skills and covers all the NNAS Bronze syllabus and overlaps with some aspects of the Silver syllabus. At the end of the course you'll have the opportunity to be assessed and to receive the NNAS Bronze award or just to take the experience gained.

We'll introduce you to the most important navigation skills such as: setting the map, identifying features, interpreting contours, taking and following a compass bearing, estimating distance travelled, identifying a practical route, understanding maps scales, distances, symbols and grid references.

Navigation & Hills Skills Course (Silver Award)

The silver NNAS award develops the navigation skills acquired at Bronze level. It adds the skills required to navigate in some detail to features and places some distance from paths and tracks. This course teaches accurate compass work and will also explain how to select suitable navigational techniques to cross open country. There will be more emphasis on reading the landforms from the map and techniques for accurately assessing one's position, as we as know what to do when things go wrong!

For those seeking the Silver award assessment, we strongly advise prior completion of the Bronze course. Alternatively, if you possess significant previous experience in the field, please inform us. Your proficiency is essential for a successful Silver award assessment.

Great Lakeland Ridge Walks

This high-grade itinerary based at Hassness Country House is one of the toughest and most exhilarating week’s walking available in Britain! This challenging six-day programme is for experienced mountain walkers, includes several walks at the top end of the grade. Expect to walk 9 - 13 miles each day with ascents between 925 - 1250m, some rock scrambling and exposure. You’ll need to be fit and have a head for heights.

Lakeland Explorer

Your week of leisurely half day walks and visits to cultural highlights captures both sides of the Lakes. There's also time to stroll around Lakeland traditional villages and enjoy a cream tea, some locally made ice cream or a Cumbrian pint.

You will visit sites associated with Wordsworth around Grasmere and Beatrix Potter above Windermere. We walk around Buttermere, beside Derwentwater, Rydal Water and Windermere. On other days we visit the delightful Borrowdale and Eskdale. We pay a visit to the fascinating Honister Slate Mines, ride the picturesque Ravenglass to Eskdale Railway (known locally as the La'al Ratty). You also visit the gardens of Muncaster Castle and take a ferry across Windermere.

Women’s Activity Week

This is a Grade 5 moderate holiday which includes full day walks and Nordic Walking with moderate amounts of ascent and descent. The paths are mostly good, but there may be some steep and rough ground. Walks will last up to 6 hours and could involve as much as 750m of ascent and descent. Some walks will be less demanding but equally rewarding. As well as walking, there are other activities planned throughout the week.

Restore, Reflect & Recharge in the Mountains

Mindfulness in the Mountains will give you the opportunity to do just that, to really live in the moment without distractions or unnecessary concerns. The core activity will be walking in the fabulous restorative countryside around Buttermere, following some classic Buttermere based routes such as Haystacks and Rannerdale knots. Some of the walking will be in silence with targeted activities to help you to connect with your surroundings and yourself. There will be time set aside for reflection and, if you are interested, resources to help with relaxation techniques that you can take away.

In addition, there will be opportunities to participate in some gentle yoga and short relaxation sessions. These activities will be suitable for both beginners and seasoned practitioners, planned as a generic restorative practice. The yoga practice will also pay attention to those areas of the body that support walking activity.

Yoga & Walking in the Lake District

Your walks on this holiday may start around the valley floor of Buttermere, Crummock Water or Loweswater and increase to more exhilarating days on the summits and ridges of the Western Fells. 

Each day, we return to Hassness Country House where a local, qualified instructor will provide yoga to complement our walk and stretch out any tired or aching muscles. The yoga will be suitable for complete beginners or more advanced practitioners. Our instructor will be able to adjust the classes to suit your needs and various positions can be made easier or more challenging depending upon your experience. If the weather is pleasant, the yoga classes can be carried out outside in the grounds of Hassness Country House and immerse yourself in nature.

Wainwright Bagging Weekend Adventure

Our focus lies on Lakeland Ridges, those captivating elongated elevated crests that stretch between peaks or ascend from the mountain's base to its summit. Our aim is to provide you with an opportunity to partake in some of the most captivating and challenging forms of fell walking over a weekend break. This journey could potentially lead to the conquering of up to 13 of the highest Wainwrights, a collection of 214 Lakeland peaks named in honour of the hills and mountains detailed in Alfred Wainwright’s renowned Pictorial Guides.We will incorporate several exhilarating routes, including: traversing the High Stile Ridge where we intend to traverse 4 Wainwrights and the Grasmoor Peaks where we plan to cover up to 9 Wainwrights. This is a journey which will provide the thrill of exploration and leaving you with a sense of achievement. 

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