Overview
Dating back to the late 1700's, Summer Hill is a beautiful Grade II listed country house of classical Georgian design, set in extensive, landscaped gardens, with sweeping lawns and an ornamental fountain.
A private family home for over 200 years, it has undergone an exciting re-creation changing it into five super, privately owned apartments, retaining the grandness of the period architecture, but adding a contemporary modern twist to the project. No 2 Garden Apartment is beautifully and thoughtfully put together, merging contemporary with classical offering guests a chic easy living holiday base, where the quality will be reflected by the expected Visit England 4 Star Gold Award.
The house is tucked away on a gentle hill above Spark Bridge, just below Coniston Water. The location gives you easy access to the lakes and mountains lying to the north, along with the Grizedale Forest. To the south lies the Cartmel Peninsula with its pretty villages and rugged coastline of the Morecambe Bay, and west is Newby Bridge at the foot of Lake Windermere.
The house is bank built where Apartment 2 occupies part of the lower ground floor and where you enter the property, and part of the middle level which has most of the living spaces and bedroom and offers access out to the veranda and gardens.
The Living Spaces
The living space is one very large room, showcasing period architecture detail, with contemporary and vintage furnishings. To one end is a super modern fitted kitchen offering all you need to rustle up lazy lunches and tasty suppers. The business end of the kitchen is divided from the main area by a long island unit and breakfast bar, overhung by a drop ceiling with hidden lighting.
The remainder of the room is presented as a wonderfully spacious sitting room. Designed for easy living, a large contemporary modular L shaped sofa sits on a burnished parquet floor and faces the huge French doors. Offering views to the garden and letting a perfect light to flood in, they open out onto the veranda where you can sit and enjoy a morning coffee, or an evening glass of wine.
Bedroom and Bathrooms
The bedroom with king-size bed is also on the middle level. Simple but elegantly furnished with well chosen vintage pieces, it has delightful views out to the west gardens. Adjoining the bedroom is an en-suite shower room with shower, basin and WC.
If you want a long soak no problem, as there is a further bathroom on the lower level with super bath, separate shower, basin and WC.
Grounds & Gardens
Outside each apartment has its own allocated private garden space, where the rest of the extensive grounds are there for all to enjoy, however No 2 benefits from having its own private space on the veranda, perfect for an evening drink with a beautiful backdrop of manicured lawns and mature shrubs and trees.
In Summation - Summer Hill will afford guests a perfect holiday base or a super romantic retreat for weekends, anniversaries and honeymoons, where the local area gives you much to see and do, along with ease of exploring the wider Lake District National Park and its sublime landscape.
Out & About
The landscape is the backdrop for Arthur Ransome's famous children's novels, the Swallows and Amazon adventures, and is perfect for walking and cycling.
Spark Bridge lies west of Lake Windermere in the Crake Valley. To the north you have the Furness Fells which encompass the mighty Grizedale Forest with its many trails and forest art, along with Coniston Water, one of my favourite lakes, and the Coniston mountain range, dominated by the mighty Old Man overshadowing Coniston's village at the head of the lake.
A short walk from the apartment brings you to the Farmers Arms at Spark Bridge, a great old pub with friendly staff, or the Royal Oak for local ales and food. For variety, the Red Lion Inn lies a little further away at Lowick Bridge, again serving good local ales and hearty pub food, and visitors are welcome to join in the pubs events such as the weekly quiz nights - all great fun.
South you have the Cartmel Peninsula and the Morecambe Bay. As grand as any of the lakes, the bay offers walks out along the shoreline, giving you miles of silver sands, rocky bays to explore, and the wonder of the tidal bore, which rushes in twice daily.
On the peninsular are two delightful villages. Grange over Sands overlooks the bay and offers plenty of good local shops. Over the fell lies Cartmel, one of the prettiest villages in the lakes. A huge priory sits at is centre, where little streets radiate off the village square. As well as being famed for its architecture, the village has become a haven for great cuisine, with four pubs, and Simon Rogan's two establishments, Rogan & Company, an easy bistro style venue, and his world famous L'Enclume with its Michelin Star and voted the Good Food Guides number one restaurant for 2015.
To the west lies Ulverston, on the Furness peninsula. A pretty town with a maze of cobbled streets, alleys and ginnels it offers plenty of shops and cafes along with excellent pubs and restaurants and, on the edge of town, is Booths supermarket.
The town is most famous as the birthplace of Stan Laurel, but also for its festivals. There are festivals for walking, music, egg rolling, flag day and, perhaps most spectacular, the Lantern Festival to list but a few and it is worth checking what's on and when with the Tourist Information Centre. Along with the festivals the arts play a big part in the life of Ulverston, where there is a good cinema and the ‘Coronation Hall’, a fine theatre, offering plays, music and opera.
Just east is Newby Bridge at the foot of Windermere. Some excellent inns are to be found along with the Steamboat terminal at Lakeside offering trips up and down the lake.
Just above Newby Bridge, at Finsthwaite, is a fairly little know walk around the two waters of High and Low Dam. Easy to access they make for a perfect easy short walk, with time for a leisurely picnic by the water's edge.
North and to the Coniston fells. Bethacar Moor is crisscrossed with tracks and pathways, rewarding you with bracing walks and fine views. At the foot of Coniston you can explore the shoreline with its little bays, and running west from the lake lies the Grizedale Forest.
Coniston village sits at the head of the lake, sheltered in the lea of the Coniston mountain range. Radiating from the stone bridge, spanning Church Beck, the four main streets are a bustling community with a fine church, shops, a post office, cafes, a local brewery, and five good pubs. This is a village with much to do, the location perfect for outdoor pursuits. Climbing, walking, cycling and water sport holidays are just some of the activities on offer. On all points of the compass there are trails, leafy forest paths, tracks and lake shores to explore, and you need travel very little to find a new and exciting landscape.
Please note there is a refundable £200 security deposit for this property payable closer to the start of your holiday.