Langdale and Coniston: Tarns, Caves and Coppermines.

There are other walking holiday companies that cover the countryside but we believe we offer the best value for many reasons….

• We specialise in organising guided walking holidays for solos and singles.
• We are a small friendly company
• We have a loyal customer base who return again and again (so we must be doing something right) – read our testimonials page on the website
• We offer a lot of flexibility – you can stay extra nights which we are happy to organise for you. We are also very flexible on the walks we provide, adapting to suit walkers and weather conditions
• Our walk leading is second to none. Unlike some other large Walking Companies, we use LOCAL leaders who live in the area and who love their surroundings. They have expert knowledge of everything you need to know to make an area come alive.
• You are safe in our hands – our guides are experts, fully qualified in first aid. Also, because of their local knowledge of the hills, they can respond to any situation that might for example demand cutting short a route. They don’t need to consult maps – they know the hills intimately.
• Our leaders are all easy-going, genuinely sociable people who want to ensure that you have the best time you can with the rest of the group. They make the weekend fun by engaging with all members of a group, and ensuring that everyone feels part of the group experience.
• We give great value for money. Because we recognise that lots of walkers holiday on their own, we have negotiated no single supplement deals with all our hotels to ensure the best possible deal.
• We always use good hotels.
• We have smaller groups than some of the larger walking companies because we believe the social experience is much better in a smaller group. People can talk to everyone, especially at dinner where you can all sit at one table in a small group. Our numbers vary from holiday to holiday but an average group size would be 8-12.

The Skelwith Bridge Hotel – LA22 9NJ – for your Sat NAVS

The hotel is three miles from Ambleside on the road to Coniston.

Its all about meeting new friends. Each holiday is designed to be a friendly, relaxed and stress free occasion. Talking is as important as walking on Secrethills Walking Holidays. We don’t go in for discos, we may use an event that is taking place in the area we are in to boost the weekends activities – but its good, old fashioned chat that makes our short breaks successful.

“Make new friends that turn into old friends” – that’s our motto.

You might be surprised by what fun you’ll have with people who are older or younger than you during a holiday with us, and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we encourage; people find it very rewarding. It doesn’t matter what your reasons for traveling with us are, we’ve had people who are single, divorced or widowed, people who have partners that are unable to travel, and people who can’t holiday with their friends anymore as they’ve all got married themselves. There are people who want to make friends, see sights, and experience something completely new. Whatever your reason, we’ll welcome you with open arms and our friendly hosts will help you to get the most out of your holiday.

Don’t worry if this is the first time you have ventured to join a group holiday – its always a bit daunting – but we will look after you and ensure that you get used to being amongst friends again. Trust us to to get you back into the swing of things.

Oh – by the way – its not a dating agency – over the years we have had people meet and fall in love – but that’s just chance. Our aim is that you make like minded friends – just relax and enjoy.

Just arrive and enjoy.

Reserve online  – once you have chosen your holiday, click on Proceed Booking and complete the online form. If you have difficulty reserving online, please  contact us (tel: 01694 723600, email: info@secrethillswalking.co.uk) and we will assist you to complete your booking.

Payment

Please note we cannot take credit/debit card details over the phone. You may pay by the following methods when you book online…

• Paypal – if you have a Paypal account, simply click on the link to the Paypal website.
• Credit / Debit card – we use Paypal to host our credit/debit cards facility because it is a very secure system. So if you want to pay with a card, simply click on this option which will take you to our page on the PayPal website. Check in there as a “Guest” to enable your card payment. You do not need to have a Paypal account for this transaction.
• We will also accept a Bank Transfer – you will find our account details on the booking form.
• Finally, we will also accept a cheque payable to Secret Hills Walking Holidays and sent to: Secret Hills Walking Holidays, 35 Sandford Avenue, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6BH

Please note than an initial deposit is required with each booking regardless of which payment method you choose. Your booking will be accepted when your payment (deposit or full balance) is received. Note – if you are reserving a holiday within a month of the start date then the full amount is due immediately and no deposit should be paid.

It is important that you read the terms and conditions before you sign the booking form.

Note – if you are reserving a holiday within a month of the start date then the full amount is due immediately and no deposit should be paid.

The Southern Lake District offers a wide variety of terrains and walking opportunities. We will describe each walk the night before and what it entails. We walk at a steady pace, we don’t rush – we want you to enjoy our lovely scenery. These fells are a walker’s paradise with good, mainly well marked paths and an ever changing landscape. There are hills to ascend which we will take slowly.  What’s the point of huffing and puffing, being exhausted then not being able to enjoy this fabulous land? This is a land of ever changing vistas – on any walk we get four or five different landscapes to enjoy. Don’t forget your camera.

We walk between 9 and 10 miles per day. 

The walks on this trip are rated as Moderate but each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descent. The trip requires a reasonable amount of fitness, ideally with previous hill walking experience.

Paths on this Lake District holiday are mostly well marked and walked but can have rough and uneven with stony parts to them.

These we take carefully, bearing in mind your safety at all times.

You need good walking footwear, preferably waterproof walking boots with good soles for protection. You may find that walking poles will aid your enjoyment of this land.

Whilst we do not ascend the high fells- we will ascend and descend on our walks – up to a total in a day of 750 metres. So, there will be some short, sharp ascents and descents.

We walk the many and varied walking trails in the Langdale Valley. The Cumbria Way runs through this stunning landscape and we do follow part of this iconic trail as part of our walks.

We cover the area around Coniston village, Coniston water, Hawkshead, Tarn Howes and the copper mines trail above Coniston village.

We use the Brathay  valley as a way of reaching higher walks. 

We discuss the walks each day and take into consideration the groups overall ability and the prevailing weather conditions.

A walk into Little Langdale to Cathedral Cave and Slater Bridge

En route we will visit the impressive Colwith Force and enjoy views across Little Langdale Tarn to some of the Coniston Fells. We will also see Lingmoor Fell, a ‘Wainwright’, which we may summit later in the week.

The Coppermines Valley and Coniston Water

We will go by taxi to Coniston and then climb up to the Coppermines Conservation Area and take a look at some of the building and relics from the past. After reaching Levers Water we will descend through Boulder Valley to the Pudding Stone and Low Water Beck and then meander our way down to Coniston Water, taking the lakeshore path back to the village.

Tarn Hows

Originally three separate bodies of water, Tarn Hows was bought by James Marshall, the owner of Monk Coniston, in the 1860s to feed his sawmill. He planned to landscape it with broadleaf trees, initially protected by ‘nurse’ crops of conifers. Unfortunately he died before this work was complete. The larch and spruce were never removed and now dominate the scenery, though the National Trust is working to restore some of the planned landscaping. On our way to this popular beauty spot, which is an SSSI, (Site of Special Scientific Interest), there may be an option to divert onto the summit of Black Fell (Black Crag, 323m) to admire the views across the countryside around Ambleside, Wray Castle and Hawkshead and down to Tarn Hows.

Lingmoor Fell

We will start the day with a bus ride into Great Langdale to walk across Lingmoor Fell (469m) back to Skelwith Bridge. ‘The Squeeze’ on Side Pike is a feature of this walk and there are great views across both Great Langdale and Little Langdale (weather permitting).

A Circuit of Loughrigg Fell

Retracing our steps from our first walk to Loughrigg Tarn we will continue around the base of Loughrigg Fell onto Loughrigg Terrace with its sublime views over Grasmere and Rydal Water. There will be a chance to go into inside Rydal Cave before descending to the River Rothay and curving round the Southern end of Loughrigg Fell back to Loughrigg Tarn.