English cottage holidays in the north

Living in Yorkshire, I'm quite lucky to be surrounded by old, picturesque buildings - usually made of the traditional Yorkshire stone. Actually, just down the road from where I live is the beautiful country side hotel Oulton Hall. I've never stayed there (that would feel quite unnecessary) but I had dinner in one of their restaurants just a couple of weeks ago, and I was very impressed!

I would love to stay somewhere similar to Oulton Hall but a bit further away from home. Myself and my boyfriend often talk about going for a weekend away in the Lake District. It would be so lovely to stay in a traditional English hotel, or ever better – somewhere more private, like a cottage. Some “cottages” are more like mansions, to be fair. Just check out this mahooossive one!

 

But this lovely little cottage below would be more than enough for me. You could even rent it for your whole family.

I love the whole traditional look - it really reminds me of the Downton Abbey. Especially with the series being filmed here in Yorkshire! If I had lived in another era I would have loved to live around the early 1900's which is the time of Downton Abbey.

 

However, if the old fashioned style is not for you, there are more modern and contemporary cottages available to rent for a weekend away. The wooden one below looks so stylish, and if I could I would have built a whole house in this style! It kind of reminds me of a Swedish house. I know you read my rants about Sweden all the time, but their houses are just better! ;) 

The peaks about going for a mini break in England, and especially up in the north in the Lake District or even in the Yorkshire Dales, is that you'll definitely get your peace and quiet, and you get to wake up to amazing views like this!

 You can have dinner in your garden... (unless the furniture aren't occupied by extremely cute animals)

Or simply relax with your loved one by a roaring fire. I would definitely do that this Christmas if I didn't already have plans.

 What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to go far to enjoy the lovely side of England, and to get away from that everyday city life. I've come across a great infographic on the top 5 cottage holidays in England, which you can find at Cumbrian-Cottages.co.uk. Although, if you're all for bigger hotel stays that still have that country side feeling, I would definitely recommend my local hotel Oulton Hall. And their fillet steak is just out of this world!