Cumbria
Augill Castle
- 26 Guests
- 13 Bedrooms
- 13 Bathrooms
Augill Castle is a 19th century castle nestled between the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria’s Lake District.
Weekends From £12,480
Weeks From £35,000
North West holiday houses
From the Lake District to the Lancashire coast, with 16 years of bookings, our properties promise weekends filled with mountain walking, lake activities, and the kind of views that make your shoulders drop down from your ears for the first time in months.
Cumbria
Low Graythwaite Hall
- 24 Guests
- 12 Bedrooms
- 7 Bathrooms
Stunning Country House with adjacent cottage and extensive private grounds in the heart of the Lake District. Sleeps 24. Wood fired hot tub
Weekends From £5,243
Weeks From £5,825
Cumbria
Silverholme Manor
- 18 Guests
- 9 Bedrooms
- 9 Bathrooms
Silverholme Manor is a 5-star Georgian manor house that sleeps 18 guests, on the shores of Lake Windermere within a private 5,000 acre estate
Weekends From £8,427
Weeks From £9,363
Cumbria
Lazonby Hall
- 12 Guests
- 6 Bedrooms
- 4 Bathrooms
A beautiful new refurbished chateau-style late Georgian/early Victorian house in Cumbria's beautiful sought after Eden Valley with far-reaching views.
Weekends From £2,000
Weeks From £2,750
Cumbria
Elm Lodge
- 26 Guests
- 11 Bedrooms
- 9 Bathrooms
Stunning arts and crafts country house set in 15 acres of mixed formal gardens, meadows and woodland. Ideal for large family get togethers.
Weekends From £4,150
Weeks From £5,440
Yorkshire
Moscar Lodge
- 20 Guests
- 10 Bedrooms
- 10 Bathrooms
A renovated Victorian shooting lodge, overlooking its own grouse moor
Weekends From £2,000
Weeks From £12,000
Cumbria
Morland House
- 19 Guests
- 9 Bedrooms
- 6 Bathrooms
Exclusive use of historic country house near the Lake District. Sleeps 19 guests across nine bedrooms in comfort. Perfect for milestone celebrations.
Weekends From £3,300
Weeks From £4,410
Magic in the mountains
The North West packs variety into a surprisingly small space. You could visit the Lake District’s mountains in the morning, the Lancashire coast in the afternoon, and still have a night out in Manchester city centre in the evening. This kind of concentrated geography makes holiday planning a breeze: more options to please big groups, less driving, and more time together. As one group told us: “The location is ideal for walking and we were given plenty of information about local amenities and activities, meaning we organised a clay pigeon shoot at a local activity centre and had some fantastic meals at local pubs. Penrith is also nearby so plenty of choice in terms of shopping.”
Our North West houses across the Lake District, Lancashire countryside, and Cheshire sleep 16 to 30 or more guests. You’ll find converted farmhouses with views of the Lakeland fells, coastal properties near Morecambe Bay, barn conversions and large houses in pretty Cheshire villages, and estate houses in forest locations. Places that balance countryside access with practical proximity to towns and plenty of space for the whole group.
These large houses are built for Lake District weather: stone construction, serious heating systems, drying rooms, and somewhere to put all those muddy boots. They’re the perfect bases for all the outdoor activities you can handle. Most owners are walkers themselves and understand what comes with an adventure holiday: a mound of muddy gear, endless bacon sandwiches and pasta bakes to feed the hungry hikers, and comfortable spaces to rest sore muscles.
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Holiday houses in Lancashire, the Lake District, and Cheshire book fast, especially for summer and holidays.
North West England for the Lake District and beyond
The Lake District dominates the outdoor holiday scene in the UK for obvious reasons. But North West England still surprises first-time visitors. Wordsworth wasn’t wrong about those daffodils and sublime landscapes. But if you’re limiting your search to central Lakeland (Windermere, Ambleside, Keswick), you risk missing interesting alternatives. We love the western lakes (Wasdale, Ennerdale), where crowds thin dramatically, north Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that flies under the radar), and the Cheshire plain for luxury at lower altitude.
The Lake District delivers what postcards promise: mountains reflected in crystalline lakes, Beatrix Potter nostalgia, hiking trails that range from gentle through to powerful (Scafell Pike being England’s highest), and villages where cream teas fuel afternoon exploration.
Peak season kicks off in July and August as well as Easter and the October half-term. Expect crowds. For a quieter experience, consider shoulder seasons (May, June, September, and October) for decent weather and more choice of accommodation.
Properties here reflect both the history of tourism in the region and the practical realities of adventure holidaying. You’ll find Victorian Lakeland houses built for wealthy industrialists from Manchester and Liverpool, now sleeping 16 with WiFi and hot tubs. There are converted barns with underfloor heating, exposed beams, and views across the fells. There’s even the occasional grand estate with fishing rights and parkland. Most include boot rooms for the legendary Lake District mud, drying rooms for sodden hiking gear, wood burners for atmospheric evenings, and kitchens scaled for self-catering groups.
Genuine reviews
Great website; easy to navigate and good filter system. Prices look really competitive
Richard Chalmers
Really pleased with my experience with landed houses, was searching for a large house to celebrate my 50th and landed houses had lots of good options...managed to secure somewhere for a good price and looking forward to our dates, many thanks to Edmund and the house owner for their friendly correspondence and help, Steve
Stephen Alexander
Some great houses on offer here /all new to me! Now we are planning our next big family getogether!
Tina Metcalfe
Barbara Ryan
When I was faced with having to find a large house with a pool for a family celebration at relatively short notice, Edmund at Landed Houses came straight to my aid. He responded promptly to my email enquiries, even on a Sunday, putting me in direct contact with someone who managed a property that fitted my needs; the outcome being that a superb house, with everything I need, was secured within 24 hours of my first enquiry. Many thanks, Edmund, for making the task so straightforward. If you’re looking for that special house for a party or family gathering I can recommend Landed Houses as your first port of call.
Mrs Manors
North West Questions
How crowded is the Lake District for large groups?
Central Lakeland (the Windermere-Ambleside-Grasmere triangle) gets busy in peak season. Expect traffic jams, packed car parks, and fully booked restaurants. That said, booking a large group house set away from the town centre lets you escape the crowds.
For an altogether more laid-back trip, we recommend trying the Western lakes (Buttermere, Crummock Water, Wasdale), which remain quiet even in the August bank holiday. The Northern lakes (Ullswater, Derwentwater) offer a good middle ground: they’re popular but manageable.
If you have your heart set on the central lakes, a bit of careful planning will help you avoid the crowds. Aim to arrive on Thursday and leave on Monday to bypass the weekend traffic. Book restaurants you really want to visit weeks ahead. Get out on the trail early for the most popular walks. Or to guarantee more space for yourselves, choose shoulder season (May, June, September, October) when the weather is still nice but there are far fewer people about.
What if half the group wants hiking and half wants relaxing?
The Lakes is the perfect location for a mixed group or for those who want a mix of hiking and chilling. Everything is so close by that reuniting at a pub on a whim is no problem.
Yes, the hiking is world-class. But the more chilled group members have a huge range of options to choose from too. You might potter round a village (we love Hawkshead), visit some gardens (Holehird and Graythwaite are popular), take a lake cruise, enjoy a Beatrix Potter house tour, visit Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage or Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, mooch around Keswick market, indulge in an afternoon tea, or check out the Rheged Centre for a spot of culture. The best part is that you all get to reunite over dinner and share stories.
If they don’t fancy leaving the property one day, or if the weather turns particularly bad, no problem. Many of our houses have hot tubs or games rooms that’ll keep groups happily occupied all day.
Can we do proper mountain hiking with large groups here?
Yes, this is the home of mountain hiking in the UK. But do keep in mind, these are real mountains, not for the faint-hearted. Scafell Pike, England’s highest, tops out at 978m, while Helvellyn and Skiddaw are a good five to seven hours of hiking with an ascent of 800 to 1000m. You need at least moderate fitness to make it enjoyable.
The good news is there are endless moderate options to suit mixed abilities and families. Catbells in Derwentwater is a popular “beginner fell”, Loughrigg in Grasmere is a gentle route, and Orrest Head in Windermere is a more manageable 30-minute climb with rewarding views.
It’s a great idea to split by ability and preference so everyone has a satisfying hike. The super fit crew does Helvellyn via Striding Edge (get ready to scramble!), while the moderate group tackles Catbells, and the gentle group walks a lake circuit.
Take it from us, everyone is going to need proper boots for those steep, rocky, and wet trails, waterproofs for the changeable weather, and Ordnance Survey maps for when your phone battery runs out.
What’s the alternative if the Lake District is fully booked?
If group accommodation in the Lake District is fully booked, as often happens, all is not lost. We can highly recommend the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire for Lake District scenery without the crowds. You’ve got rolling hills, pretty valleys, and charming market towns including Clitheroe. Alternatively, the Yorkshire Dales (we love Malham and Aysgarth Falls) sit just east of the Lakes and offer similar landscapes. Meanwhile North Wales (especially Snowdonia) delivers more dramatic peaks than Lake District, just 90 minutes west via Chester.
For groups prioritising luxury over location, properties on the Cheshire plain are unbeatable. We’re talking country estates with spas, excellent restaurants nearby in Chester and Knutsford, and easy access without any hair-raising mountain driving.