Lakes weekend: details and signup pages

[Zmeagol]

May 2004 will be the fifth annual Lake District weekend and a group of eager volunteers has been hard at work planning to make this an extra-special event, with an optional third day in the Peak District. As in previous years we will be using the excellent Keswick Country House Hotel as the headquarters for Friday and Saturday nights, with 'dawn raids' and cruises in the Lakes on Saturday and Sunday. Starting in the Lakes, the Sunday cruise will then take in some of the Yorkshire Dales and the Trough of Bowland. After taking leave of those who have to head for home on the Sunday evening, the main party will then head further south, ready for Monday's cruise in the Peak District. If you haven't been to the Lakes before, take a look at the write-up of the 2001 event.

Provisional programme

• Friday 7 May
  Travel in convoy or alone to Keswick in the Lake District arriving in time for evening meal (which is bundled in the hotel price). Evening entertainment.
  Saturday 8 May
  Dawn raid at 7am. Breakfast, then all-day cruise leaving at 10am. Back to Keswick for evening meal and evening entertainment.
  Sunday 9 May
  Dawn raid at 7am. Breakfast, then cruise leaving at 10am covering Lakes, then Yorkshire Dales and the Trough of Bowland. Those continuing on Monday stop overnight at The Hobbit at Sowerby Bridge of Bowland.
  Monday 10 May
  Cruise in the Peak District, finishing early afternoon.

Possible side trips
The Lakes weekend is only six weeks away from the summer solstice, so daylight hours will be the same as the end of July. May is one of the best months in the Lakes and if you have the time it's worth coming up a couple of days beforehand to sample some of the attractions. Some web sites of interest: Lake District Tourist Board, Lake District National Park, Lake District Walks, Lake District Outdoors

What to do next
Please post a reply below if you are either definitely or possibly interested in attending. You don't need to include your email address or car details (provided you have completed your owners profile), but please state whether it's likely to be one or two people, and which days you plan to attend.

Volunteers
The Lakes weekend is the UK's major Z event and can only take place through the work of many volunteers. For 2004 these include Pete Fox (local roads guru), Phil and Marise Rosenbloom, DavidM and Pn Miles, Stu and Sylvie Bayliss, Giles and Larri Bowes, and John and Rachel Matthews.

ACTION AND CONTACTS
If you are attending Saturday and Sunday, you need to arrange accommodation for Friday and Saturday nights. The recommended hotel is the Keswick Country House Hotel, telephone 0845 458 4333. It's an excellent hotel with fine cuisine, as you can see from the website. Room rates are £62 per person per night (pp-pn) for DINNER, bed and breakfast. If you are feeling particularly flush you can opt for a garden room at £10 pp-pn extra, or for £15 pp-pn extra you can choose between a four-poster room or an executive room in the station block. There's a post further down with details of alternative accommodation. If you are staying elsewhere, or are local and don't require accommodation, please let us know.

If you are staying on for the Monday cruise in the Peak District, you need to book Sunday night accommodation at The Hobbit, Sowerby Bridge, telephone 01422 832202. Bed and breakfast rates are £42.50 single, £51.00 double.

Tim
PS: more than 30 confirmed bookings as at mid March

[Zmeagol]

Another taster shot. There is nothing to match the fun of driving Zeds in the Lakes.

[Zmeagol]

The preliminary route for Sunday is shown above. After leaving Keswick we have a short stop at Shap Abbey before following the swooping A6. After cutting across the M6 we enter the Yorkshire Dales and stop for lunch at Hawes. Points [10] to [12] are the famous Trough of Bowland.

For those not carrying on with the Monday cruise there are several opportunities for cut-and-run:
[10] is for those heading north along the A65
[12] is an alternative after the Trough of Bowland
[14] is good for those heading south

The main group then carries on to The Hobbit at Sowerby Bridge for evening meal and overnight accommodation. As you can see it is within easy striking distance of the Peak District to the south. If you are participating on Monday you should book accommodation, tel telephone 01422 832202. Bed and breakfast rates are £42.50 single, £51.00 double.
Mention BMW car club to get the special price.
Tim

[Zmeagol]

Alternative hotels in Keswick
There's at least 25 confirmed bookings from our group at the Keswick Country House Hotel (KCHH), which explains why they have run out of single rooms. There are still some twin and executive rooms left, the direct line for the KCCH is 01768 772020.

But don't dispair--the hotel is in Station Road, which is wall-to-wall with hotels and guest houses, and there's bags to choose from within 100m walking distance:
Birch How, 41 Brundholme Terrace, Station Road, tel: 01768 773404
Gilpin House, 37 Brundholme Terrace, Station Road, tel: 017687 75186
Ravensworth Hotel, 29 Station Road
Keswick Park Hotel (Walpole Hotel?), 33 Station Road, tel: 01768 772072

A bit further away in Main Street (300 metres) are
Queens Hotel, Main Street, tel: 01768 773333
Kings Arms, Main Street, tel: 01768 772083
Skiddaw Hotel, Main Street, tel: 01768 772071

If you stay elsewhere you should still be able to arrange to eat with the rest of the group at the KCHH, the cost is £17.95 per head.

Tim