Imagine having full, private use of a huge, Grade II listed Victorian mansion surrounded by beautiful lawns, overlooking one of the most scenic lakes in England. That lake is Lake Windermere, and that house is Fallbarrow Hall.
As editor of a lifestyle magazine which has a huge focus on travel and lifestyle, and a large team of journalists/content creators, I struggle to find somewhere large enough, with all of the facilities needed to take the them away for a few days of bonding and team build, combined with a thank you experience for all their hard work. I can’t explain my delight when I discovered the Lake District hidden gem; Fallbarrow Hall.
I also can’t tell you how many times I visited their website just to re-confirm the amazing facilities there. This place looked perfect – beyond perfect – and they had the dates available I needed at the beginning of August. Those three nights were to be the best team away experience we have ever had. Here’s why…
The Location
Fallbarrow Hall is nestled on the edge of Lake Windermere in the peaceful hills of the Lake District, fronted by a huge lawn and unspoilt views of the lake. That alone makes this place very special, however, you are also only a short walk from the centre of Bowness, a bustling lakeside town where independent boutiques, artisan food shops, quaint pubs, cafes and restaurants line the streets.
From here you can hop on a Windermere Lake Cruise steamer to explore the full beauty of the lake, or travel across to Ambleside. Visit the World of Beatrix Potter: explore the popular family attraction that brings Peter Rabbit and friends to life, or stroll to Cockshott Point: an easy, flat walk from the town center down to the shoreline for sweeping views of Belle Isle.
There is so much to do in the area, we were spoilt for choice. More to come on what we actually did shortly.
Fallbarrow Hall itself is part of the Parkdean Resorts group, and situated within Fallbarrow Holiday Park, where you can also stay in beautiful lakeside lodges. The Hall is a short drive through the holiday park, with access through private gates. The VIP experience starts the minute you drive through the gate and catch your first glimpse of the hall.
The Facilities
Bedrooms – with 18 bedrooms, there is ample space to accommodate 36 people. This includes two dedicated self-contained dog friendly apartments, and as fur babies had been included on the trip, both apartments were fully utilised. The apartments were superb, with bedrooms, kitchen, lounge and bathroom.
The rest of the team chose one of the bedrooms within the hall, and we were spoilt for choice!
The rooms are stunning, beautifully decorated and styled, all ensuite, and some with panoramic views of the lake, these of course were snapped up by those who arrived early!
Dining Room – we were transported back to the 1800’s in this 36-seater dining room with wooden trestle tables and chairs, allowing a large group to dine together with ease. Perfect for the 16 people in our group.
On our first night there, we decided to treat the team to a ‘Pizza Night’. We took our pizza oven and cooked the pizzas outside. The drizzly evening gave us the opportunity to christen the dining room in style.
We also ate breakfast in there each morning, very convenient with the kitchen located very close by.
Cocktail Room – after dinner the team gathered in the vibrant cocktail room where we had set up some fun games and stocked the fridges with everyone’s favourite tipple!
We loved this room, it quickly became the evening hub after each day’s activities.
Cinema Room – yes, we absolutely had a ‘Movie Night’. Popcorn and snacks in hand, we had a really fun evening watching scary movies, before returning to the Cocktail Room for a nightcap.
Games Room – For our competitive lot, this was perfect! Nestled in the basement, close to the cinema room is a pool table and a table tennis table. It was very soon ‘game on’! I think the fact we took lots of prizes fed their competitive spirit.
Hot Tubs – In a private area to the rear of Fallbarrow Hall, there are two hot tubs. Perfect for easing aching muscles after team build activities, or hiking the famous Wainwright’s. Or, as some of the team did, just as a social, fun activity.
The beauty of this place is its size, and choice of facilities gives huge flexibility. Not everyone will want to do the same thing, but there is something for everyone, and they can do it in their own way, in their own time.
Lounges and Library – sometimes, especially when away with a large group, you want some quiet time, and at Fallbarrow Hall there are so many wonderful areas to tuck yourself away to read a book, listen to music, or just admire that gorgeous view. You will find yourself returning to your favourite room.
Playroom – everyone who might be in your group has been thought about and catered for. There’s even a playroom for children with a selection of board games, a 42” TV and the ability to connect to home devices such as PlayStation or Xbox.
Kitchen and Utility – the vast fridge and freezer space was a godsend! With 16 people there’s a lot of food, and our main concern was if there would be enough storage space – we needn’t have worried. There was far more than we needed, and everyone had their own space.
We used the kitchen for preparing and cooking breakfasts, snacks and one of the team even baked some scones! It was a real home from home, we had everything we could need or want.
What We Did
With such superb facilities to hand, we arranged for a fabulous local event company See Events, to do a Treasure Hunt for us.
This took about three to four hours and once we had split into two teams, we followed clues which took us around the hall, the grounds and the holiday park. Along the way we had to gather evidence and photos on Instant Cameras within a set time.
This definitely showed who was the most competitive and was a brilliant way of bonding the team, who don’t get together very often. I can genuinely say that some new friendships were formed during this activity.
They do so many different activities, from duck herding to cocktail making classes and water sports, plus everything in between. If you want to add an element of fun through a group activity to your Lake District stay, these are the people to contact.
For us, See Events hit the nail on the head with the brief, and Fallbarrow Hall proved to be the perfect setting for this kind of activity.
We also took the team on a Windermere Lake Cruise. You simply cannot come to the Lake District and this beautiful lake and not take a cruise. Some stayed on the boat and toured the full lake, taking in the breathtaking scenery, others took advantage of the hop on, hop off service, visiting beautiful Ambleside. We highly recommend including this in your itinerary. It can fill a couple of hours or a full day, the choice is yours.
To our great delight, Trenchers have opened a fish and chip restaurant in Bowness, so we took the team to experience what we think are the best fish and chips we have ever eaten, and they absolutely agreed.
Having eaten at Trenchers in Whitby, we knew the team were in for a treat. It was so good that some went back the next day! Let’s hope they open more throughout the Lake District!
We packed a lot into our ‘Team Getaway’, we hope to have given you some inspiration for your own stay at Fallbarrow Hall. Whether you’re planning a short break, celebration, corporate getaway or even a wedding…it’s perfect.
In short, the location is fabulous…but Fallbarrow Hall is outstanding!
You can thank me later.
Find out more at https://www.parkdeanresorts.co.uk/fallbarrow-hall
Review and images by Angela Riches and Dave Riches
Some images supplied
