Back to school for a Lake District holiday

As children glumly get ready for school, families with toddlers or couples without encumbrances can look forward to the new term – by renting a former school!

Local specialist Cumbrian Cottages has several old schools or school-houses on offer for September stays.

For instance, The Old School House in the hamlet of Seldom Seen is a slate-fronted cottage close to Bassenthwaite Lake. The pine and slate floors and the inglenook fireplace all speak of the building’s Victorian history – now with three-star kitchen and bathroom facilities – and the three bedrooms sleep six comfortably.

Available to rent for the weeks of 5 September at £470 – saving £80 – and the weeks of 12, 19 and 26 September at £550, a well-behaved dog is also welcome free of charge.

In the unspoilt Lyth Valley, where the famous damsons are ripening, the former primary school of Underbarrow is now a four-bedroom four-star holiday home with a large garden. The Old School is just five minutes’ walk from the pub with the market town of Kendal nearby.

Stay there for a week starting 5 September and the cost is only £560, saving £90. The weeks of 12, 19 and 26 September are also available at the usual rate of £650 – perfect for a three-generation family holiday from tots to grandparents.

Other ‘educational’ holiday homes include 1 School Cottages in Troutbeck Bridge and School Knott Cottage in Windermere.

For more information and bookings, visit cumbrian-cottages.co.uk.