The Boathouse at Knotts End

Some find romance over a candle-lit table for two in the restaurant of a high-end hotel. Others prefer to be tucked away with only the one they love. If the latter sounds more like you, look no further than The Boathouse at Knotts End. Here, on the shores of Ullswater in the Lake District National Park, you’ll find romance in the reflections of fells you can gaze at from your bed. You’ll find it in the woodland walks and wild swims you can set out on from your front door, in the rowing boat trip you can take from your private jetty, or just the fireside board games you play. And as for that candle-lit dinner? You cook it for yourselves and enjoy it under the stars, on your balcony over the water – just the two of you.

The Boathouse at Knotts End is a self-catering bolthole tucked away in 10 acres of woodland on Ullswater’s western shore. It’s the converted top floor of a 19th-century boathouse built from Cumbrian stone and offers that ideal combination of character and charm from the outside with contemporary comfort and convenience inside. There’s no Smart TV or WiFi – a deliberate effort to help you switch off and enjoy the setting. The vista over the lake and the flames of the log burner may be enough for your viewing pleasure, but, if not, there is a DVD player. There’s a stereo and board games too, plus a boat tethered up outside.

The boathouse is open-plan for the most part, with flow from the arched front door to the same-shaped French doors that look over the water. You enter between the bathroom and kitchenette with the lounge in the cosier middle and the bedroom area on the lakeside. The style is eclectic but neatly and classically so, with painted white rafters and lightly-coloured walls creating a neutral backdrop for antique furniture, leather sofas and vibrant cushions and fabrics.

There are folding doors that could separate the bedroom – but closing them shuts off the perfectly framed view of lakes and fells. If you need reminding of what there is to do around here, you only need to look out there: walks and watery adventures abound. Aira Force waterfall is three miles in one direction and the village of Pooley Bridge the same distance in the other, with Ullswater Steamer piers at both. Glenridding, the starting point for the hike up Helvellyn, is not much further, with shops and eateries both there and at Pooley Bridge.