The decision has been announced as to which self-catering cottage in the Lake District and in the wider region of Cumbria is to be officially named the self-catering holiday of the year for 2009. This is a prestigious award coveted by all self-catering cottages in the Lake District and Cumbria, and an award that can only be won once. This year the award has been given to Hall Hills, which has a cluster of self-catering cottages just to the east of the Lake District National Park.
Situated a 15-minute drive outside the Lake District town of Keswick, Hall Hills is a recently developed business. The cottages only opened for business 12 months ago, after a painstaking conversion of the stone buildings of what used to be Hall Hills Farm. These are buildings that date back to the 17th century and had been an important local farm in that part of Cumbria.
Prior to the announcement, the proprietors of Hall Hills, Jude and Tim Walker, had been delighted with the news that they were among the three finalists, but because they are not quite within the official boundaries of the Lake District National Park they assumed there was no chance of getting any further in the competition for the self-catering holiday of the year. Hence the overwhelming joy when they heard the name of their business announced as this year's winner.
Cumbria Tourism is to be commended for choosing a self-catering holiday resort outside the Lake District, and supporting less well-known Cumbrian destinations. The location of Hall Hills may not be within the hills and vales of the English Lakes, but it has its own beauty and at peak periods in the tourism calendar it has an unrivalled tranquility.
Hall Hills (http://www.hallhills.co.uk) had already been given a Gold Award for its 4 star self-catering cottages as recognition of the high standard of holiday accommodation on offer.
Being the winner for Cumbria, Hall Hills will now be automatically entered for the regional final to find the self-catering holiday of the year for the north west of England.
