Latest news with #Windermere
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Woodland at Windermere Unesco site for sale after 300 years
A plot of ancient woodland on the shores of England's largest lake has gone up for sale for the first time in 300 32-acre (13-hectare) site at Windermere, in the Lake District's Unesco world heritage site, has been put on the market with a guide price of between £1m and £1.2m.H&H Land and Estate, the company marketing it, said the land was designated as ancient and semi-natural woodland, meaning there were restrictions on how it could be used.A spokesman said the land had a mix of broadleaf trees and open glades with a variety of waterfront flora and fauna. It sits on the eastern shore of the lake, under the summit of Gummer's How, near Newby Bridge. According to the Woodland Trust, ancient woods are areas of woodland that have been around since 1600 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 1750 in Scotland.H&H said it was the first time in more than 300 years that it was up for sale."It is impossible to overstate just how remarkable and a one-off this opportunity is," director Mark Barrow said. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Water bills are set to sky rocket despite shake-up to fix 'broken' system
Soaring bills may be here to stay despite a major shake-up of the water industry, the Environment Secretary admitted yesterday. Steve Reed is expected to unveil plans today to abolish industry regulator Ofwat as part of a 'revolution' designed to fix the 'broken' system. He said reforms would lead to sewage deposited in lakes and rivers being halved by 2030 – and pledged to quit if the target is not met. The package will also include the creation of a water ombudsman with legal powers to resolve disputes on behalf of customers. Mr Reed dropped heavy hints that he will scrap Ofwat when he unveils a report on the future of the water sector today. He said: 'The regulator is clearly failing. It's failed everybody. It's failed customers, we saw those huge bill rises. It's failed the environment, we see the state of iconic lakes, like Windermere, beaches like the beach of Bournemouth.' But Mr Reed refused three times to rule out future above-inflation increases in water bills, which are already set to rise by an average of 36 per cent by 2030 to 'fund improvements'. He said the Government had 'secured' a record £104billion of private sector investment to help fix leaking pipes, build reservoirs and cut sewage discharges. But he claimed he was 'furious' about the huge bill increases which will pay for it and wanted to see costs kept 'as low as possible'. The future of the water sector report is also expected to recommend 'social tariffs' for people on low incomes. The subsidies would be funded by high charges on middle-class families. Tory housing spokesman Kevin Hollinrake warned against the idea. He said families were 'already facing soaring water bills under Labour... We can't just keep increasing taxes and charges'.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Judging kicks off for 40th Cumbria in Bloom competition
Judges are on the lookout for blooming successes as part of a Cumbria-wide horticultural competition. Judging is now under way for the 40th anniversary of Cumbria in Bloom, with officials touring schools, villages, towns and city centres as part of a three-week assessment of this year's entries. The process began with the youngest participants in the schools' category, with assessors donning hi-vis tabards and clipboards. Keith McIntosh, chairman of Cumbria in Bloom, said: "We have a good number of entries from across all categories for our 40th Cumbria in Bloom. "Following a very successful training day at Holehird Gardens, near Windermere, the Cumbria in Bloom assessors are out visiting schools' gardening entries before the end of term. "The schools involved are very widespread in all areas of Cumbria, and I am pleased to say the schools gardening is thriving." The scheme also includes assessments for the Royal Horticultural Society's It's Your Neighbourhood Awards, which aim to recognise community-led horticultural projects. Mr McIntosh said: "Volunteer groups from around Cumbria have registered for the Royal Horticultural Society's It's Your Neighbourhood Awards. "These are assessed by Cumbria in Bloom judges on behalf of the RHS. "There are so many varied group projects – from railway stations, café surrounds, museum gardens, woodland areas, church grounds, young people's activities, street corners to park areas." He also paid tribute to those who help make the competition possible. Mr McIntosh said: "Without the support of our sponsors, donations and volunteers, Cumbria in Bloom would not be possible, and I would like to thank all those individuals and businesses that support the awards." The Cumbria in Bloom awards will be presented at three ceremonies across the county in October.
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Telegraph
Who needs Como? The English lakes that rival their Italian counterparts
My motorboat is purring through the water, its vintage lines and sleek good looks turning heads. The water is glassily green, the surrounding hills majestic, grand houses peep out of the shoreline's foliage… oh, and someone has just handed me a glass of champagne. Given a slight increase in temperature, and with slightly sexier accents around me – and just a teensy stretch of the imagination – I could be on Lake Como in Italy. As it happens, I'm on Windermere. My boat, the MV Albatros, a 50ft-long varnished teak beauty, built in 1928, is moored at the lake's Langdale Chase hotel for use by guests. It would, however, look equally at home in the Italian lakes – and it certainly brings a touch of la dolce vita to Windermere, without the expense of going to L'Italia. Could it be argued that the English Lake District is as alluring as the Italian lake district? Both have mountainous backdrops (Cumbria's fells; the Alpine foothills), both boast their respective country's largest lake (Windermere; Garda), both have wooed poets and writers (Wordsworth and Coleridge; Byron and Shelley), and both offer opportunities to be lazy or active. One is here on our doorstep, the other is, expensively, over there. Let's compare… Swap Como for… Windermere Como is famously glamorous and surrounded by grand villas, many of them now hotels bristling with fancy restaurants. Forested slopes reach down to the shoreline; mountains rise up behind; water taxis and private boats zig-zag between its shores, trailing a wake of wealth and indolence. But Windermere is not so shabby. From the Albatros – built for a German sea captain, after which it suffered a chequered history around Europe before being rescued and restored by the hotel – I can gaze (with champagne in hand) at forested slopes with iconic fells, including the Langdale Pikes, rising behind. Several large hotels grace the shoreline, often with glamorous histories. The Samling, for example, (with Michelin-starred restaurant) was Wordsworth 's landlord's Georgian home; Holbeck Ghyll was formerly the hunting lodge of the spendthrift Lord Lonsdale; while Langdale Chase, a mix of Victorian grandiosity and modern-day sleekness and with its Mawson-designed gardens, was built for a wealthy Lancashire widow. On a sunny day, its stone-balustraded terrace overlooking the lake is a scene stealer. Windermere Steamers offer year-round lake cruises; in the summer, some with live music, too. There are lakeside strolls, including through the arboretum and yew walk of Wray Castle (mock-Gothic) where Beatrix Potter stayed as a teenager. True, the honeypot town of Bowness lacks Bellagio's beauty, but its souvenirs are cheaper than those around Como. Price comparison The Langdale Chase is Windermere's most glamorous lakeside hotel, with Victorian oak panelling and staircase, glass-walled dining room, bedrooms with marble bathrooms, plus a terrace, watersports, private motor boat and cinema; doubles from £390. The Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, in Bellagio, is a similar age to Langdale Chase, suitably grand and traditionally furnished – Murano glass chandeliers, frescoes, antiques – with swimming pools, pier and private beach; doubles from £450. Swap Garda for… Ullswater Lake Garda is so long, at 32 miles, that it generates its own microclimate, often sunnier than the surroundings. Ullswater, at one quarter of the length, can't compete in scale – or climate, to be fair – but, like Garda, it offers high peaks at one end (Helvellyn and Place Fell) and gentler hills at the other. Like Garda, it's also big on watersports: sailing, standup paddleboarding, kayaking and swimming. It has beaches, too; a bit more gritty-sandy than Garda, but beaches nevertheless. Another Place, a luxurious family-friendly hotel on its western shore, has its own (tiny) beach plus private pier, and guests are actively encouraged to get in the water (kayaks, paddleboards, wetsuits and tuition are provided). I decline the wild swimming excursion, but enjoy a bracing dip after toasting myself in the lakeside sauna with its mesmeric views across the water to Barton Fell and Arthur's Pike. It is one of several smart hotels (Sharrow Bay, aside) that, like Garda, lie on the western shore. This means the eastern side, particularly at the southern end, is delightfully quiet – not something that can be said of Garda. The easiest way to reach this side is to take one of the Ullswater Steamers – small and elegant with cherry-red funnels – disembark at Howton and hike south to lose yourself in peaceful Martindale. Price comparison Family-friendly Another Place, on a private lakeshore, mixes Georgian country house with a contemporary bedroom wing, plus romantic shepherd's huts, and offers a pool, spa, watersports and choice of dining; doubles from £270. The elegant Grand Hotel Fasano, in a former hunting lodge near the Gardone Riviera, has neoclassical styling, spa, pools, saunas, watersports and plenty of family-friendly services; doubles from £306. Swap Maggiore for… Derwentwater One of the great beauties of sinuous Lake Maggiore, whose northern tip stretches into Switzerland, is the trio of Borromean islands with their lush gardens and Baroque palazzi. Like Garda, the lake has its own, often sunnier, microclimate, and, like Como, there are dazzling lakeside villas. Above the western shore, a cable car up Monte Mottarone (4,892ft) delivers staggering views. It would be disingenuous to pretend Derwentwater can match Maggiore's highlights, but it is, arguably, the Lake District's prettiest lake – especially when viewed from one of the traditional varnished-wood launches that putter across its waters. Surrounded by forested shores, green fellsides and craggy outcrops, the lake has four islands, two (and occasionally three) of which you can land on. The surrounding peaks aren't as mighty but they're distinctive: the wave-like Cat Bells and Maiden Moor, with bobble-hatted Causey Pike behind; the rocky escarpment of Walla Crag; Castle Crag at the southern end framed in the gorge known as the Jaws of Borrowdale. Take the easy climb up Cat Bells and, on a clear day, the views – including Skiddaw, Blencathra, sleepy Newlands valley, plus the lake and verdant Borrowdale – are out of all proportion to the effort to climb its modest 1,481ft. Price comparison Lodore Falls, opposite the southern end of Derwentwater, is a Victorian landmark hotel in Borrowdale with an indoor-outdoor spa, infinity pool plus sleek contemporary rooms and a choice of dining; doubles from £234. On the lakefront at Stresa, opposite the Borromean islands, Grand Hotel Bristol is an imposing 19th-century building with an elegant style, lake-view restaurant, gardens, and indoor and outdoor pools; doubles from £287. Swap Orta for… Ennerdale With no glitzy villas or exotic gardens, buzzing seaplanes or wallet-busting shops, Lake Orta – the smallest of the main Italian lakes at just under eight miles – is often overlooked. Sitting to the west of Maggiore, it offers a retreat from the touristy excesses of the main lakes. Here you come for dreamy, green-cloaked lakeside hills, deep-blue waters, the striking Isola San Giulio, slow-paced Orta San Giulio (its main village), pretty shoreline strolls or more strenuous hiking trails. Likewise, Ennerdale Water, a neat two miles long, is often bypassed, yet is only a 20-minute drive south of busy Cockermouth in the north-western Lakes. It doesn't have the allure of Orta's island, crowned with its basilica, but it certainly escapes the crowds – partly because there's no road around the lakeshore, partly because there's no commercial development. Walking around the lakeshore (a total of seven miles), I meet more wildlife than people; if I'd wanted something more testing, this lake is the ideal starting point for the 2,926ft-high Pillar. As with Orta, there's only one centre; the village of Ennerdale Bridge (population 350), one and a half miles from the lake with church, two pubs and the community-run café and shop (the Gather). Its homemade cakes, I promise (from rigorous testing), are a match for any Italian torta della nonna. Price comparison The Fox & Hounds Inn, a traditional Lakeland inn offering four modest but large bedrooms, robust home cooking, a good range of local ales and a friendly welcome; doubles from £150. In a lakeside 18th-century building in medieval Orta San Giulio, Al Dom is a quiet bed-and-breakfast with a lakeside garden and four bedrooms furnished in shabby-chic style; doubles from £168. Swap Iseo for… Grasmere Sitting between the star turns of Como and Garda, Lake Iseo is often bypassed – though is a favourite of Italians from nearby Brescia and Bergamo. Forested and craggy slopes dip to the water; the central island, Monte Isola, is as round as it is high; while restaurant menus tempt with lake fish and the sparkling wines of nearby Franciacorta vineyards. Grasmere, by comparison, is tiny – but punches above its weight. Elliptical in shape and framed by fells, with a forested shoreline and scattering of beaches below grass and bracken-covered slopes, and an island plum in the centre, it's incredibly photogenic. Nor is it spoilt by the buzz of motorboats; only swimmers and non-powered craft are allowed. True, there's a busy road along one shore and Grasmere village is cute but tourist-soaked, but it's a 20-minute walk from the lake, which keeps crowds at bay. And there's good food to be had, including Michelin-starred Forest Side. Coming down from Loughrigg Fell above its southern shore on a sunny late afternoon, I pause on Loughrigg Terrace – a path well known to poet William Wordsworth. The lake's waters are sapphire-blue, its island, like a giant broccoli, sits serenely in the middle while a rowing boat noodles lazily around. Indeed, why hurry with surroundings such as these? Price comparison The Daffodil Hotel, the only Grasmere hotel with direct lake access from its gardens, has a bright and sleek contemporary style, pool and spa, and the best lake views; doubles from £192. Family-run Hotel Rivalago, on the lakefront opposite Monte Isola, has a simple French Provençal style, outdoor pool and garden; doubles from £177.
Cision Canada
03-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
White Falcon Partners with Windermere, Adds George Myhal as Advisor
MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 3, 2025 /CNW/ - White Falcon Capital Management is pleased to announce a strategic transaction with Windermere Investment Corporation. Under terms of the agreement, Windermere will deploy substantial additional capital into White Falcon's existing mandate in exchange for a minority ownership interest in White Falcon. Central to this new partnership, George Myhal, Windermere's President and CEO, will join White Falcon in an advisory role. Windermere's capital commitment stands as a powerful testament to White Falcon's investment philosophy and well-aligned incentive structure. Balkar Sivia, Founder & Portfolio Manager of White Falcon said "This is a transformative moment for White Falcon and I want to thank George for his trust and partnership. George's unparalleled expertise in navigating complex market dynamics, forged over four decades at Brookfield, will be instrumental for White Falcon. Windermere's capital commitment gives us necessary scale and positions us to be a leading player in the industry." Windermere's investment deepens its three-year relationship with White Falcon. Through this relationship, Windermere gained a firsthand understanding and strong conviction in Balkar's disciplined investment selection process and his integrity. "Our investment reflects our confidence in White Falcon's potential to generate attractive investment results over the long term." said George Myhal, President and CEO of Windermere. "We look forward to supporting White Falcon's continued success." As a key component of this strategic agreement, Windermere will also provide White Falcon with back-office support, allowing Balkar to focus on core investment activities. About White Falcon: White Falcon Capital Management Ltd. is an OSC registered firm focused on protection and compounding of capital on a risk-adjusted basis. White Falcon aspires to buy good-quality publicly listed businesses led by first-class management teams. White Falcon's unconstrained mandate enables an opportunistic approach in pursuit of absolute returns. White Falcon was founded by Balkar Sivia, CFA who was previously a Partner at Burgundy Asset Management and Investment Analyst at McElvaine Investment Management. Windermere Investment Corporation is a family office, with substantial investments in public and private businesses, founded by George Myhal. George previously served as a Senior Managing Partner of Brookfield Asset Management for 37 years and was instrumental in developing the firm's asset management business. He is currently Chairman of Trisura Group. George is also a distinguished philanthropist and recipient of the Order of Canada.
