Good Times @ Clift Hill : Lakes, chef/hot tubs*

This is a generously proportioned Edwardian mansion, designed for the last days of servants and built during the first years of the First World War. It is a perfect property for groups of friends and families to enjoy a get-together. Guests can hire the entire property for the duration of their stay and the owner can assist with the booking of added extras. For example, caterers for dinner can be hired (£15 to £45 per person); murder mysteries (from £300); hot tubs (£250); axe throwing, and mini olympics in the paddock. The property sleeps up to 21 people in 9 bedrooms, with 3.5 bathrooms (one is ensuite). There are two bedrooms on the ground floor which have wide access doors but there is only a toilet and a washbasin on this level. There are plenty of amenities included which make for a fantastic group stay such as board games, a trampoline, zip wire, slackline, wetsuits, swing, fire pit, BBQ, river swimming (wetsuits are provided). There is parking for 10 cars. Pets are accepted but permitted no further than the kitchen. With incredible views over the Solway Plain, this is a fantastic base from which to explore the Lake District, Hadrian’s Wall and Southern Scotland. The house is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday with children and grandchildren who can spot hares in the garden in the mornings and wild deer in the orchard. You can enjoy darts in the stable, table football in the cloakroom and watching movies on the big screen or the possibility of a hot tub after a barbecue at the fire-pit on the terrace. Hadrian’s Wall, (a world UNESCO site), crosses 10 minutes from the house and of course, we are a short drive from the Lake District National Park and also the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Nearby is the Great Border city of Carlisle, an ancient settlement with Roman discoveries still emerging. The cathedral alone is worth making the journey for, with stunning misericords and a magical ceiling depicting the heavens in midnight blue silk studded with gold stars. There are pubs in Longtown and neighbouring Smithfield but the best food is just along the river at the Hidden River cafe - a lovely 20 minute bike ride away.