Lakeside setting; fields and fells on every side

Although just 10 minutes drive from the M6 motorway, Challan Hall feels as wild and remote as you could ever imagine. The loudest sounds are the rustle of leaves and the calls of birds. Formerly a farmhouse, Challan Hall is set overlooking Hawes Water Lake within the nationally important Gait Barrows Nature Reserve, and with direct access to the neighbouring Leighton Moss Bird Sanctuary. The Silverdale/Arnside district is very unspoilt with the seaside only a mile away and Morecambe Bay to the west. This is an ideal base to explore the southern part of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and North Lancashire.

But linger a while. Your hostess is a great cook, providing fantastic breakfasts and evening meals if required, and serves tea and cakes on their patio which taste all the better while soaking up the stunning views over the water, home to marsh harriers, osprey and more.

There are two guest bedrooms here, and both can be configured as twin rooms or king-sized doubles. The en-suite room has wonderful views over the countryside to Leighton Moss and a small en-suite shower, while the Twin Room has its own dedicated bathroom and views of Warton Crag and the countryside. Both rooms are light and airy and have tea-making facilities, but don’t have TV: for this guests are invited to use the sitting room downstairs.

Guests here are free to use the large sitting room, where there is a TV and plenty of books about the area. In all but the harshest weather, however, it’s the garden that takes centre stage. Beautifully tended, it has a patio with fantastic views over the surrounding Gait Barrows Nature Reserve, with some of the most important areas of limestone pavement in Britain; botanists search, in particular, for the lady’s slipper orchid, just one of the many rare species found here. The garden gate gives access to this reserve, from where it’s an easy walk to Jenny Brown’s Point, with views over Morecombe Bay.

Challan Hall suggests

Challan Hall is only ten or 15 minutes from the M6 and can be reached from either Junction 35 or 36. Make a virtue out of the long drive to or from Scotland by stopping off here for a day or two.