Kendal is an ideal base when visiting the south and central Lakes also across to the western Lake District and even the Yorkshire Dales.

Kendal is the biggest town in the south and central Lakes area and has great transport links should you not have a car. The number 555 Stagecoach bus goes from Kendal town centre right up to Keswick along and operates and hourly service. The bus journey alone is worth going on as you pass Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, views towards Skiddaw and Helvellyn finally arriving at Keswick. In fact, the A591 was voted “Britain’s Best Road” by sat nav users last year. Oxenholme – The Lake District train station is just a few minutes from the centre of Kendal which is a West Coast Mainline stop. Trains to and from London, Glasgow and Edinburgh operate from here also a local service to Windermere via Kendal.

When staying in or around Kendal there are many places to that are worth a visit. The Kendal Museum and Abbot Hall Gallery are both excellent attractions with exhibitions changing regularly including work from local artists as well as Bridget Riley and Henry Moore. The local produce available in this area means there are a number of artisan producers and delis stocking food from around the region. The Cumberland sausage and Damson Gin really are worth a try!

The choice of accommodation is varied in Kendal from large and small hotels to self catering properties and some lovely Kendal Bed and Breakfast properties. Staying on the outskirts of Kendal is an excellent idea getting both the convenience to Kendal with all its amenities whilst staying in a quiet location.

Helsington is located just one mile from the centre of Kendal making it the perfect location to stay when visiting the “Auld Grey Town”. It is situated at the southern end of Kendal and is reached very easily from the main A591 road. Helsington has one of the prettiest churches in the south Lakes. Set on the side of a hill, the views from the church are magnificent. The Lyth Valley right round to Morecambe Bay can all be taken in.

As well as the church, Helsington Laithes Manor is another notable building. The original building is believed to date from the 13th Century, when the Manor of Helsington belonged to Margaret de Ros. The West end of the main block is of medieval origin, probably late 15th C. It is said to have a chapel with a pre? Reformation window. Helsington Manor was owned by Marmaduke de Thwenge. At his death in 1323 it passed to his son, William de Thwenge and in 1374 the property, in the estate of Thomas de Thwenge, passed to Robert de Lumley. The year 1511 brings the first reference to Helsington Laithes which passed to Sir George Lumley. The House then came into the hands of Henry VIII, who in 1539 leased it to Sir Thomas Seymour, for 21 years from Michaelmas 1540.

The Eden Valley is a beautiful, yet little known area in Cumbria, which lies between the Lake District National Park and the North Pennines - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. To the North of the Eden Valley lies Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall, whilst to the South you will find the fabulous Yorkshire Dales.

There is an excellent choice of accommodation available within Eden including hotels, guest houses, Cumbria cottages and caravan parks. Away from the main holiday season many of the Lake District holiday cottages offer the flexibility of short breaks rather than just whole weeks, so visitors can enjoy a long weekend in the area and perhaps buy some fresh local produce to cook yourself at the property. However your eating requirements are catered for by the many excellent restaurants and traditional pubs that reflect the local flavour.

Historic Penrith, often referred to as the “Gateway to the Northern Lakes”, is the major town in the Eden Valley, with a good mix of traditional shops selling locally made products and crafts, including famed Cumberland Sausage and Penrith Toffee.

When it comes to places to visit during your stay the Eden Valley offers a wide range of historic houses, castles, gardens, craft workshops, galleries and museums. In fact there are over seventy visitor attractions in Eden. For the more active there are many sporting facilities including sailing, windsurfing, horse riding, golf, squash, tennis and fishing.

One of the area’s key activities is Appleby Horse Fair, which takes place every June. The Horse Fair gathers together travelling folk from all over the country, buying and selling horses, keeping alive a 300 year old tradition. This is Britain’s largest gypsy gathering, with hundreds of tradition horse-drawn caravans converge on nearby Gallows Hill.

Walkers will find Eden is wonderful walking country, either a leisurely walk along river banks and lake shore or you can take to the higher paths over the Pennines and Lake District fells. In fact, the Pennine Way National Trail reaches into the Eden Valley at Appleby-in-Westmorland as it winds its way towards Scotland. Cyclists can follow the coast to coast (C2C) and Cumbria Cycle Way, both routes are clearly marked along the way.

The River Eden provides challenging fishing, and has in place a “Go Wild” scheme to enable visitors to try wild fishing on the river.

In general, the interior design of the home is being taken more seriously and is being enjoyed even by the average home owners. We are starting to see famous and notable designers creating ranges for leading brands which is enabling the homeowner to achieve an individual or more sophisticated look.

To complement the interest people have in cooking and dinner parties the items on a dining table and the settings should be strongly considered. How the food looks on a plate is extremely important as well as how the plate looks within the table setting. The look of the food is the first impression and as is regularly said, you eat with your eyes. The food itself needs to look appealing but what it is presented on can also greatly affect the way the dish looks. Top chefs know the importance of this and they will be the ones that choose the dinnerware range for the restaurant. Only a few years ago, a standard plate would be used to serve all the dishes. Now there are curved, square, rectangle, oval and shallow bowls.

You cutlery then needs to match the dinnerware. A traditional set of cutlery would look out of place next to a modern square plate for example. Likewise, a modern set of cutlery would not feel right with a traditional set of china plates. Leading cutlery brands such as Arthur Price cutlery have been manufacturing high grade cutlery for over 100 years. Their traditional ranges remain popular but they have introduced contemporary ranges in keeping with the modern look that many home owners are requesting.

One of the leading modern cutlery brands at the moment and one which is synonymous with innovative design is Villeroy and Boch. Villeroy and Boch cutlery as with other brands of such stature retain a timeless design but firmly keeping with a contemporary look. Due to the nature of stainless steel, cutlery can be a real statement on a dining table. For a customer wanting to achieve a very contemporary look, modern cutlery perfect finishing touch.