As life increases its pace, many of us stressed out with all the places we have to be, people we have to see and the things we have to do. What you need is a special gift to soothe your mind, body and spirit and improve your well-being Here are a few of my favourite Lake District treats to enjoy now, or any time of the year.

3 Lake District Treats

Lift your spirits with a Thai Spa Treatment

Experience Tok Sen, an ancient massage technique, originating in Northern Thailand, which works on the meridian lines of the body (the ‘sen’), by tapping them (‘tok’ means to strike) with a special wooden mallet. If you are looking for ultimate relaxation then a luxurious massage will do the trick. There are plenty of excellent spas throughout the Lake District but recently I had an experience that has put all the others into the shade. The Wordsworth Hotel Spa in Grasmere has launched the Ystsara range of spa treatments and products, and they are both nuturing and soothing. The promo blurb tells us ‘Ytsara is a 100% natural, vegan spa range, which harnesses the healing properties of ‘living’ water, along with plant and marine extracts, including rare Oriental botanicals, delivered with methods derived from ancient wisdom from the Far East.’ The good news is that the products live up to their promise.

I had the Garden of Deep Calm Massage, which combines Thai and Western techniques using Malabar Grass melts tension away while Sweet Orange and Vetiver help to create an inner peace. Oils of Rice Bran, Sweet Almond, Soy and Wheat Germ help soothe and nourish the skin. Simply sublime …

Walk along the Spirit Trail

When friend and author Beth Pipe told me she was going to do a Spirit Trail through the Lake District, I was delighted. “Oh how wonderful. There are so many spiritual places in the Lakes. Stone Circles like Long Meg and Castlerigg, ancient priories and churches, mystical lakes and …” I stopped as I realised Beth was looking at me slightly oddly. “No, it’s going to be guide book of Lakeland distillers. You know, gin, whisky,  vodka, beer … We’re going to walk through the lakes visiting all the distilleries and finding the best spirits AND cake en route.” Well, she and fellow author Karen Guttridge did just that, spending two weeks wandering around Cumbria, visiting lots of distilleries, breweries and cakeries and producing a brilliant book Gin, Cake and Rucksacks published by Palatine Books.

It’s a great armchair read with plenty of often very funny anecdotes, photos and gossipy snippets about the distilleries and their walk from Ulverston via Kendal, Windermere, Keswick to Whitehaven. But it’s also an excellent guide book, providing maps and local info should you decide to do some, or all, of the trail yourself. Cheers!

Enjoy the fresh Spirit of the Lakes

The third of my Lake District treats is a perfume. “We wanted to capture the spirit of the Lake District, its misty valleys, its open fields, wooded hills, fresh breezes and the freedom you feel here.” This is how Nigel Brooks, one of the 5 directors of The Bath House, describes the delicate essence of ‘Spirit‘, my favourite of their many fragrances. Scent has a wonderful way of soothing our soul and refreshing us and it’s even better when we can treat ourselves to a perfume created in the Lake District from pure ingredients with passion and artistic flair. Spirit is described as a cypre perfume with fresh, green aromatic notes. It’s made from evocative ingredients including white birch leaf, zesty bergamot, aromatic cardamom and geranium with subtle notes of guaiac (tree of life) wood and oak moss. I adore it and carry a purse spray around with me to spritz whenever I want to feel brighter. You can buy Spirit and other perfumes and skin care products at The Bath House Shop in Kirkby Lonsdale as well as six other shops around the north of England and online.

I hope you’ve enjoyed finding out about these special Lake District treats and they inspire you to pamper yourself or someone special, to one or more whilst you’re visiting this gorgeous part of the world. Do leave a Comment with your favourite ways to treat mind, body and spirit.

Disclaimer: I experienced the Thai massage courtesy of the Wordworth Hotel, received a copy of Beth Pipe’s book as a gift and was given Spirit when I interviewed Nigel at The Bath House Head Office in Sedburgh. However, I was under no obligation to write about them and have chosen to do so because I genuinely love all these Lake District treats and wanted to share them with you.

Love it? Pin it!