Welcome to the Golakes Blog

Part One – From the 1st to the 12th of December
The Christmas season is a simply fabulous time to visit the Lake District. Beautiful Cumbrian villages look even more picturesque and a full calendar of festive delights leave you positively brimming with Yuletide cheer. December in the Lake District is home to a wealth of wonderful Christmas activities that make for the ideal backdrop to a romantic winter break or for a great holiday get-away for the whole family. These are the highlights of the first 12 days in Cumbria’s Christmas calendar.

1.    The traditional Christmas lunch at the Gincase tearoom, craft barn and gallery in Mawbray Hayrigg, Silloth is an ideal way to ease yourself into the festive spirit. They’re served throughout December but are consistently busy so booking is advisable.
2.    Enjoy the delights of a green Christmas at Kirkby Stephen as they turn on their ecological Christmas Lights, installed with donations from residents and local businesses. The illuminations will be followed by Carol singing and a play.
3.     Savour the majesty of the winter lights along Hadrian’s Wall. Throughout December, celebrate Hadrian’s Wall Country with a fabulous winter lighting project. This will be accompanied by events which celebrate the magic of this Cumbrian landscape.
4.    Create your own willow angel at Greystoke Cycle Café in Penrith. These special Angel days provide an opportunity to produce your own 2/3ft high Angel to grace a special corner of your room at Christmas.
5.    Join the gang at LucyCooks for an evening of Christmas cookery and entertainment. You’ll be taught the secrets of a fabulous three course Christmas dinner, learn some great recipes and eat some wonderful festive food. Well, ‘tis the season!
6.    Keswick’s traditional Christmas Fayre is home to a host of beautifully decorated charity stalls selling festive goods and a range of Christmas entertainments throughout the day. There is also a fun-fair and a Santa’s Grotto for younger children.
7.    Find out more about dating geological and archaeological events in Kendal this December. What materials can be dated and how? What use are tree-rings, fossils, radioactivity? The course puts these and similar questions in the context of dating the main events in the development of earth and its human inhabitants.
8.    Enjoy a fabulous Christmas dinner and first rate shopping at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve. Enjoy a glass of mulled wine while you browse the gift shop for interesting Christmas gifts and then savour a beautifully home-cooked Christmas dinner.
9.    The Eden Singers’ Christmas concert at The Methodist Church on Wordsworth Street in Penrith is a breathtakingly beautiful way to usher in the spirit of Christmas. Conducted by Gareth Cozens and accompanied by Janet Wilkinson and virtuoso soloist Jonathan Millican.
10.    Carols by candlelight, in the Parish Church of Saint Mary in Dalton-in-Furness, is a treat for the whole family. The stunning surroundings and uplifting orchestral and choral music will doubtless get you into the spirit of the season.
11.    For its inaugural Christmas market, the Yew Tree Barn is opening its doors for 3 days to showcase the talents of 15 brilliant crafts people, coming together with our resident artists in a Christmas extravaganza. Come and browse their wonderful festive wares.
12.    Don’t miss the fantastic Street Entertainment of Barrow-in-Furness; Holly & Ivy the Enchanted Christmas Trees, carol singing with the Salvation Army and performances from international street entertainers.