Planning Christmas or New Year in the Lake District for a big group? Our large holiday houses in Windermere sleep 12 to 16, and every one is decorated for the festive season with a 7ft tree. Christmas and New Year are booked as full-week breaks, and each of the five Terrace houses has a hot tub and cellar cinema.
There’s a moment — usually somewhere between the mulled wine and the third game of charades — when someone in the group says it. “We should do this every year.”
That’s what Christmas in the Lake District does to people.
We’ve been lucky enough to host groups here at The Terrace Windermere and Orrest Head House over the festive period for years. And without exception, the ones who come once tend to come back. Something about being up here, together, in a big beautiful house with the fells outside and a fire going inside — it does something to people.
Here’s why it works so well.
The Houses Were Made for This
Seriously. Think about what you need for a proper Christmas or New Year:
A big table where everyone sits together. Every one of our houses has one.. No one’s eating on a tray on their knee.
A kitchen big enough to actually cook in. All of our large houses have range cookers a few have AGAs too.
A place to sink into after dinner. Chesterfield sofas. Open fires. The kind of room you don’t leave in a hurry.
A cinema in the cellar. Because at some point, someone’s going to want to put a Christmas film on. We’ve got cinemas seating between 12 and 18 people, depending on the house. That’s a proper screening, not four people squinting at a laptop.
And at The Terrace properties — a hot tub to see the new year in. Standing in 40-degree water at midnight while the fells are lit up above you. We’d tell you what it’s like but we think you should find out for yourself.
Orrest Head House Has Its Own Bar
Worth saying twice. Orrest Head House has its own private bar — Josiah Brown’s, named after one of the house’s original owners from the 1670s. You bring the drinks. You ring first orders. Job done. No taxis, no queuing, no closing time.
It’s a Grade II listed house with over 2 acres of private grounds and a walk up to Orrest Head that starts right at the gate. Twenty minutes to the top. Views that’ll stop you mid-sentence. Ideal for blowing away the Christmas cobwebs.
The Lake District in Winter Is Beautiful
People forget this. Everyone thinks the Lakes is a summer thing. It isn’t.
In December and January, the light does something extraordinary. The fells turn every shade of purple and rust. If there’s frost on the ground and you catch a clear morning, it genuinely takes your breath away.
Windermere village is a two-minute walk from The Terrace. Booths supermarket is on the doorstep for the big shop. And there’s a string of good local restaurants if you fancy a night off cooking — Homeground does a brilliant breakfast, The Crafty Baa is the best little bar around, and there are a handful of proper restaurants within easy walking distance.
Who’s This For?
Big families who want everyone under one roof. Groups of friends who’ve been talking about doing something like this for years and finally are. Couples who want something better than a hotel. Anyone who’s tired of the same Christmas.
Our houses sleep between 12 and 16 guests at The Terrace, and up to 14 at Orrest Head House — or up to 20 if you take the House and the Cottage together.
Christmas and New Year fill up quickly. If you’re thinking about it for this year, don’t leave it too long.
Book Direct. No Platform Fees.
Book straight through us at theterracewindermere.co.uk and there are no booking fees, no commissions, nothing extra. Just a straightforward price.
Questions? Drop us a message on the contact page or call us on 0330 088 4086. We’re real people and we’ll get back to you quickly.
Andy and Barbara (owners)
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer short breaks at Christmas and New Year?
We only offer set breaks over Christmas and New Year, and the exact dates depend on how the calendar falls. Like everyone, our cleaners don’t work Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, and we don’t ask them to work weekends either — they have families too. That sometimes means the dates land awkwardly, so we can only offer full-week breaks rather than shorter stays.
Will the houses be decorated?
Yes — we take real pride in getting the decorations right for the festive period. Every property has a 7ft, fully decorated Christmas tree, garlands above the fireplace and a welcome archway, so the houses feel properly special over Christmas.
When do the Christmas decorations go up?
We put the decorations up in the first week of December and take them down at the first clean after New Year.
What do you provide at Christmas?
We put extra logs in for every Christmas guest, plus large foil baking trays and baking foil for the big Christmas Day cook.
Will the house be warm and cosy over Christmas?
Yes — we always keep our houses warm, but over Christmas we know children tend to be up earlier, so we adjust the heating settings to make sure it’s lovely and warm for any early-morning check to see if Santa’s been.
If we’re away from home, will Santa know where to find us?
He will! Santa knows exactly how good our houses are at Christmas, and he keeps track of which boys and girls are staying — he’ll find you there just the same.
Related posts: Why Winter Is the Best Time to Book · The Family Reunion · Big Group, Big House: Houses That Sleep 20 or More