It’s that wonderful time of year when fruits have ripened, and the Pick Your Own signs adorn the roadside. The rich terrain of the Lake District is ideal for a wide array of wonderful fruit and vegetables.
Guests of Chimney Gill Cottage and other visitors staying in the Lake District at this time in the season can enjoy a trip to a fruit picking establishment for a fun hour or so in the fresh air. It is so beneficial for children to see where fruits and vegetables grow (if they don’t in their own back gardens or allotments) and to obtain a greater understanding of how the blossoms turn into the fruits or vegetables and how they ripen. Also, to learn how to pick them – and of course enjoy the obligatory ‘tasters’ whilst picking, just to check they are delicious!
North of Chimney Gill Cottage you will find Kirklinton Hall, CA6 6BB, located half an hour away, on the other side of Carlisle. Kirklinton Hall offers visitors the option to simply pick your own strawberries but if you would like to explore the 14 acre site, pay the admission fee and then tour the hall and grounds, including a sandpit and play house in the children’s garden. The lovely tearoom offers welcome refreshments during any visit too.
Six miles south of Kendal lies Park House Farm in Heversham, LA7 7EB, and hour from Chimney Gill Cottage but during a day out, you may pass here on the way home and can pick wonderfully fresh fruit. Open 7 days a week, from 10am – 8pm, giving ample opportunity to plan a visit into your day. Offering a selection of soft fruits, visitors can pick strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries.
Our nearest PYO farm is Rowley’s Raspberries near Penrith, CA11 0DF, just 10 miles/15 minutes drive down the road. Established over 40 years ago in the heart of the Eden Valley, Rowley’s offers quality traditional reared raspberries that are simply delicious. Their location is amidst many scenic walks so you could plan ahead and explore the scenery, then have a raspberry picking treat afterwards.
Leapers Rock Orchard in Carnforth, LA6 1BP is a family run orchard, which was established in the mid-1980s. It’s a 52 minute drive from Chimney Gill Cottage. There are several options of fruits to pick – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, damsons, cherries, eating and cooking apples, and pears – and also different varieties of each fruit. Talk about being spoilt for choice! A great thing to note is that some of their strawberry varieties and grown on table-tops so this makes picking easier as you don’t have to bend down – ideal for all family members. Open from 10am every day apart from Mondays, when they are closed.
It’s always fantastic fun to pick your own but there’s also as much enjoyment in planning how you’re going to eat your bounty. From fresh strawberries drizzled in cream to gooseberry crumble, the possibilities are endless. Our Chimney Gill Cottage guests have been known to pick an abundance of fruit to see them through their stay and also freeze a selection to enjoy in smoothies for their breakfasts before exploring more of the Lake District. Enjoy this wonderful time of year and happy picking!