The English Lake District is one of the truly beautiful parts of the world.

Nestling in the north east corner of the country between Lancashire and Scotland this unique landscape has everything from lofty crags to shady woodlands, wide rolling meadow and of course the stunning lakes which give the area its name.

It is a walker’s paradise and anyone who has seen the recent BBC TV series Wainwright’s Walks will be itching to get up there for themselves to stretch their legs on the high fell tops.

Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells are a unique and extraordinary series of books detailing not only every significant physical details of the peaks and vales but every route and trail that is worth walking.

Not only are they the definitive guide for the walker but they are in his own words “in very truth, a love letter” to the hills.

There are seven books in the series each detailing a distinct section of the district. You can find most of them at Reading’s Central library or any decent bookshop.

I was lucky enough to get a taste for walking in the Lakes as a teenager in the school cadets and now that our son is old enough to take up the challenge we have spent a week exploring the area every Easter for the last three years.

When I was a lad we roughed it a bit camping out in old canvas tents and eating from army ration packs.

Now that the joints are a little older and liable to creak a bit after a few miles walking we prefer a bit of home comfort and luxury so we now rent a cottage.

This year we stayed at Matterdale End, a tiny hamlet at the northern end of the Helvellyn range not far from Ullswater.

We found it through Cottages4you – a company who have hundreds of properties available all around the country.

Their excellent website helps you to find exactly the kind of cottage you are looking for and has a particularly useful feature which shows you where on the map each property is located.

Ours was truly delightful. A traditional Lakeland farm building which had been renovated and converted into holiday cottages.

We were welcomed in by our host Roy Titterton who showed us around, tipped us off about the best local walks and pubs and made us feel right at home.

The Lake District depends for its livelihood on the tourist trade and so there are plenty of restaurants and pubs to choose from.

The area is famous for traditional Cumbrian sausage and, of course lamb, although you may find watching the cute little creatures frolicking in the fields all afternoon might have you searching for an alternative on the menu come dinnertime.

Thanks to the Cottages4you website we also knew that our base would be right in the heart of walking country. Just a step or two from the front door and we were out on to the fells.

The Lake District is wonderful walking country.

The tallest mountains are high enough to give you a proper challenge but there is such a range and variety of terrain in the area that you can always find walks to suit your own level of fitness.

It is worth saying that the high fell tops can be very dangerous especially in bad weather.

You should at the very least know how to read a map and use a compass before venturing out on your own.

Decent boots and clothing are also essential during the colder months.

Through accident or misadventure, someone will die on the mountains nearly every year and many more will have to rely on the good services of the mountain rescue teams.

Having said that there are plenty of excellent low level walks if the weather is poor or if you simply want to enjoy a gentle stroll.

Like most teenage boys our son was keen to tackle the highest peaks and although the weather this Easter was far from perfect we managed to achieve almost all of our goals.

We spent a magical afternoon walking through the snow across the top of Blencathra. At 868 metres Blencathra is one of the highest peaks in the Lake District and one of Wainwright’s favourites.

The route up is steep but mercifully short and after a scramble across some rocks we reached the cairn at the top. The snow was lying 20cms deep in places and it should have been freezing cold but the sun shone, the wind held off and it was glorious.

Later in the week we also conquered mighty Helvellyn. At 950 metres Helvellyn is the third highest mountain in England and a magnificent craggy spectacle.

We had originally planned to go up the classic Wainwright route via the spectacular rocky ridge of Striding Edge but in the end common sense prevailed and in view of the snow and ice on the mountain top we chose an easier way up to the top and back down again.

Apart from a brief shower of hail the weather was kind to us again and we sauntered across the broad summit plateau feeling quite literally on of the world.

After our epic battle with mountain and elements we treated ourselves to dinner at the nearest pub, tucking in to a huge plate of steak and chips and for me a truly splendid pint or two of Black Sheep ale.

A fitting end to our memorable adventure.

- For more details of the fabulous range of cottages and holiday homes available from Cottages4you visit the website at www.cottages4you.co.uk

- The comfortable cottage James and his family stayed in ranges in price from £280.50 to £645.50 per week, from off-peak to peak season.

For more information on availability or for details of various Cottages4you accommodation, contact Cottages4you on 08700 782100.

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