Retreat to Rydal Hall, Cumbria, England

Rydal Water, and the hamlet of Rydal, snuggle in between Grasmere and Ambleside in the spectacular heart of the English Lake District. Rydal Hall itself was previously the home of the Le Fleming family before being sold to the Diocese of Carlisle. Beautifully restored over many years, the Hall (a Grade II listed historic house parts of which date back to the 1600's).

You will be working with the Rydal Hall estate management team on a range of projects during the week, which will enhance the wildlife potential of the area, improve the visitor access and the tourist experience for the thousands of people who pass through each year, encourage local community sustainability projects, and help fix the wear and tear from a season of visitors and damage from the 2009 Cumbrian floods.

Last year's group took part in:

- repairing the banks of streams which pass through the estate, by removing fallen branches and debris, and replacing any of the stone from the embankment walls which has been dislodged by visitors or by flooding;
- restoring bridges across the streams running through the grounds;
- controlling rhododendron, a non-native invasive plant which prevents a healthy woodland ecosytem from developing, by cutting and burning it;
- controlling bracken and preventing it spreading by bashing it;
- seasonal work in the community veg garden;
- surveying touch-me-not balsam, a rare plant which is the foodplant of the even rarer netted carpet moth;
- work in the formal gardens, including a structural survey.

This year's holiday will concentrate on projects in the woodland behind Rydal Hall. This will include mending footpaths, planting, landscaping, making sculptures, stumperies, and other tasks with the estates team to enhance the woodland area for both human and wildlife visitors. Together, in just one week, you will transform the woodland!

You will be staying in Rydal Hall's bunkhouse, which is basic but comfortable accommodation at the heart of the Rydal Hall estate. It is self contained and includes dormitories, shower and toilet facilities, kitchen and spacious common room. Sleeping will be on bunk beds in four separate rooms, and you will need to bring your own sleeping bag. There is a wood burning stove for cosy evenings in together, and the electricity for the bunkhouse is generated by a hydro-electric turbine running on one of the streams which tumble down the hillside through the estate. There are shared laundry facilities. The views around the bunkhouse are beautiful, looking out across the formal gardens to Rydal Water and the Lake District Fells beyond.

The only problem during your stay will be deciding what to do with your leisure time! There are endless possibilities, from gentral walks, a visit to the Rydal Cave, a walk up to Easedale Tarn, or an ascent of Loughrigg, or for the more ambitious even the Langdale Pikes!

Rydal Mount, Wordsworth's historic home and garden, is open for visitors, with family heirlooms and a planting scheme similar to that enjoyed in Wordsworth's day. There are art galleries and museums in Grasmere and Ambleside, and plenty of crafts and souvenir shops.