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It’s a crisp winter’s evening, the light has faded behind the fells and through the glass panel in the roof above the bed you can just about see some stars.

The wood-burning stove burns brightly in the shepherd’s hut, while metres away from the cabin, the water gently laps at the shores of the second largest lake in the region. Winter in the Lake District is magical.

Snow blankets the cragged surroundings, mist dances over frozen lakes and frost embraces the ground beneath. One of the quieter periods of the year to visit the National Park, it’s made all the more special by its places of refuge - the cosy pubs with roaring fires, cottages lit up with twinkling lights and country houses and hotels bringing the Christmas spirit.

One such place sits on the shores of Ullswater

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