No more than a few dozen houses, Applethwaite is the most sought-after village around Keswick, and it's not hard to see why. The village is a sleepy little hamlet, more reminiscent of Madeira than England, with hens, ducks, goats and sheep wandering over the lane. And the lane isn't going anywhere else; the main road by-passed Applethwaite long before bypasses were thought of. So children and pets are pretty free to wander. Beside the lane riotous gardens bloom azalea, rhododendron, every king of shrub hugging the hillside. Streams cascade down Skiddaw on their way to the River Derwent, and tumble merrily beside the road and farmsteads. And yet, you're only a mile and a half from Keswick, with all it has to offer. You can walk there along the road, or on one of the many paths cutting through the village, on their way up to Skiddaw, Latrigg, or into the woods around.