About Us

Janet and Phil have four children and live in Southport. Janet worked as a primary school teacher for many years and Phil is a university professor. We do not have as much time to spend at the property as we would like, but we hope to retire to Bracken Howe some day in the future. Meanwhile, we try continually to make improvements to the property to make it as characterful and as welcoming as possible.

The Lake District has been close to our hearts since climbing, walking and cycling there in our late teens. It is not just the natural scenery of mountains and lakes that attracted us, but the local culture generated by the villages, pubs and the local people.

We stay occasionally ourselves with family or friends when we get the opportunity.  However, we also enjoy offering Bracken Howe to guests and try to provide the best possible experience for them in the hope they will want to return and tell their friends.

We fell in love with Bracken House on our first visit. It is a large, elegant Victorian house built in 1880 with the feel and features of a bygone era, but with modern facilities and décor. It has a character that is hard to describe, but easy to experience.  The four-poster beds and a hot tub typify the past and present in harmony. Indeed, sitting in the lit-up hot tub on a winter’s night with a (plastic) glass of champagne, was one of our best experiences in the property.

Ideally, we wanted a property where we could walk out the door to start some classic Lake District walks (short and long), but also to be close to local facilities to eat and drink without using the car.  We did not expect to tick all of these boxes but Bracken Howe does that – and more.