We’ve developed something quite unique with Bambú – an informal fun holiday environment exclusively for lesbians

Every year for a long weekend in January we recreate the Bambú experience in the beautiful English lakes.

The inspiration for a ‘pop-up’ winter Bambú in the UK came from a variety of things.

Firstly, many people associate Spain only with the hot summer months. Secondly, Susanne and I want to spend more time with family and friends in the UK during our quietest time of the year. But thirdly we miss running Bambú and meeting our lovely guests during the winter.

We searched high and low for the perfect venue. We wanted something big enough but not too big.  Somewhere we could take over in its entirety.  Log fires were a must.  En-suite bedrooms for everyone are rare in country houses, chain hotels are too big, private hotels are either too small, close down for the winter or don’t allow big group bookings.

But Blencowe Hall has proved to be perfect. It has 10 en-suite bedrooms and a further 2 which share a bathroom.

The first pop-up weekend in January 2014 at Blencowe Hall was a great success – it surpassed all our expectations – 20 women, 6 couples and 8 travelling alone, some sharing twin rooms, had an absolutely fabulous time.  We’ve repeated the long weekend every year since and now we’ve rebooked for 2020. Many of the attendees have attended almost every year and have booked again for the seventh.  Why not join us for this fabulous short break which is fast becoming a Bambú institution?

Blencowe Hall is near to Penrith in Cumbria.  You can either drive or you can get the train to Penrith and then pick up a taxi.  Probably several people will be arriving on the same train, in which case taxis can be shared.  If you are coming from outside of the UK, then the nearest airports are Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle – all about 1½ hours journey. Manchester is probably best as there is a railway station at the airport on the direct line to Penrith.

Guests arrive Friday afternoon / evening.  There will be a buffet supper on the Friday evening, a night out in the local Greystoke pub, the Boot & Shoe, on Saturday and a 4-course formal dinner on Sunday night.  Invariably there’s a bit of dancing after dining and the billiards / pool table downstairs is also a popular draw.

We generally split up and do different things during the daytime – usually a group goes for a hike followed by a cream tea or pub lunch whilst others explore some of the Lake District’s lovely villages. One year a few guests enjoyed an afternoon of spa treatments at a local hotel.  Others choose to stay in and enjoy the unique beautiful surroundings and creature comforts of the Hall.  This year we were treated to Tarot readings and a few of us enjoyed a very serious game of poker!