Mountain Goat

A SPECIAL tour service which gives visitors a cultural, historical and literary taste of the Lake District owes its success to making the inaccessible accessible.

Mountain Goat was originally a shuttle bus service from Windermere to Glenridding with the name deriving from a passenger who described the experience as ‘climbing just like a mountain goat’.

The shuttle bus service then developed into daily guided tours and continued expanding when is purchased Park Tours in 2005.

The fleet comprises 14 luxury Mercedes Sprinters and the purchase of a new garage in heart of Windermere this year will enable all vehicles to be kept in tip-top condition.

Mountain Goat is a Lake District tour specialist and prides itself on an inspiring and exciting choice of guided sightseeing tours - daily tours, short breaks, touring breaks and walking holidays. It is constantly expanding its tours across the Lake District and it has recently launched Tour of Day in conjunction with Windermere Lake Cruises and The Lakeland Motor Museum.

In its 40th year the company launched a new tour called ‘Swallow and Amazons’, based upon the famous children’s book by Arthur Ransome, which takes in the main locations of the book and Ransome’s favourite parts of the Lakes.

And to make booking even easier for customers, Mountain Goat has launched an online booking system, which enables customers to book tours instantly.

The company has also employed a Japanese speaking guide to help the business and provide new opportunities.

Business development executive Robin Tyson said: “We have 35 employees, ranging from drivers to office staff. Without their commitment to Mountain Goat and going that extra mile for our customers, we would not have enjoyed our success.”

Ullswater Steamers

ULLSWATER ‘Steamers’, which runs five heritage vessels on England’s second largest lake, has been carrying passengers since 1859. In its early years it also hauled general provisions, mail, slate and lead.

Since the 1950s the company has been owned and operated by Kendal-based Lake District Estates; and today it has one of the largest heritage passenger fleets in England. This includes the 135-year-old Lady of the Lake, the oldest-working passenger vessel in the world.

Today Ullswater ‘Steamers’, which employs 28 people, is a popular tourist attraction, providing a sustainable transport service linking some of the most iconic walking routes in the Lake District. It is also a forward-looking company and recent developments include the refurbishment and extension of Glenridding Pier House and the restoration and launch of the Western Belle, a passenger vessel first launched in 1935.

General manager Mark Horton said: “At Ullswater ‘Steamers’, we strive to provide a quality experience for all of our passengers. This starts with our website and brochures and carries on through our ticket sales staff, the pierhouses and the boats themselves, through to disembarkation.

“Of course the key to all of this is in having a truly great team of people who really get on well together and are passionate about the lake, the wildlife, and the environment in which we work.

“We have put in a huge amount of effort to reduce our environmental impact and contribute financially, through the Nurture Lakeland Visitor Donation Scheme, to landscape and conservation projects.”

Docker Park Farm

DOCKER Park Farm in the Lune Valley was established as an open farm and visitor centre in 1989 and for a number of years enjoyed great success.

But by 2009 it had closed and when Lisa and John Tamlin took over in 2010, they realised a great deal of investment and hard work was required to restore its fortunes.

That endeavour is now well under way, with phase one of the couple’s restoration plan already completed, thanks to help from the Rural Development Programme England.

The farm, which has undergone nine months of intensive refurbishment, comprises indoor and outdoor play areas and offers tractor rides and paddock walks with friendly animals to delight children of all ages.

Mr and Mrs Tamlin have also introduced aviaries with endangered and breeding owls from The World Owl Trust and there are also two lake habitats for visitors to enjoy.

The couple say one of their inspirations for buying the farm was their son, 12-year-old son Hugh, who has special educational needs.

“He is home educated and the farm provides an ideal learning environment for him,” said Mr Tamlin. “The farm will also offer an employment opportunity for him in the future.”

In 2011, the Tamlins had five members of staff - now that has risen to 12.

“Our team’s attitude is a ‘can do’ one and if we can go the extra mile for our customers, then we do,” said Mrs Tamlin. “Nothing is too much trouble. Our whole team has a real sense of pride in what we have achieved and embrace our attitude that attention to detail is everything.

“We love to see visitors having fun and our staff take the time to play with the children, chat to adults and work hard to ensure each visitor to the farm leaves with a sense of a great family day out.”

Another attraction is the farm’s cafe, which provides food made on site from British produce.