A LAKE District estate once owned by Wordsworth's son has been transformed into luxurious, eco-friendly holiday accommodation.

Riverside Terrace, at the foot of Loughrigg Fell, Rydal, features a semi-circular frontage clad in Coniston slate; a living green roof; air source heat pumps; and Herdwick sheep's wool carpets.

The three self-catering suites, located on the site of former stables on the Stepping Stones Estate, have just been given a coveted five-star gold award by VisitEngland.

Sleeping four each, they are now open for bookings with Windermere-based cottage company Lakelovers.

Lakelovers told the Gazette the project required "a unique design and a unique team", which included Lakeland tradespeople and suppliers, and energy consultants Green Footsteps, based in Longsleddale, who tested the properties for air tightness.

Among the challenges posed by the location, yards from the River Rothay, was getting the huge floor-to-ceiling double A-rated glazing into position; and putting in place a sustainable, self-sufficient water supply, harnessing rainfall.

Underfloor heating, meanwhile, is provided via technology such as air source heat pumps that can extract heat from the air even when the temperature is as low as -15°C.

The single-storey, semi-circular frontage was chosen to "blend effortlessly into the fells behind" and give privacy to each suite.

Local resident Gilly Hodgkinson said: “This sensitively designed and environmentally considered building sits perfectly and naturally into Rydal's magnificent scenery of fells and farmland."

Slate cladding echoed local dry stone walls, she added.