About - Premises

The Centre occupies a traditional 17th Century Lakeland farmhouse and outbuildings, once one of the largest and most important sheep farms in England. It is now managed as a Registered Charity, No. CC 529193.

Resident Warden

Our Wardens, Ellen and Walter Cloete, live on site and would like to meet you on arrival, to give an introduction and appraise you of any emergency procedures. They live in the separate building on the left (south).
To book accommodation, please see the Bookings page.

Arriving

Click here for directions to LGFC. Please locate the Warden on arrival - in case the Centre is locked, or there are any different conditions in force.

You may normally unload into the multi-purpose barn (large black doors on right), then continue through the gap and park in the main car park on the left by the hedge. This is a public right of way, and is on Alfred Wainwright's well-known coast-to-coast route. It's also a Fire muster point, a turning area and a farmer's access route, so please park tidily.

Group Leaders and/or Parents

Please take a few minutes to read the folder notes in the kitchen, and enter everyone's name on the Fire List in the lounge near the front door.

We recommend that you nominate a responsible adult to collect the Fire List in the event of an alarm, and take it to the muster point (car park). Our Warden may not always be around, or may not hear the alarm from another building.

Also please advise your group that as we generate our own electricity, we have limited power available for hair dryers or other heated appliances. However, you will be able to charge your phones, music players, laptops, etc. We also advise you all to bring a torch.

It's unlikely that your phone will work in the valley bottom - you may have to walk up the hill to get a signal, but we do have a payphone! (see bottom of page)

Catering

The self-catering kitchen contains 2 gas cookers; one is a domestic size with eye-level grill, 4 hobs and 2 small ovens, and one is a catering size with 6 hobs and larger oven. There is also a catering-type gas grill. As our hydro-electricity should now be available for longer, we have replaced the gas fridge with a larger, more efficient electric one - and provided a separate freezer. You may now bring ready-prepared frozen dishes!
Most standard cooking pots and utensils are provided, but we must still ask you not to discard glass, plastic or tins in the bin.

The 'middle' kitchen has a disused fireplace with an old cooking pot hanger, and an interesting side oven. This was the original farmhouse kitchen.

There is additional shelving in here for your supplies, and a foldaway table and chairs if you have difficulty accessing the dining room.

Dining

The dining room is above the kitchen, and can seat 40 people on 5 tables with bench seating.

All cutlery, crockery, tea towels, scourers and washing-up liquid are provided, and there is a double sink and drainers for washing-up.

Glass, plastic, tins

Unfortunately our local Council don't do recycle collections in this remote area, so we must ask you to take these away with you. Paper, card and wooden waste can be used in our biomass boiler, so we provide a bin for Burnable rubbish. Other waste can go into bags in the Non-Burn bin to be taken by the refuse collectors. We have a can crusher outside for aluminium drinks cans, but we ask you to recover them. Guidelines are printed on the internal wall near the bins.

Relaxing

The main house has 2 lounges with open fires. The small lounge is carpeted, and the larger one still has an original stone flagged floor, and game(?) hooks in the ceiling. You should find a good supply of logs and kindling in here because the previous group has left them for you! We would expect you to do the same for the next group, and saws/axes are available from the Warden. Please do speak out if you might have a problem doing this.

Sleeping

We have 5 dormitories, named after some of the tenant farmers who once worked here.

In the main house, the Tyson Room has 10 bunks, the Richardson Room has 8, and the Birkett and Kirkhaugh Rooms each have 4. The Colebank dormitory is at the other end of an indoor corridor, and has 14 bunks. All bunks have a waterproof mattress and pillow, but you will need your own sleeping bag and pillowcase.

Washing

Along the indoor corridor behind the main barn, there are separate male and female toilet facilities. Each has 4 basins, 3 WC's and 3 hot showers (included in your bednight fees). The central combined cubicles have a wider door to facilitate disabled access.

There is an additional double sink near the Colebank dormitory, which is also available to campers.

Drying room

There is a useful drying room in the house, near the bottom of the stairs, but larger or wetter items and footwear would be better left in the barn.

Multi-purpose barn

The indoor corridor also gives access to the large barn where you may have unloaded on arrival, the ground floor of which is also available for gentler indoor games. Please do not go to the upper floor. There are hangers and boot racks in the barn for your outdoor gear and very wet clothing.

After dark

As we generate our own power on site, there may be occasional times when it is unavailable. Low power night lights operate between dusk and dawn and they illuminate the main areas including kitchen, dining room, stairs and toilets, but not inside the dormitories. This is why we also advise you each to bring a torch. There is a wind-up lantern in the small lounge.

We are miles away from the nearest street lamps, so it really does get very dark outside. So dark in fact, that we are in the "Milky Way" class on the UK Dark Sky Discovery website. This means that the Milky Way is easily visible with the naked eye on a clear dark night . . . so why not bring a telescope with you?

Wolfson Room

Across the yard is the Wolfson Room, also available to non-Centre users on a pay-per-day basis. This classroom/study room is available to Centre users at no extra charge, but needs to be arranged with the Warden in advance. It is heated independently from the Centre, and we may be able to loan you some Field Study items, like microscopes, maps and compasses.

We can now offer Wireless Broadband to our visitors. However, our stone walls are very thick, so this works best in the classroom area. The Warden will be able to supply the access details.

Outside

Our own 2 acre field can be used for outdoor games, camping, stargazing, birdwatching, etc. Part of this field is managed as a wild meadow, so please heed any signs or marked areas, and be aware of any livestock. This field also houses our wigloo (see Activities page) which your younger members may enjoy playing in.

Before you leave

Like most hostels, we expect users to leave the Centre at least as clean as when they arrived. You should set your own cleaning rota, but to avoid duplication there are some cards in the kitchen which may be handed round, with notes relating to the cleaning of the various areas.

Lost property will be held for a while, but if you think you've left something, you should contact the Warden ASAP. If an item is not claimed after a reasonable period we may need to dispose of it, or offer it to another visitor. We have collected too many torches, toiletries and dirty clothes over the years!

Public telephone

We allow public use of our private payphone. This is the telephone marked on many maps of the area, and is located in the outside lobby adjacent to the kitchen east door. Access is always maintained.

Please be aware that it temporarily shares the main number with the Warden. It will also receive incoming calls on 01946 861229 - mobile signals are generally poor or non-existent in the valley bottom. Remember to bring some 20p, 50p or £1 coins to make outgoing calls. The minimum fee is currently only 40 pence!

Location

Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre, Ennerdale, Cleator
Cumbria, CA23 3AX

• Tel : 01946 861229
• Email : warden@lgfc.org.uk
• Grid Ref : NY139141

Click on image to enlarge it.