Although it’s slightly bumpy ride along the final km to Martha’s Cottage, what a delightful place to stay. The gîte is set on one side of a courtyard which is shared with the family who work this fully operating hill farm. The underfloor heating, as we stepped shoeless onto the sitting room carpet, felt immediately welcoming; along with the warm smile of our host Janet, we knew we were in for a pleasant stay. The kitchen is well equipped, the two shower rooms were impeccably clean and our own double bed wonderfully comfortable. The upstairs bedroom, had we required it, would have been a perfect hideaway, with its own bathroom. It’s only a 15-minute walk to the local pub, also a place of charm, with log fires and friendly staff. There’s lots of local walking too, although we opted for the short 25-minute drive over Ulpha for an ascent of Scafell Pike. On our return an unexpected bottle of wine awaited us, kindly bought by Janet, who’d tuned into the fact that we were celebrating a birthday. Our only regret was that we were only there for three nights - next time we must stay for longer.