FELLSIDE SAUNA AT ANOTHER PLACE ULLSWATER | Sauna Stories

Sauna Stories: Fellside Sauna does it again – a meadow, a cold lake, and a moment to breathe on the shores Ullswater.

This particular Sauna Stories entry came about as a purposeful act of active recovery. By the time I reached Ullswater on this particular Wednesday morning, my legs felt like they’d lived several lifetimes. The Keswick Mountain Festival 10k trail run had already left them humming, and then I’d asked them – politely, but still – to carry me more than a hundred miles along the Cleveland Way. In a heatwave. The fatigue was real. So a return to Fellside Sauna felt less like a treat and more like a necessity.

I say return, because this was my second Fellside experience, but the setting couldn’t have been more different. Instead of Derwentwater’s winter hush, I chose their meadow sauna on the banks of Ullswater. It was late May, and half‑term energy bounced across the water like sunlight. Paddleboarders zig‑zagged from the jetty, kids shrieked with the kind of joy only cold lakes can provoke, and the fells beyond were softened by early‑summer haze. The air sat at a cool 17 degrees, cool compared to the 32 degrees I’d hiked in two days earlier, and the whole scene felt both gentle and refreshing.

Tucked into the vast meadow below Another Place hotel was the sanctuary I’d come for: an eight‑person, hand‑built, wood‑fired Finnish‑style sauna, its huge picture window framing the lake like a living postcard. I could feel my body exhale before I’d even stepped inside.

Splodz Blogz | Fellside Sauna Another Place Ullswater

Settling Into the Meadow Sauna

The Fellside setup at Another Place is beautifully simple, but with more amenities than the Derwentwater version. A wooden deck, a plunge pool, a grassy path leading down to the lake, and the sauna itself standing proudly in the meadow. It sits in a wide, open landscape that seems to wait for you to arrive, to slow down, to let the world shrink to the size of a very warm room and a wide window.

Our sauna masters – a lovely lady with her equally lovely granddaughter – welcomed us in and made sure everything was just right for the hour‑long session. She kept the fire tended, adjusted the heat when needed, and checked in gently without disturbing the quiet.

Inside, the heat wrapped around me instantly. The stove had been working hard, pushing the temperature up to a toasty 105 degrees. Sensible heads prevailed, and we cooled it to something closer to 90, still deliciously hot, still enough to coax my tired muscles into surrender. It was just me and one other lady, both of us content to sit in companionable silence. There’s something about shared quiet in a sauna that feels like a small pact: we’re here to rest, to breathe, to let the heat do its work – and to speak of nothing.

The picture window dominated the space, and I found myself mesmerised by it. Ullswater shifted constantly: ripples, light, movement, paddleboards drifting past like slow‑motion brushstrokes. The contrast between the busy lake and the stillness inside the sauna was perfect. I felt suspended between two worlds – one lively and bright, one hushing the other.

Cold Water, Chaos, and Choosing the Plunge Pool

I’d promised myself at least one cold dip in Ullswater, and I kept that promise. The walk down to the lake was longer than it looked, but the water was worth it – cold and invigorating, snapping everything back into focus and doing its quiet work on my muscles, skin, and mind.

But it was also half term, and as I’ve mentioned, the pontoon was shared with all the water sports users from Another Place. Paddleboards were everywhere. Kids were everywhere. The lake was a joyful kind of chaos, but chaos nonetheless. After my first dip, I realised that this wasn’t quite the serene cool‑off I’d imagined.

So for the rest of the hour, I made use of the plunge pool on the deck. It was actually perfect: close, quiet, and free from the risk of being accidentally run over by an enthusiastic nine‑year‑old learning to steer a SUP. The temperature was ideal, cold enough to make you gasp, but not so cold that you question your sanity. I love the rhythm of it: heat, plunge, breathe, repeat. My legs felt grateful. My mind felt clearer.

And truly, no complaints about the water sports chaos. It’s part of Ullswater’s charm. Plus, Fellside Sauna guests can use the Another Place changing rooms, showers, and toilets, which makes the whole experience just that little bit nicer. Not all saunas have access to facilities like that, so it’s worth checking when you book if it’s something you value.

The Magic of Recovery

I’ve used saunas for recovery before, but this time felt different. Maybe it was the timing, coming straight off the Cleveland Way, still carrying the effort of the trail. Maybe it was the contrast between the heatwave I’d walked through and the cool, breezy lakeside air. Or maybe it was simply that this sauna, standing in that meadow with its view of Ullswater, felt like exactly the right place to stop moving.

I could feel everything loosening, lengthening, letting go. But the real restoration wasn’t physical. It was the stillness. The quiet. The way the window framed the lake like a reminder that the world is bigger and softer than the miles I’d just walked.

There’s a particular kind of peace that comes from sitting in a sauna after a long adventure. It’s not triumph, not relief, not even rest. It’s a gentle settling. A moment where your body catches up with your mind and says, ‘And now we’re here’.

Lunch and Lake Views

After my session, I wandered up to the café at Another Place for lunch. It was relaxed, bright, and I ate well – very well. Anyone else always hungry after a sauna? Whenever friend Jenny and I have our sauna days, food is absolutely part of the ritual. I’m convinced it’s written somewhere in the unofficial handbook of heat and cold: you will emerge ravenous. And honestly, I love that.

Outside, Ullswater continued its busy dance of paddleboards and kayaks, but from the café window it looked calmer, almost serene. I liked that the lake had several personalities that day: lively from the pontoon, peaceful from the sauna, reflective from the café. The Lake District is very much like an onion – layered, textured, alive – and this little trio of perspectives felt like a perfect example of that.

I didn’t rush to leave. Recovery isn’t just about what you do; it’s about giving yourself permission to pause. And this was a very good pause.

A Meadow, a Window, and a Moment to Breathe

As I walked back to my car, I kept thinking about how Fellside Sauna creates spaces that feel both wild and held. Their Derwentwater sauna was my first Sauna Stories entry – a winter dip, a quiet shoreline, a sense of stepping into something elemental. This Ullswater visit was different: brighter, busier, more alive. But the heart of it was the same. A warm room. A cold dip. A view that pulls you out of yourself and into the landscape.

It gave me exactly what I needed after the miles. A reminder that recovery isn’t an afterthought, it’s part of the adventure. I left feeling lighter. Not fully restored (no sauna can undo a hundred miles), but steadier, calmer, more myself. And that, really, is the magic – sauna meets you where you are, whether you’re fresh from a trail run, weary from a long‑distance hike, or simply in need of a quiet hour by a lake.

This particular sauna has now moved across Ullswater to the Patterdale Estate for the summer, but I understand it will be back later in the year. A travelling sauna with a familiar soul, another place to return to, another moment waiting to be held gently in heat and water.