Conferences for up to 180 delegates, board meetings and residential training courses can be held at Shap Wells Hotel, a hotel with 98 bedrooms in a wooded valley of the Shap Fells, near Penrith in Cumbria. Seven adaptable conference rooms with natural daylight, extensive grounds and a history going back to the early 1830s make it a practical base on the edge of the Lake District.
Seminars and company events
The hotel offers day delegate packages, 24-hour residential packages and private room hire. Its seven conference rooms cover formats from a small board meeting to a full conference for 180 delegates. Wi-Fi is free throughout the building and parking is free on site. The open grounds suit team building and outdoor training, and the hotel works with local providers to arrange activities. Programs can be planned around the agenda, with breaks and meals timed to the sessions, and the remote setting keeps groups together for the whole day.
Rooms and capacities
There are seven conference rooms in total, all with natural daylight. The largest configuration takes up to 180 delegates, and the smallest rooms suit a handful of people around a boardroom table. The hotel does not publish the name or the layout capacity of each room online, so organizers should state their format and numbers when they send a request.
Accommodation
The hotel has 98 refurbished bedrooms: singles, doubles, twins, family rooms and accessible rooms. Further accommodation is available in the Old Bathhouse. With this number of rooms, a residential conference can keep all delegates under one roof, which matters in a valley where the nearest town is a drive away.
Catering
Catering is handled by the hotel. Options run from light finger buffets to full four-course meals, served around the conference timetable. The hotel also has a restaurant and a bar for evening meals and informal time after the sessions.
History and setting
Shap Wells opened in the early 1830s to receive visitors to the Shap Spa, whose mineral spring, rich in saline and brine, was valued by the Victorians for its health benefits. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it became a regular stop for coach travelers between England and Scotland. During the Second World War the building was requisitioned as a prisoner of war camp, known as Camp 13/15, where German naval and Luftwaffe officers were held under armed guard. It reopened to civilian guests in 1947, then added bedrooms, dining areas and conference spaces over the following decades. Today it sits in a secluded valley in the Shap Fells, within reach of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Borders.
Getting there
The address is Shap Wells Hotel, Shap, near Penrith, Cumbria CA10 3QU. The hotel is close to the M6 motorway and the A6, which makes it easy to reach by car from the north of England and from Scotland. The nearest main line station is Penrith North Lakes, on the West Coast Main Line between London and Glasgow.
