VIP VACATIONS

DESTINATION: LAKE DISTRICT

He may not be a man mountain, but Top Gear's Richard Hammond, 38, loves scaling the heights on holiday

"I've been going to the Lake District for 20 years – it's my spiritual home. I've travelled all over the world, visiting exotic locations like the North Pole, Japan, Africa and America, but my favourite holiday was in Buttermere.

This summer, my wife Mindy and I took our daughters Isabella, eight, and Willow, five, for a four-day break at the Bridge Hotel, surrounded by the Buttermere Fells.

The girls are still very small but they were desperate to walk up a mountain, so we set off from Buttermere to climb nearby Helm Crag .

It was steep going and it took us hours. But I was amazed the girls kept on. We went past a spectacular waterfall called Sour Milk Gill up to Bleaberry Tarn – a natural mountain lake which serves the stream – where we stopped to have a picnic. It was the perfect place for lunch with the most spectacular views.

By the evening, we were starving and tucked into Lancashire hot pot. Forget five-star cuisine, this was one of the most delicious meals I've eaten.

The following day, the girls decided that having been up a mountain, they now wanted to go inside one too!

At the head of the Honister Pass – one of Cumbria's highest – there's an old working slate mine and we went on a guided tour. Afterwards, they served tea beside a warm fire and looking over at Mindy and our girls' happy smiling faces, I knew then that it was one of the best holidays I'd ever had."

Prices for the Bridge Hotel start from £59 per person.

Top Gear Live takes place in London from October 30-November 2, and in Birmingham from November 13-16. Tickets costs from £28, call 0871 230 7150 to book.