Another day in the Lakes District

Friday 04/05/12 - continuing the journey

This morning dawned a little cooler, grayer and not so promising as yesterday but after we had breakfast we were still eager to get and out and about to enjoy all this area had to offer. We drove around to Ambleside where we caught the ferry for the half lake tour of Lake Windermere. Whilst it was very cold it didn't stop us braving the weather and spending some time out on the back deck enjoying the beautiful views. Seeing Wray Castle from the water reminded us we were in a country with centuries of history to offer.

Once we arrived at Bowness we left the ferry for a 50 min stopover and during this time we walked up the hill into the shops where I succumbed to a warmer jacket and Bill found a little cafe and ordered a hot chocolate for when my shopping spree was done. We were back on board for the return trip soon after and this time we where traveling on the Tern, one of the old steamships that now run on the lake every hour. We had travelled down on a shuttle ferry. I must say the steamship had much more character and was much more comfortable though once again we braved the cold outside for most of the trip.

Once back at Ambleside we jumped in our car as quickly as we could, gee it was freezing, cranked the heater and headed for our next stop, Grasmere. This is another quaint little village a few miles down the road, very picturesque and it was just the place to stop for lunch. Along the way we had passed and admired Rydal Water and travelled up the hill for a few miles out of Grasmere before returning to park the car. This whole area is laced with little country lanes only wide enough for one car at times and with the many lakes and mountains in the area it is a delight to drive around and see them all. We decided that we must be turning rural as we lunched at the local garden centre cafe along with all the other rural folk in town. It was a lovely lunch, butternut squash & smokey bacon soup - yum - and a chunk of homemade bread. Pays to listen to the locals sometimes. After lunch we hit the road again and made our way the few miles further up to Keswick. Just before we went into town we followed the road up the hill to see the Castlerigg Stone Cirle.

This is another mysterious circle of stones dating back to the 1780's when it was first discovered by a local. Like Stonehenge the circle is surrounded by mystery but unlike Stonehenge it is free to walk in and walk among the stones. It is amazing sight and the little black & white lambs playing hide and seek added another dimension to the walk. From here we continued back down to Keswick. This is a much bigger town and home to Derwent Pencils. I'm sure you will all remember those coloured pencils that we all had to have as children. And if you couldn't afforded them then the next best thing was the Lakeland pencils. Yep, they are all made here and we visited the Pencil Museum and learned how they are made, from mining the graphite to which trees the wood comes from to make the outer case for the lead. It really was interesting and though the factory in Keswick is now shut they are still made locally just down the road at Borrowdale. And we learnt all about the secret pencils made for the war!

After leaving the museum we walked into the town centre for a look around and then jumped in the car for a drive around Derwent Water, and yes it is just as beautiful as the pictures on the pencil tins, to Grange and back through Keswick before turning the car for home. Along the way we decided there was one more little village we hadn't seen and so made our way over to Coniston to have a quick look around before calling it a day and heading back to Hawkshead. With the outdoor temperature down to 6 degrees we decided that an early dinner might be the way to go and so stopped at Hawkshead to find a table right next to the fireplace, complete with roaring fire, at the Queens Head. Once again a lovely meal and a good glass of red. They sell wine in 3 size glasses here. Is there any point going for small or medium - no I didn't think so - large did the job nicely and I didn't need to go back for more! Arriving back at Slack Cottage just as it was getting dark we were soon inside our nice warm room and I only lasted about half an hour before my eyes were closing. We have had 2 lovely days exploring just a little bit of the Lakes District but have loved all the different places we have seen. Each little pocket has something unique and we really could lose ourselves here for many months - but not this time. We have to head back south tomorrow. I'll let you know how we go then.....

Off to the Lakes District

Wednesday 02/05/12

An early start this morning so we could say goodbye to Gwenda, Nick, Jasper and Paige before we left on our next adventure.  Thank you so much for having us, we have loved every moment of it and look forward to seeing you next time either here or in Oz. Once packed we left Pippin's Orchard about 10am and proceeded to follow Auntie Muriel's directions to find the A5 road, a more interesting drive than the M6 which is a four lane motorway traveling around all towns large and small.  Fast but boring!  We managed to get it mainly right with just a little glitch as we were about to join the A5 but that was put right fairly quickly with the aid of the Tom-tom and very soon we were on our way right up the middle of this little country.  We passed through some lovely villages along the way but unfortunately did not have the time to stop at them all. We stopped a couple of times along the way for coffee and photo opportunities before finally succumbing to hunger about 2.00pm for lunch at a little pub beside the Ashby canal.

Called the Lime Kilns this little pub was full of character and we had a yummy bacon and egg roll before taking a walk beside the canal and looking with great interest at the barges that were moored there.  Once back in the car we decided that while the country road was lovely it was time to get moving and so we made our way over to the M6 and sped up the motorway for the rest of the journey. We arrived in the Lakes District about 6.15 and once we had established the address of our B and B we went in search of it.  11 miles in from Newby Bridge we found Slack Cottage in the tiny tiny village of High Wray and were pleasantly surprised.  Our room is gorgeous and the view over the lakes and surrounding hills is to die for.  Can't wait to get out tomorrow and explore properly.

Once settled and unpacked we drove back out to the nearest village for dinner.  Hawkshead is just a delightful place and with 4 pubs in this tiny village we were spoilt for choice.  The Queens Head won the day and the Roasted Lamb rump was delicious.  A walk around the village after dinner has decided the venue of choice for tomorrow nights dinner as well so that is one less decision we will need to make then! So now all that is left to do is get a good nights sleep so we can make the most of every moment as the little bit we have seen so far today has well and truly whet the appetite to enjoy as much as we can of this little corner of the world over the next 3 days before we head south again. Good night all, more stories tomorrow. Thursday 03/05/2012 - exploring the Lakelands

We woke up to a glorious morning, blue sky and sunshine, albeit very chilly for the first hour or two.  Not that I found this a problem as I stayed tucked up in bed while Bill ventured out with his camera at 6.30am.  By the time he got back I was showered, dressed and ready to face the day. We started with breakfast and it was so good, far too much as is usual when you stay at a B and B but we have downsized our order for tomorrow morning.  Our host Chris was very helpful in giving us some pointers of where to head for once we were ready to leave and after spending an hour or so enjoying the lovely morning in the beautiful garden we hit the road and followed his directions.   Our first stop was at Hawkshead to see it in daylight and it was just as inviting as it had been last night.  We had a good look round and have fallen in love with the little village.  I can certainly see why people come here and never leave.  Of course we are seeing this lovely area in springtime and I'm sure we might have a different outlook if we were here in the dead of winter.   From here we drove on to Skelwith Bridge and followed the road around to Great Langdale where we had the most spectacular views of the mountains on one side and the valleys and lakes on the other side.  One stop was to admire Scafell Pike which is the highest mountain in England and just round the corner was the very picturesque Blea Tarn ( a lake).  All of the roads are little country lanes and in most cases only room enough for one car.  We had many instances where we met oncoming traffic and one of us had to back up to allow the other one to pass.  Very civilized though and there is no road rage anywhere at all.  In fact I have not heard one horn beeped at any time during our week of traveling about. After our mountain sightseeing was complete we drove on through Little Langdale, back through Skelwith Bridge and on to Ambleside, stopping once at Brathay to take photos of an old stone bridge.  We stopped here for lunch and found that while Ambleside is a bigger town it is still full of charm and we wandered around for a while before continuing onto Waterhead, Windermere and Bowness where we stopped once more.  It is here that you will find the World of Beatrice Potter,an exhibition where all the characters are brought to life as you wander through each of her many stories.

Seeing Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Mrs Tiggywinks and of corse Farmer McGregor among many others was just a joy to behold and we managed to lose an hour or so here taking a step back into our childhood.   From there we drove on to Newby Bridge and followed the road home this time through Near Sawrey where Hilltop farm is.  This is where Beatrice Potter lived when she fell in love with this area and stayed all her life.   It is this place along with many other local towns and houses that appear as artwork in all her books.  Unfortunately it was closed for the day and will not be open again while we are here, a shame but not the end of the world as the whole area gives you an understanding of how she must have loved it and was inspired to write her many children's tales from here.

Once home again we spent an hour or so in the garden before returning to Hawkshead for dinner.  This time we tried the Kings Arms and while nice I'm declaring last nights meal the winner.  So now it's bedtime once more.  Time to recharge the batteries for another full day in the Lakes District.   Can't wait.....more tomorrow!

The Grand Tour

Saturday 28/04/12 - The Grand Tour begins - Well the big day has come and it's up early to get ready for our latest adventure. We are off to Europe for 5 weeks. A very civilized morning was spent trying to decide what we might need in changing spring weather and then packing it into the 23kg luggage allowance we now have. Bill did have more but tried to keep it down too. Turns out we both did really well and were under weight. Yes, room for shopping, gotta love that. We arrived at the airport with time to spare and after lunch made our way to the gate and it was then I saw our plane for the first time. We were booked on the A380 airbus and all I can say is Wow. It certainly is a very big plane and inside was very comfortable and quieter than any of the others I have travelled on. Our first stop was Singapore for a 2 hour stopover and if you have to have a stopover anywhere then this is the place to do it. Changi airport has been renovated since we were here last and the shopping precinct is bigger and better than ever. Just time for a walk, a coffee and back to the lounge for boarding. Not quite, we have just had an announcement that there is a blackout in the cabin and boarding is delayed for a while. So far it's been about 40 mins but as long as it's fixed and safe we don't really mind that.

Sunday 29/04/2012 - arrived safely We finally left Singapore 2 hours later and arrived in Heathrow at 7.30 on Sunday to pouring rain and a very chilly morning and then joined the biggest crowd I have ever seen at any airport to clear customs. Just getting through took over an hour and then we had to find our hire car. Again this we did with a minimum of fuss and once found discovered that it was a new ford with keyless entry and driving. How cool is that. We set the Tomtom and were finally on or way to Brentwood where we were meeting Auntie Muriel, Gwenda, Nick, Jasper & Paige for lunch at The Eagle, a lovely old country pub with good home style cooking. After 24 hours of plane food (good but plane food) we thoroughly enjoyed our Beef & Guinness pudding. And it was so good to see everyone again. It's been 4 years since our last trip so we had a lot of catching up to do. After lunch we took Auntie Muriel home and then followed Nick to our new home for the next few days. We are staying with them at Pippin's Orchard in L'll Leigh's Chelmsford. At this point we were beginning to flag after our night of flying so we settled in for a quiet evening of chat, a nice glass or two of red and a nibbles dinner before giving up around 10.00pm and headed off to bed.

Monday 30/04/2012 - lunch at Windsor How good is it to have a big sleep after 24 hours in transit. We woke up after having a good 8 hours and were ready to get started on day 2. The morning dawned with blue sky and sunshine and continued all day. What a change from yesterday. After speaking to Beryl & Jane yesterday we had decided to meet up for lunch and Windsor was the chosen destination. After a quiet morning with Gwenda we left home just after 10.00 am with the gps set and one & half hours later had arrived at the right place. How good was that. Beryl was on lookout duty at the car park and once we all met we moved on to Windsor High St. for Lunch. It was so good to see Beryl, Raymond & Jane again and we got a lovely surprise when Brian joined us for a short while over lunch as he was working in Windsor this week. Lunch was at a yummy pasta place called Zizzi and we all enjoyed a little taste of Italy along with the yummiest Pannacotta I have ever had. Windsor is just gorgeous. Such a delightful little town with the castle on the hill dominating the landscape, the beautiful parks below and the city streets full of quirky little shops and pubs. The Thames River flows just past the castle and just wandering around all these famous places gives you such a feeling of awe having learnt about them at school and could never ever imagine actually being there. And here we are - amazing! We finished the day spending a few hours with a glass of red, lovely dinner and more chatting and before we knew it the clock said it was pumpkin time. So it was off to bed for us weary travelers and another good nights sleep was on the agenda. Tuesday 01/05/12 - around Chelmsford.
We woke this morning to the sound of solid rain - again. And it seemed like it had set in for the day. We had a quiet morning at home and then decided to take a look around at the local area by car. Not too far away we came across an old church, St Mary's in Great Leigh's, and as it is a round tower we decided to stop and photograph it. While doing this a car pulled up and asked Bill if he was the photographer from the Chronicle. No said Bill, just a tourist from Australia. The lady, Jan, said she was from Australia but had been here since 1964 and then asked us in so we could get some better pictures. A few of them were meeting there to be photographed in Medieval Costume for the weekends May Day Fayre.

Inside the old church was very cold with it's stone floors but so full of it's history and seeing the 5 folk all dressed up in costume was fun. It's a shame we will miss the fair but I think they will have a great day if the rain stays away. The rain had stopped when we came out, divine intervention perhaps, and we drove on to Brentwood where we were meeting Auntie Muriel for lunch. Cafe UNO was a great choice with a nice Mediterranean menu. We had a lovely few hours catching up and after we had dropped her home we drove to Chelmsford to have a look at the city.

It has just been give city status and is a lovely place to visit with lots of historic buildings and the Cathedral a nice place to take a bit of time out. From there we made our way home again to spend our last night with Gwenda, Nick, Jasper & Paige. We had a great night with a beautiful dinner and a glass or two of red before calling it a night around 11.00pm. We are coming back here on Saturday but the family will be away camping for their long weekend. We will have a day of washing before heading off to France. But for now there are more adventures to be had in England and we are leaving tomorrow for a few days in the Lakes District. So it's goodnight from me now and I'll let you know how we go tomorrow.