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.....