A Week In The Lake District

The drive was 170 miles from Caernarfon to Windermere but most of the time on motorways at 70 mph. The English are excellent drivers so no worries on motorways. As we had plenty of time, we took a detour to Blackpool, one of England’s most famous holiday destinations. What a place! Theme parks, amusement halls, fish and chip shops, lights along the esplanade and lots of lolly shops selling Blackpool Rock. (Sticks of hard candy). It even has its own Eiffel Tower but in miniature. Some shopping in Kendal and then on to our cottage in Windermere just on the edge of town.

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Our Cottage…. The cottage is part of a larger estate that is beautifully maintained with manicured gardens, outdoor seating areas and good parking. The cottage is a little smaller than our last three cottages but nicely decorated, well equipped and in a great location in walking distance to Windermere town centre.

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Windermere and the Lake…. Sunday was the end of the midterm schools break so the town was busy. We walked Windermere township, called in to Windermere Golf Club and had a drink, then took a ferry ride to Ambleside and return. This region is very popular with holiday makers and there are many magnificent mansions surrounding the lake. Some are hotels and guest houses; others are privately owned. Old Money!

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A Circular Route…. For our second day in the Lakes District we again took to the roads driving a circular route through the Kirkstone Pass, alongside Ullswater (a lake by any other name) to a lovely little village called Poole Bridge at the North end of Ullswater. We stopped for lunch in a pub by the river and tasted Gin in a store that boasts a selection of 400 varieties of Gin. From Poole Bridge a circular route back to Windermere through a larger town, Kendal.

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A Walk to the top – Orrest Head Viewpoint…. Up early the next morning as wet weather was predicted. We walked to Orrest Head Viewpoint, a 6 km round trip. Starting from our cottage we walked through thick forest, climbing steadily until we exited from the tree line and had 360o views over the Lake District including Lake Windermere. We walked back down into Windermere and had a coffee in Café Italia sitting outside under a nice warm heater. This is summer.

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Bowness-on-Windermere…. Our afternoon was spent walking the township of ‘Bowness-on-Windermere’ which is about 2 km from Windermere township. It is right on the lake and therefore attracts far more tourists than Windermere. It is a very nice village with lots of tourist shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels. Windermere has a much more local feel and is probably a much better place to stay but still has the quaint village feel. We feel at home in Windermere but just a tourist in Bowness.

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A Day On The Buses…. To take a break from driving we decided a day on the bus would be fun. We purchased an all-day ticket and jumped on the Hop On/Hop Off bus. This took us on a scenic drive through Bowness then turned around and headed north back through Windermere to our first stop, Ambleside.

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We walked the town and were amazed at how many outdoor equipment stores there were. Prices on waterproof jackets, shoes and other gear is much cheaper than Australia. Back on the bus and our next stop was Grasmere made famous by the poet William Wordsworth. It was then on to Keswick, a much larger town where we had lunch in a nice hotel right in the pedestrian mall. It was then back on the bus to Windermere. Riding on the top deck of these double decker buses is rather scary. They are just inches from the stone walls and buildings and regularly hit the leaves and branches of trees overhanging the road.

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The Highlight of our Lake District Visit…. Up early again this morning for a repeat walk to Orrest Head viewpoint, another 6 km round trip.

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We were then picked up by Christine & Peter, friends of friends in Melbourne for lunch and an afternoon out. We first headed to Skelwith Bridge just out of Ambleside for a nice lunch at “Chesters By The River” before walking 2.5 km alongside the Brathay River to another small town called Elterwater where we had a drink in the local pub.

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Peter then took us on a drive which turned out to be a highlight of our trip so far. Firstly, through Wrynose Pass. This is a mountain pass between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale. This is a single-track motor road over the pass and at the bottom is Fell Foot Farm, a 17th century Grade II listed National Trust property.

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From there you climb the Hard Knott Pass, a steep and twisting track to a historic Roman Fort. This pass is claimed to be the steepest road in all of Britain and sitting in the passenger seat with white knuckles I can say this is absolutely right. We then returned to Windermere, just a great day.

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Our Final Day…. For our final day in the Lake District we took the car ferry across Lake Windermere and then drove on to Hawkshead and on to Coniston. Two small villages on the western side of Lake Windermere. We then drove a back road alongside Coniston Water (Lake) and ended up at a small town called Lowick before heading back to Windermere.

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Our Final Night…. Out for dinner that night to a traditional English pub frequented only by the locals called Hole In T’ Wall. Tucked away in a back street of Bowness-On-Windermere, this pub was packed and had a fantastic atmosphere. We ordered Steak & Ale Pie which was delicious and washed it down with nice cold beer. Just a good finish to a great week in the Lake District.

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