Monday 19 October 2009

A couple of days in the Lakes

Sorry it has been a really long time between updates this time. We've moved from the Midlands and are now living in Sawbridgeworth, Herts where Davis Beckham is our neighbour! (Well he lives in a much bigger house on the other side of the village!). Before we moved here though we did manage to fit in a couple of days in the Lake District so we'll show you a little snippet of our time there!

20th August 2009
We drove from Birmingham to the picturesque Bowness on Windermere. The weather wasn't great but it was mostly dry. We soon found a room for the night thanks to the very efficient Tourist Information office next to the lake. We definitely recommend this approach, just turn up and see what's available! If you like certainty and planning try another approach!

We drove the short distance to the Annisgarth B&B, checked in, filled out our breakfast order and set straight off for the quayside and a trip on the lake. We would stay here again anytime, stylish, clean, friendly, well located and free wi-fi!!

We knew before we got there that Windermere Lake Cruises was formerly operated by British Rail and that we were entitled to reduced fares but what we didn't realise was that we were entitled to free day passes for all routes! What a bonus! Obviously we took advantage of this and boarded a boat heading for Lakeside on the southern shore of Lake Windermere.


We enjoyed the journey and fortunately after enjoying the very 'fresh' air we found that there was a bar onboard and plenty of inside seating! After Lakeside we turned round and headed for the other end of the lake at Ambleside via Bowness again.

When we got to our destination it was time for a walk into the village itself for an hour before returning to catch the last boat home!



A pretty good start to 2 and a bit days in the lake district, we'd seen all of Lake Windermere, the largest of the Lakes!

Back at Bowness we were met by a flock of very nosey swans who were obviously used to the hundreds of tourists and the tasty tit-bits that they may have in their pockets. It was a bit like walking into a street gang who wanted your mobile phone and wallet!


We headed back to the B&B and decided to drive out to Coniston, famous for the Lake on which Donald Campbell made several world speed record attempts in Bluebird K7, unfortunately losing his life in the process in 1967.

We had a nice pub meal and drove back to the B&B for a good nights sleep!

21st August 2009
We woke and had a great full english breakfast before heading off to nearby Keswick, where we had planned to stay for the second night of our trip.

The scenery in this part of the world is stunning and as we got near to Thirlmere (the Lake which supplies Manachester with much of its drinking water) we decided to stop and take a walk up into the hills overlooking the lake. Beautiful and good for you apparently!



After a couple of hours we carried on towards Keswick, stopping for Elaine to take pictures of some cows (she loves 'em!) and visit a stone circle.



We had a trip around the pretty market town before deciding to drive on and explore some of the local coutryside before finding somewhere to stay for the night. Soon we found ourselves in some quite stunning scenery and on the winding narrow road towards Buttermere. Simply stunning, sunshine and sheep everywhere!



With time moving along quickly we decided to head back to Keswick to find somewhere to stay for the night. The drive back was fabulous, a real drivers road. (Little did we know that we would find an even better one the next day!).



Once again we took advantage of the Tourist Information office and they found us another great B&B walking distance from the centre of town. If you are in Keswick and need somewhere to stay look no further than Laurel Bank B&B! We settled in and headed off to find somewhere to eat. Keswick has many pubs and pretty much all of them offer well priced hearty fare. We enjoyed some great food and a few beers before heading home (in a taxi this time!) and bed!

22nd August 2009
The last day of our mini break and a bit of a road trip around the Lakes. We decided to head out to the coast via Honister (and the slate mine) and Seascale (next door to the Sellafield Nuclear Reactor!) before heading back towards the Midlands via the fabulous Hardknott Pass (possibly the best driving road in the UK).

Here's a few of our favourite shots from the day!




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