Lakes June 2013

Thursday 27th June

Carol went off to dialysis at the crack of dawn and I collected her at lunchtime. As we left Leeds it started to rain and so the forecast “shower” continued for the next 3 and half hours. We stopped at Booths’ supermarket in Kirkby Lonsdale for supplies and arrived in Far Sawrey just as the rain stopped and parked up opposite the Cuckoo Brow pub. We set off for our camp site that we’d spotted when here last. A fox crossed the path a bit ahead of us, thrilling to see her. Just as we had identified a suitable location for the tent, the midges came and started to eat us alive. Despite all our efforts with insect repellant scarves, they kept on biting us so we quickly decided that perhaps camping wasn’t the right thing to do. We weighed up a few alternatives including sleeping in the car but in the end I rang Belle Green B&B and they had a vacancy so we were able to arrive a night early. Hattie (the daughter) welcomed us in. We had a few snacks in the bedroom and some wine and then wandered down to Esthwaite Water and walked the Beatrix Potter walk which goes along the edge of the lake, very pretty. Belle Green B&B is comfortable and easy going.

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Esthwaite Water

Friday 28th June

Lovely bed, lovely sleep. Big breakfast cooked by Ann and Steve. They are nice people, helpful and made me feel completely at home. We set off and parked up by the side of the road to walk up to Latterbarrow to the “mon” at the top. This turned out to be not much of a monument but more like a “standard” as in the Nine Standards. We did a bit of a circuit with a good mix of terrain and returned to the car. It started to rain again so we drove to Cockermouth, stopping in a car park near Thirlmere to eat our lunch. It rained a lot but luckily not whilst we looked round Cockermouth. Interesting little town with some good snacks. We stopped briefly at Booths’ supermarket in Keswick for more supplies including wine! Back to Near Sawrey to get ready to go out and then into Ambleside to Atelier resto where Carol had booked a table. Carol had 2 starters, one of goat’s cheese and one chicken terrine, I had 2 deep fried risotto balls with wild mushrooms inside. The food was fine and the service was good. I enjoyed watching everything being delivered by the dumb waiter. Back to Belle Green where a fire was lit in the guest sitting room. Lovely and peaceful.

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Latterbarrow monument

Saturday 29th June

And another huge breakfast. Drove to Tilberthwaite and parked the car in a large car park. We walked a good part of the way up Wetherlam but Carol’s legs weren’t so good so we didn’t push it to get up to the top. Very pretty walk up the side of the beck which we then crossed further up, after a bit of pfaffing about. Lunch on the hill away from the path and in the lee of a big crag. Back down the other side of the beck to the car. Decided to tour a bit so drove to Ulverston and had a wander round. We were still feeling very stuffed so decided to cancel our booking for a resto in Ambleside and just have snacks back at the B&B. Bought some more snacks in Booths’ supermarket in Ulveston! Steve said it was fine for us to use their guest breakfast kitchen so we did and then ate in the dining room. They let us use their fridge which meant we could prepare our lunches and snacks very easily. Short walk to Esthwaite Water again and round to the car park and the boathouse, back along the road.

Esthwaite Water
Esthwaite Water
Entrance to copper mine
Entrance to copper mine

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Comb over
Comb over
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I can feel this path calling me
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My latest scarf, fetching, n’est ce pas?

Sunday 30th June

Another sizeable breakfast. We packed up and paid up, getting a discount for staying 3 nights which was an added treat. Had nice chat with Ann. Left car at Belle Green and walked up to Moss Eccles tarn, round the southern edge of the tarn and then onto Wise Een tarn. Short detour to try to go to Three Dubs tarn but I was very put off by a few cows who were looking at me so we didn’t do it.

Back to car and final farewells to all the Crabtrees at Belle Green. Quick visit to car park at Esthwaite Water so I could go to loo at the boathouse. Lots of people fishing and boating. Then to the ferry across Windermere which Carol greatly enjoyed. Back home the scenic way along the A65 through the Dales, managing NOT to stop at Booths’ supermarket! Still lots of lumpy midge bites made more itchy by warmth.

Moss Eccles Tarn
Moss Eccles Tarn
Monet!
Monet!
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Stonecrop

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Chris and Jak’s Lakeland Adventure Monday 170510





Both woke quite early after a somewhat better sleep with the window open but perhaps not open enough as I had been pretty hot again. Bloody hell, middle age seems to mean not sleeping and increasingly losing my senses, that’s in the plural.
Breakfast time again. We picked up the usual cereals and juices etc. and then both asked for food that wasn’t exactly what was on the menu. C for bacon and me for ham and poached egg. We were both half way through eating our cereal when the hot food arrived and got plonked down so we had to finish off the cereal holding the bowls up. I don’t know why we didn’t protest and send the hot stuff back, really we should have done but I was so surprised it didn’t occur to me! It was nice but not massive in the portion department by any means. We picked up some flapjack to take with us just in case we felt a terrible urge to eat at any point.
Chris went off to use the pool and associated facilities again and I had another lovely shower and then went down to try out the Wii machine. I played some tennis very badly, no change there although I could see how it might possibly make me better at it. Good fun and confirmed that I don’t need to buy one! It said I had a fitness age of 80 which was mildly disconcerting.
Then we packed up and checked out, and whizzed into Keswick. Parked up by the lake and had a not very strong coffee in an old fashioned lakeside cafe. Then off for a tour of the lake by boat. This was lovely, weather was great. Back to the town for lunch, funny how quickly one gets hungry. Went into Bar 26, this was a very fortuitous move, nice cafe, nice food, nice loo! C had soup and a baguette and I had a lamb and mint burger, very tasty and nicely presented. Also good strong coffee.
It was time to hit the shops, and although it felt like we went in every outdoor shop in the town the best one seemed to be George Fisher. And thus passed several happy hours until we were shopped out and it really was time to go home.
We set off but only got to Tebay services where we just had to check out the opportunities for more spending. Got back to Tod by 7.00 and I was home before 8.00. A really great weekend with lots done and good weather all through. Thanks Chris.

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Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

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