Lake District Re-visited..

This year Mark and I decided to re-visit familiar territory and spend a few days in the Lake District during half-term.  We went there for our honeymoon (in 1990!) and spent a lot of time walking up there in the late 90s.  We stopped visiting the area for a combination of reasons.  Firstly, I had a period of ill-health and long distance hill walking became difficult.  Then some friends who we used to walk with divorced.  Finally we discovered the lovely walking on Exmoor and decided that it was easier to drive down the M5 than up the M6.  As a result this little break was a 'full-on' trip down memory lane....

We stayed in the Britannia Inn at Elterwater - just where we'd always stayed.  This time our room was the first window on the left.  We got a great B+B rate because my half-term was a week later than the Lakeland schools.

 

The holiday was all about walking and taking photos.  This was the view over Elterwater common and back over the village on the first morning..

 

 

We walked over the hills towards Grasmere and enjoyed the wonderful reflections..

 

The cloud and light produced some spectacular effects.  This is one of a sequence of photos that I took at the top of Lake Windermere..

 

 

All this walking up and down hills gave us an appetite.  This was the best lunch stop of the holiday - blueberry scones, blueberry jam and cream with a view across  Lake Windermere to the Langdale valley.

 

There were fabulous sunsets too.  We were lucky enough to be driving round the bottom of Rydal Water when the sky turned this wonderful colour.

 

By the end of the holiday there was snow on the hills.  This was the view from our table at another of our lunch stops..

 

 

And 'BJ' the old Discovery seemed to enjoy the dramatic mountain passes (although she did have a major flood through the rear sky-light when Mark drove through a large puddle a little too fast!)

 

 

Having spent most of our recent holidays walking well off the main tourist trails, Mark and I took a while to adjust to the fact that we had to share our paths this week!  We also found Lake District prices a major shock.  We had a great journey up from Worcester - only two and half hours.  The M6 was at it's worst yesterday and it took us FIVE hours to do the same journey in reverse.

 

Nevertheless I think we will be going back again sooner rather than later.  The walking was fantastic  and we've come home feeling fitter and refreshed.  Next time we'll definitely self-cater - which will keep the food costs down.  I'm already in the process of creating a short list of cottages for Easter!