My Lake District Weather Jinx May be Broken!
We split the trip in half, spending the first week in the southwest corner of the Lake District. As this is the furthest point from Penrith we thought it was where we would be most unlikely to visit from Penrith. Lake District roads are often single track and wind their way in between the mountains, so it takes a couple of hours to drive from one side to the other.
We spent the first week in Eskdale Green – close to the scenic, Ravenglass and Eskdale miniature railway – we did a lot of walking – mostly with an aim for tea and cake at some point in the day. There are great cafes at each end of the railway line in Dalegarth and the cute coastal town of Ravenglass, as well as plenty of pubs to choose for lunch. Our walks were all lovely, some with blue skies and sometimes overcast but a perfect walking temperature and because there had been some rain around (most of which missed us) the waterfalls were lovely and full. We also visited Giggle Woods and the Japanese Garden which is right in Eskdale Green - a really lovely spot to wander around.
The middle weekend was the reason for being in the Lake District – for a family gathering for afternoon tea at the Inn on the Lake in Glenridding on the banks of Ullswater.
On the way from Eskdale to Ullswater we avoided the passes – we had had a view of Hardknott Pass when we visited the Roman fort there earlier in the week and as Esme had been sick on the windy roads on the way in to Eskdale we didn’t want to risk that happening again so drove the long way round. Less scenic but definitely less windy and according to Google it was only going to take 10 minutes longer than the much shorter, hillier drive.
After a walk into the valley at Glenridding and our yummy afternoon tea we headed to the north of Ullswater, to Pooley Bridge where we spent the second week of our trip. Again we were really lucky with the weather – there were a couple of big storms on the first two mornings but by the time we were ready to head out for the day the weather had cleared enough for some lovely walks. We spent a day looping out via Howtown using the Ullswater Way on the eastern shore and another day we took the Ullswater Steamers down to Aira Force for the waterfall and home to Pooley Bridge from Glenridding with a great walk in between up round the back of Glencoyne. Another day we went for lunch on the beach at Stybarrow Crag. You can park just over the road from the beach and it was a great little spot to picnic, paddle in the lake, watch people pushing off their canoes, go for a wild swim or just watch the boats going past. We also headed out of the Lake District one day to meet up with family who lived a little further south – we met up at a midway point just off the M6 – it is a good little spot to know about if you would rather avoid service stations but will need to break your journey. Ravenstonedale has a great little play area for a picnic and also 2 pubs to choose from.
On the way home we took advantage of our National Trust membership by stopping off at Shugborough Estate, an unplanned stop and a great find. It was the perfect stop for us to have lunch with ice cream, as summer had truly hit by then and we could stretch our legs before finishing the drive home.
Get in touch with me on 020 3292 0515 or sarah.coombes@travelcounsellors.com to arrange your Lake District stay. I can help you find the perfect accommodation for you – from holiday parks and glamping to hotels and cottages, just let me know what you are looking for from your trip and I will find the perfect lodging in the perfect location for you.