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Published: August 30th 2006
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Photo from the Hilthewaite Hotel
This is the view from our room, it was simply to die for. A four poster bed dominanted the room which was incredible. I write this blog from my hotel just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland, my last stop on an extraordinary road trip through England and Scotland. I have just had the pleasure of spending the last three days in and around Lake Windermere and the Hilthwaite Hotel. A huge thanks must go out to my brother, Warrick and Mr. And Mrs. S, owners of the Hotel that Felicia and I stayed at. My brother had worked at this rather exclusive little hotel close to Lake Windermere and befriended the owners, who in turn allowed me to stay at their hotel. But a little more about that later …
Well I am gong to change this blog up a little as this area of the country is well worth every word. Now the Lake District in an amazing place, there is incredible scenery, ample open space for long walks through the hills and small little towns littering the countryside. We stayed in and around Lake Windermere but these are a couple of items that you may want to take into consideration while visiting. Warning: The traffic can be incredibly bad out in this area, so give yourself lots of time to get to
Ambleside Waterfront
This is the little harbour front for the ferry from Bowness. We hired a little electric boat and rode down to meet Ian. your destination.
Activities to consider:
- First and foremost take as much time as you want to relax, it so easy
- Take the ferry from Bowness to Ambleside, the view from the water are breathtaking.
- From Ambleside there are a number of scenic drives and walks only minutes away. Best to buy a book that is on display in nearly every shop and choose which is best for you.
- Take the time to walk along any number of the little lakes in and around the area.
- Take time to get lost, which is incredibly easy. Remember that is if you don’t really care where you are going, you are not lost.
Upon leaving Bath, we got onto the M5 North towards the Lake District. Honestly, English traffic is a rather unique creature. We were able to travel close to 90 mph at times and then back down to an absolute crawl at times. Note to all, if caught doing over 90 mph, you go straight to jail … oops. There was no rhyme or reason to when this would happen. Well we eventually got into the Windermere, located about 3 miles from the lake after nearly 5
Ian, Karen and I
This picture was taken along the road as we all got lost out in the countryside. Nothing a stop at the local pub for directions and a pint could sort out. hours of driving.
After taking a short meander around the picturesque small town of Bowness and Lake Windermere we decided to book into your hotel. Oh, what a surprise, when booking we had asked for the most basic room next to the kitchen. When we got there, we were booked into the most amazing room, a four-poster bed, Jacuzzi tub and lake views. I was sure that there was a mistake. And to make matters even better, one of my best mates from South Africa, Ian just happened to be staying 4 miles down the road in Ambleside.
Here is a quick summary of the time in Windermere, after our Friday night of dinner at the hotel and relaxation we headed out on Saturday morning. Fortunately or unfortunately, Bowness has some really great shopping. We spend the day shopping, relaxing and checking out the boat rental down at the waters edge. I was able to watch the Springboks get thrashed by the All Blacks, when is the pain going to stop. It seems that all South African coaches suffer from the same disease, after 2 years they loose their minds. Well the great beer at the pub, The
Picture of the Hills to the North
Just another great picture of the hills to the north of the lake district. This is simply like no other part of England. Queens, lessened the pain considerably. On Sunday we got up early and rented a rather cool little electric boat for three hours. We were able to crank out a top speed of 10 mph, definitely could have gone a little quicker but the view from the water was breathtaking. It took us 40 minutes to get down to Ambleside, where Felicia and I were able to hook up with Ian and his girlfriend, Karen. It was great that we were able to get together; we had a great time catching up. It had been eight months since I saw Ian last, dress up as an elf during our Santa Pub crawl last year. We had a great day together on the lake, taking scenic drives along the lakes and then ending the evening in a great pub down in Bowness.
All in all, the Hilthewaite Hotel and the Lake District was the absolute best so far. Felicia and I had a great time relaxing and visiting with good friends. This area is a must visit for anyone enjoying a holiday in the United Kingdom. This area absolutely epitomizes what the true English countryside should be like.
Cheers from Lake Windermere, England.
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