The Lake District...a hiker's dream

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October 5, 2023 Windemere .... 'mere' = lake



it was time for the Edinburgh departure ...will not repeat again that I will not return...enough already...again and again I hear how people thik the place is great......

now....up and at it to Windemere.........






-a woman going to work helped us get off the 30 at an easier stop than the one far away ... she did not mention going thru Royal Mile and then doen a horrendous number of steps to the train station level .. a kind man offered to carry my second bag down the steps... he found it heavy... and only fleetingly did I think that if he runs with it I CANNOT CATCH HIM... But he was good and I had mentioned right away that my friend was waiting for me at the bottom.



Once in the station we waited and if Sherry had not become curious when she did not spot the departure time of 12.12 I would still be waiting. The train had been cancelled ... re-booked and taking the simplest route at 14.12. we waited another two hours in the less than comfortable and very few empty seats . A Woman, returning from a visit to her grandchildren, sat beside us and we engaged in conversation. She helped get us past the ticket control a bit more quickly and we were the first to board the finally arrived locomotive from Manchester Airport.








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only took all day to get to Windemere
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changed at Oxholmes.... advised to take the train instead of taxi to Windemere...anyway it was raining and there were no taxis.
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At Windemere station we do take a taxi to 19 Broad Street and the Broadlands Guest House
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lady friendly... we are alone in the house at the moment....settle in room ... 27 steps up to the top/attic floor
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The room is tiny ...but... it has twin beds....there is always a difficulty to find twin beds, with very good rating i.e. ...above 8 and at a reasonable price.
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Surprise of the day...Sherry's luggage has arrived ... what an extended wardrobe she now has to choose from
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we deposit our luggage in #8 and head out to the Italian suggested by Dawn our innkeeper. She has owned the place for the last two years fixing it up and brightening the green and yellow decor. Her eighty year old mother and Pippa the dog help out. Pippa goes for walkies after being picked up by the dog walker who comes regaled in dog walker belt and carbines. How many dogs does she have in that van? Never did find out ...only saw the once but apparently Pippa goes out every day. Also forgot to ask what that costs. Must be enough to afford a van.
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Dawn, the guest house owner's suggestion was a good one. The Italian served a mean Mediterranian salad and amazing lasagna in a round bowl hot out of the pasta oven. Spaghetti
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Boulognaise was also delish.
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no wine with dinner ... I am on a four hour spaced drug routine
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back at the guest house the shower proved to be a puzzle but it was finally solved and all came out clean, including the underwear.
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no laundry please...does underwear count?
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In Edinburgh I had decided that because of the injured knee I could not complete my travels as formerly planned.
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I spoke with Janet and made known my heartfelt regrets and I had my sister call my friend so she could call her sister in Leeds to tell her that I was not going to make it to Leeds. This sister does not have internet nor is she on what's app.


have cancelled all of my bookings past October 21, received a refund already from the return trip on the Belfast to Liverpool ferry and am Working on the room reservation in Gatwick and the flight from Toronto to Sudbury with Porter







October 6, Windemere, Broadlands Guest House ....all day



-thiswas to be a day of rest



-did go to the Utopia for a lovely breakfast of eggs benedict with mushrooms and 'leaves'



-straight back to guest house...no stopping at charity shop... no dawdling in corner store for badges and/or stickers for the back of my new laptop (in consideration because battery going in Mr. Blue who is four years old and already has had an upgrade)



-on the main floor of the guest house...GH ... is a lovely room with tables and chairs that used to be the breakfast room. Dawn said people did not like to get up early and anyway there are many good breakfast bars near by.



-once I was set up with plugs in the wall scribbled notes open at the correct page and fingers limbered up for typing the blog entry for Shetland began to take shape and raced to be finished



-and pics were down loaded and entered



-the eighty year old mother was in charge of handing out the keys for the other rooms in the GH...five in all...no help from Pippa the dog.



- no rooms available...ever...always full...good thing because the innkeeper also works at Boots, the great grocery store at the train station building. The station tracks have been reduced from four tracks to one.



-Sherry was kind enough to bring food from Sainsbury's...apparently a poor selection compared to the fare offered at M&S.



-it rained all day...sometimes hard. There has been so much rain in the area that the water has risen to a point where the car ferry has had to be cancelled.







In Scotland there are massive floods...and since the names of those areas mentioned are not familiar to me I figure we were lucky to escape the country before any flood happened.



I bought the Guardian today... I read it online for five dollars a month. I just felt I needed a treat, it being a prelude to Hallowe'en with which all the shops are already decorated...not to be outdone by the xmas stuff sneaking in around the corner shelf.



-the day of rest came to an end with my dropping stitches in my dark blue knitting



-that of course was impossible to remedy...the little lamp gave too little light.



I do want to finish these utilitarian gloves so that I can begin the mint green Jamieson from Lerwick wool ones....;-)







October 7, Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts House



Israel attacked...Columbus Day & Indigenous Day celebrated ???



-another good breakfast at Utopia



-WALK to tourist office to discuss and buy tour to Beatrix Potter's House ... so much for the day of rest ...knee right back to previous pain level...umbrella walking aid next to no good



-buy magnet, sticker and tea towel



-WALK to train station and take taxi to Blackwell Arts& Crafts House



-lovely tea to be had in the building but the tea room does not reflect the aspect of the arts and crafts motive ... decor disappointing ...there was none



-the main white room in house was resplendent in ...white ...the ash berries were repeated often and the frieze flowed around the upper part of the walls all around the room



-the fireplace dogs were attractive, tall, well balanced and again reflected natures fine lines



Baille Scott is no Frank Lloyd Wright ... the house felt cold....chunky... closed in...a very different interpretation of Arts&Crafts as I have come to feel comfortable with.



-we call a taxi and go to Bowness



-W-hooo ... so busy...so full of weekenders... so congested... so not quaint



-many shops ...many shoppers...drop into Friends of Peter Rabbit and buy a few bits



-browse a few shops....goods from Nepal...bakery with super sugar treats...sticker and patches search...buy a lime coconut 'gelato'...so not a gelato....have these people ever been to Italy



more WALKING to find bus stop that will take us back to Windemere



short ride on bus...long WALK to GH!... did pass the Patch Place...what a selection....I love patches and as I have been buying them this trip and sewing them or pinning them immediately on the fabulous small backpack I bought at a charity shop in Lerwick ....I have no idea how this pack has filled itself... I only had my carry-on and a canvas bag when I started this trip







Before returning ...WALKING... to the GH we stop in the amazing Booth's grocery...they have such a variety of old products recognizable because of the original containers the goods came in. We bought veggies, turkey slices, leaves, cheese bread and yogurt....the veggies came with a very red sauce... turns out this was a marinate to be applied to the veggies by gently tossing them AND putting them into the oven for forty minutes. My fingers are still stained fro I assume agent red and Sherry is thankful we have not developed a case of salmonella.







Again I work to completethe Edinburgh blog. Want it finished...not much there to get excited about.



No return visit planned neither for Tattoo... https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/



nor for Rob Roy celebrations... https://www.robroytours.com/en/must-see/edinburgh/









October 8, Stott Park Bobbin Mill .... O.M.G. ... Fantastic



It was possible to do the trip by bus but once out off the bus a small too long trek had to be made to the mill buildings. The Beatrix Tour cost 120pounds ... let me go to something a lot more important ... and ... it cost the same and we had all the time in the world to wander around and behold the history of the place. Granted it would have been lovely to have tea at the Swan Hotel ... The Swan Hotel & Spa https://www.swanhotel.com ... "For luxury getaways, family adventures & fun with friends - Book a stay at The Swan Hotel. Quirky rooms, scrumptious food & a beautiful area to explore. Book a Swanderful stay. Dog Friendly" ...BUT



the day was o see the spools and how they were made ...



https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stott-park-bobbin-mill/ ... we met the lady, in the pic, at this website. She keeps the machines running and for heavy jobs two husbands of the ladies that lead he tours thru the mill come and help. We made a spool. We watched the beeswax polish and stain the wood of the spool to a high finish. We heard why the term 'happy hour' was coined here...the fumes from the shellac made the workers giddy. There were very few safety procedures in place and many a man lost fingers while trying to get as many spools as possible from one round slab of wood. Drilling the holes into the spools was even more terrifying and evidence of blood spatters remain on the wall beside the machine where the knives/drills for holes was situated.We were the only visitors at 12.20 but the guide said that the mill becomes very well visited during bank holidays. The mill stands beside a running brook/stream/river the waters of which were used to drive the machines. Of the hundreds of spool mills that supplied the textile mills only this one remains and it is a living museum. Go to your local fabric shop and all the threads now come wound on Plastic!



https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/textile-mills-lancashire-legacy/textile-mills-lancashire-legacy/



Lancashire’s cotton spinning and weaving heritage is a source of national



pride, as it is an industry that contributed to the North of England becoming



the powerhouse for the nation’s expansion and prosperity from the dawn of the



industrial revolution.



Outside the Mill under a protective barn like structure with an open front the story of the Mill is depicted in pictures and explanations from its beginnings in 1835 to its closure in 1971.



While waiting for the return taxi ride the warm autumn sun was enjoyed in the courtyard of the mill.



The price of the taxi...to and fro... was half that of the “tour” to Beatrix Potter during which we did not even get a pot of tea and were given time restrictions at every stop.



Once back I Windemere and since it was Sunday it was time for a Sunday Roast Dinner. We found seats in the restaurant called Brown Sugar. Peanuts were found on the table as a pre-dinner snack. We ordered ...after quite a few peanut shells had been broken open. “I'll be with you in a moment”, was oft heard and twenty minutes later our order was finally taken.



The dinner was presented on a square orange plate with a ramekin at the side filled with cheese drenched cauliflower. On the plate two slices of beef each the size of a large hand, three halves of roasted potato, quite a few snaps, some carrots and a Yorkshire pudding , all drenched in gravy. Extra brown gravy, maybe from a Bistro box, was to be had from a gravy dish presented separately. It was a lot of food and I ate every bite. The food was good ...the service terrible at the Brown Sugar. Too bad...wont be going there again and our In-keeper lady agreed that she seldom goes there because of the poor service.



It is always a relief to get back to the Guest House, shower, apply C.B.D cream mixed with frankensense on my knee, address email and veg out on You Tube documentaries.







October 9, Monday, The Goat Tour Bus to Beatrix Potter's Hilltop House and more



The Goat van came to pick us up at Broad St..It was filled with the others that we would spend the tour with.



-a couple from India



-a mother and daughter from Atlanta



-a woman interested in miniatures from New Hampshire



-a young couple from wherever hijabs are worn



-a woman either Swedish or Dutch who wanted to sketch and was looking for a bicycle



=and two knitters from Sudbury Ontario ;-)



The driver Shery, with one r, wore a microphone and spoke continuously as she drove the van. Every time she stopped she put on the hand break. Every time the van began to roll she told us to fasten our seat belts. It was the most uncomfortable belt ever... surely producing a bruise on my right hip. Then again maybe the seat was too small and I was to generously padded. Never mind. In the end i forwent the belt.



Besides talking all about the neighbourhood she mentioned Herdwick sheep. That perked up our ears and we were anxious to discover wool from said sheep. Not that any presented itself while we were on the Potter Bus. We did see sheep.



neo-gothic building at Claife in Cumbria within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929, with the house open to the public on a regular basis since 2013. The grounds, which include part of the shoreline of Windermere, are open all year round and are renowned for their selection of specimen trees – Wellingtonia, redwood, Ginkgo biloba, weeping lime and varieties of beech “ , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wray_Castle.



A ten minute stop and we were off, on our way along single lane country roads with hedges on both sides or magnificent stone fences or wire barriers to keep sheep in. There were a lot of white and black dots against verderous fields. Also very evident were numerous low lying areas beside the road filled to brimming with standing water, the result of three weeks of rain in the area. The high water mark was one reason why it was necessary to go on a “tour”. The ferry that would have taken us as walkers across the lake did not operate because of high water.



And we arrive at Hilltop, the house that Beatrix Potter used and decorated as her public persona. Her private life carried on in another house a short distance away. There she lived with her husband. That house is now under private ownership and not accessible to public view.



Her public house is old, filled with this and that, showing her passion for collecting trinkets of varying value and also displaying in one room her artistic talent and references to the early publications of her Peter Rabbit character.



"Beatrix Potter fell in love with The Lake District and farming. In 1905 she bought Hill Top, her first farm and after her death she bequeathed fifteen farms and over 4,000 acres to the National Trust – a gift which protected and conserved the unique Lake District countryside.

She is credited with preserving much of the land that now constitutes the Lake District National Park. Potter's books continue to sell throughout the world in many languages with her stories being retold in songs, films, ballet, and animations, and her life is depicted in two films and a television series."



https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/beatrix-potter







Once back on the bus... scurrying and Sherry coming to find me... I realized I had had no time to got to the gift shop there at the grounds of her house. Will have to buy the tiny key chain Peter Rabbit at the corner store in Windemere. The little fellow will sit in the side pocket of the charity shop backpack.



A stop at Hawkshead was long/short enough to go to the door of the school where Wordsworth sat in class. No time for lunch, a pot of tea or a quick drink....I ate a soft icecream .... Sherry found a pasty



Shery with one r, dropped us at the boat launch and all having gone aboard the boat carried us down the lake to Browness. It was a very blah uneventful nothing to comment about ride. At the end after docking in Browness, all of us piled back into the van and one after the other we were dropped off at our respective holiday dwellings.



It was an OK day. Nothing note worthy exciting happened. The best info was about the Herdwick sheep, not that the driver knew where we could find a shop that carried the wool.



I hate being part of a tour... too rushed too hurried tooo rigid too controlled.



No need to visit Beatrix again either.The country side was lovely, right out of Escape to the Country.











Tuesday October 10, in Windemere because tomorrow the library ... closed.



Once again we partake of a sublime breakfast at Homeground. The prices are reasonable, the coffee good and the service fantastic. When paying for this repas on must face a glass cabinet full of delectible pastries from almond croissant to carrot cake with luscious icing.



Today is laundry day. For 20pounds the load is done and dried and folded.



A browse thru W.H.Smith revealed numerous books that will be read on my return. I took pictures of the jacket covers. Hope my Sudbury library can order the titles.The W.H. Smith in Windemere is tiny so the selection is not great. Did see a Christmas special of Gardener's World ...too bad I did not buy it right away. Have not seen it anywhare since.



A wander thru the charity shop revealed a Trafalger teapot for sale at3pounds. When searched on line the same teapot is going for $75... the dlimna now arose...How to get the teapoy home in one piece without chipping or breaking ... have a look at a wonderful teapot.



https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/566708854/perfect-as-new-original-leaflet-english?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_uk_en_gb_a-home_and_living-kitchen_and_dining-coffee_and_tea_makers-tea_makers-teapots&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrKsC8pTw_aNblTHOZBYzkikdkyWIVYEAW9w0q_WnzErKT7BYmIa_vxoCkWYQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_12581945440_119090505745_507889767577_aud-1184048147899:pla-307087701005_c__566708854engb_169522678&utm_custom2=12581945440&gclid=CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrKsC8pTw_aNblTHOZBYzkikdkyWIVYEAW9w0q_WnzErKT7BYmIa_vxoCkWYQAvD_BwE



The mushroom soup lunch at Sugar and Spice was not good. I tried to fix it with some milk, the pad of butter provided for the ever presented thick slab of white bread, and some pepper and salt. To no avail....still a bland bowl of dark soup whose mushrooms had been food processed to indistinguishable tiny bits. What made the place even badder was that the small toilet faced one of the dining tables, the server was dressed in miss matched top and bottoms and one had to rise from table to get cutlery and conditments. YUKKY YUKKY place.



After “lunch” the laundry was ready.



Sherry goes to the Broadlands GH room and I go to the library to happily sit there till closing time writing my postcards,and speaking with a woman who needs ideas for her church garden in readiness for weddings. I di offer my help because of Horticultural membership and work at garden centres. Too bad we were leaving the next day....albeit only for Grasmere but still... I wished her luck, gave her my card and hope she will send me pics of her success with her group.



By five I was back in the room ready for my Zoom to Discover the extraordinary house and museum of Sir John Soane, one of the greatest English architects, who built and lived in it two centuries ago. ... https://www.soane.org/ ... always great to discover something not before heard of.



Sherry went out...like a trooper... and walked all the way to the train station and the BOOTH grocery store to buy some salads and stuff that we could eat in our room.THe Sugar and Spice restaurant made trying another lace a bit iffy.



And so begins our last sleep in Widemere.







October 11, Wednesday ...Grasmere







Again the sublime breakfast of egg and bacon on a real piece of bread that crunches when bitten into.



Before the breakfast I had watched a whole movie on my phone. Before breakfast was once again at Boots for more painkiller...Ibuprofen this time...the highest dose available...395gm



We walked to the train station, bought our tickets for Liverpool with the greatest hope that the train would not be cancelled. The ticket agent assured us that on a Thursday it was unlikely to happen.



And then today ... a lovely breezy day... the bus was going to take us to the home of William Wordsworth that poet of the daffodils. ... https://www.bl.uk/people/william-wordsworth ...



Would love to say that we visited Dove cottage. The wander thru this small village and ist varied shops geared for touristy visitors had been enjoyable but enough aEven two 395's wear off.



Stopping outside a church with signs describing lunch, made us come to a decision to have a spot of tea. What we did have was some lovely soup surrounded by a most ecclesiastical atmosphere. Of course spot of tea! Was also ordered and on the advice of the server, because they had a Polish chef, the tea was served with lemon. How novel here in merry old England...not happening at Downton Abbey.



We wandered, but not by any means lonely, as far as the daffodil garden and St. Oswald's Church, the cemetery in which rests the daffodil man,



The other 'famous' spot to visit in Grasmere is Sarah Nelson's ginger bread shop. “A tiny Lakeland shop in a 1630's school stocking gingerbread, rum butter, fudge and mint cake. VICTORIAN cook Sarah Nelson invented Grasmere Gingerbread in 1854 in the English Lake District village from where it gets its name. A unique, spicy-sweet cross between a biscuit and cake, its reputation quickly spread and it is now enjoyed by food lovers all over the world. The tiny Grasmere Ginger Bread Shop can be found in the heart of Grasmere, located next to St Oswald's Churchyard.” https://www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk/



The queue stretched past the gate into the churchyard. Only three people at a time were allowed into the tiny shop. Everyone exited with handfuls of white paper bags holding sweet confections. Sherry carried a cotton bag bearing the shops distinctive blue logo containing gingerbread cookies/ bars/ cakes ...no idea what the rectangular shapes are called. Not being a fan of the ginger taste I waited patiently outside talking to a man with a dog both of whom had just scaled to mountain (tall hill) visible from the Daffodil Garden gate.



The most exciting finds during our wanderings was a shop with beautiful rendered ceramics and the woolshop carrying Herdwick sheep wool products. The woven cloth made into bags, blankets, coasters and key chains was not as exciting as the skeins of wool found on a back shelf. Sherry and I each bought one of the natural black signature product of this most interesting breed of sheep.



“The Herdwick is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District in North West England. The name "Herdwick" is derived from the Old Norse herdvyck, meaning sheep pasture. Wikipedia



https://www.herdwick-sheep.com/ ... ,



http://www.helderherdwyckfarm.com/the-herdwick-sheep.html#



and who knew about Yan Tan Tethera ... its counting sheep the celtic way ...https://darachcroft.com/news/counting-sheep-the-celtic-way ...



But I digress... Back to Grasmere in the Lake District. At the Grasmere Garden Centre a myriad of lovely products at astronomical prices could befound. I bought a lime coconut 'gelato'...a gelato that had never seen the insides of an Italian gelato shop.



I had found thtion.e post office in Grasmere and I sent my postcards and a small booklet of chutney recipes to Janet.



Once all the shops had been visited and the stone houses photographed and the badges, stickers and tea towels bought the bus stop was found and we were ready for the return Journey thru the hillsides, hedges and hollows of Lake District countryside.



Once back n Windemere the search for an evening meal was on. Twice it had been Italian, three times it had been salad from the grocers in plastic container and wrap, once it had been Sunday Roast so today , our last in Windemere it was Indian in a restaurant up the stairs, past the toilet to a reddish fifty year old room with black placemats that had beenon those tables since the opening all those fifty yrars ago. The food was very good and came with a Bangladeshi server, a small history lesson nice greeen hothot chillies.



Lastly we head back to Broad Street, and relax after a long eventful happy day

So Many dogs on leaches...so many owners with two dogs...so many corners piddled by ... the dogs ... as owners observe.




The train to Liverpool does not leave until 13.12 so there will be plenty of time to repack the cases in the morning.

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