Blogs from Grasmere, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Geo: 54.4592, -3.02509July 2, 2010York, England6:00-11:00 a.m.Had a good night's sleep after the relaxing swim. Breakfast was at 6:30 a.m. The typical breakfast buffet items have been soft fried eggs, runny mushy scrambled eggs, 2-3 types of sausages, has brown wedges, grilled tomato halves, baked beans, cooked mushrooms, assorted fruits, breads, and cereals. I tried the scrambled eggs, but they were unappealing. I usually get the eggs, hash browns, bread, and a cereal mixture that I make with rice crispies and frosted flakes. Milk is not seen as a morning drink, so I have been drinking some orange juice or water. I finished and then went to wait in a very nice room off from the dining area. With its many windows and having a door that I can open to the fresh air, I could ... read more

As I prepare today's report (in arrears somewhat!) I find that Monday 30th September was a day starved of photographic effort. Just one genuine pic from the pub in Grasmere is all but I added some others for colour and illustration. We say goodbye to Chris, who is heading back to Manchester to pack up his flat in preparation for the departure to Bangkok in a week. We don't see much of him so it was wonderful to have him stay in Rydal. Next, we are off into town heading for Gaynor Sports. I think it a miracle to emerge from this fell walkers' paradise emporium with any credit limit left over. Anna wants a new jacket for all weathers and fishing too, waterproof trousers are needed by both (as proves to be true...). Shopping done ... read more

We left London armed with our confirmed train tickets, 1 night confirmed accomm on 8 Aug and 1 tentative reservation for a manual transmission car. We'll work out the rest of the stuff when we arrived, with dunno what exactly to expect. Upon arrival, the first thing we did was to pop into the Visitors Centre. Glad that they have an accomm helpdesk. The lady kindly asked for our requirements, made some suggestions and started making phonecalls. 1st night at Grasmere done! 2nd night... after a few tries, she chanced upon this accomm at Keswick which cost GBP 115 (our budget was GBP90/room). Well, we were about to agree when we overheard her speaking over the phone, saying they're in their early 20s... Mmm... is she talking about us? Then she looked at us and said ... read more

So, yes, I definitely wasn’t in a good state to be hiking Helvellyn, so I stayed behind with two others who were feeling under the weather. We poked around Keswick’s market square a little bit in the morning. There was an open-air market for local crafts going on that hadn’t been there yesterday, so we got to poke around there a bit. I was sorely tempted by the pashminas (Indian scarfs—really adorable!), but Sarah (our TA) tells me they’ll be cheaper in London, so I managed to restrain myself. At mid-day we took a bus to our next youth hostel in Grasmere—Wordsworth’s home town. The bus wove crazily back and forth across the tiny roads and crunched over next to the hedges and rock walls whenever another car needed to pass. By the time we ... read more

Defeat of a sort today. Last night the guide advised that today’s Level 2 walk was the easiest of the week, and anyone in doubt regarding doing Level 2 or 4 (easier) should try this one. So I did – and bailed out after lunch. In my biased view, the effort seemed to be devoted to getting to the top of the fells (hills/mountains) almost as fast as possible. The climbs were very steep, and little commentary was provided, only at the breaks. The countryside is beautiful. The bracken is much higher than in North Devon, although there are few wild flowers, which had highlighted the green so well last year. Rain showered all the morning and at lunch. I walked damp all day, probably from a combination of rain coming through the “waterproofing”, perspiration, and ... read more