Lake District

Bowness on Windermere to Ambleside

The weather is struggling to stay fine for us (or rather it's making no effort at all, according to John). While it's not exactly bright and sun-shiney at least we haven't had to use umbrellas today.

You couldn't come to the Lake District without taking a trip out on the water. This area is set up for water recreation of all kinds, with lots of row boats, small sailing boats or small dinky motor boats on offer for hire. We even saw some scuba divers. It was bitterly cold so either they were paying a lot of money for the pleasure, or they'd been very, very naughty and this was their punishment.

Eastbourne Guest House

John waiting for our boat

We chose to go on one of the beautiful old boats that carry up to five hundred passengers for our trip around the lake to Ambleside. It was a lovely sedate way to view the beautiful scenery in comfort. We saw the way lots of non-boating people were struggling with their hire craft. One dad was desperately trying to row his two small kids in a row boat facing backwards. He was going round in circles ... I do hope they made it to shore. Some in sail boats were becalmed in the middle of the lake. Maybe they were just stopped to admire the scenery, but both sails were up and they were stationary. We glided by happy to be snug and warm in our fully enclosed saloon with large glass windows.

Once disembarked at Ambleside we walked into town via a field which promised Roman ruins. We saw people ahead of us entering a field which had a small herd of cows grazing (bullocks Barb, bullocks). Barb baulked at entering the field. She was wearing red and was worried about being charged by an angry bull (nah, didn't see one of them). In fact the most danger she was in was from the fresh, steaming cow pats we had to dodge in the walk to the fenced area denoting the ruins.

Barb climbing over the fence

The ruins were just excavated outlines of what must once have been walls of houses. We read the plaques dotted about but it would take a lot of imagination to reconstruct in your mind's eye what must once have been from the  pile of stones you were actually looking at.

We crossed the field without a

The Roman ruins near Ambleside

ny encounters of the bull or cow pat kind, and headed into town. As we were walking by a grassy field with several grazing sheep we realised that a farmer was putting some of his working dogs through their paces for their sheep trialing skills. We watched the youngest dog display his excellent training and boundless energy herding the sheep to his masters shouts and whistled commands. Most impressive!

Ambleside

After a long walk around the town and back again to the pier, we caught a different boat back to Bowness-on-Windermere. This boat was much smaller and had the most irritatingly perky skipper ever, who insisted on giving us a running up-beat commentary on the sights that had already been pointed out on the trip over.

When we got back to shore we had an extended investigation of the charms of Bowness. It is very noticeable that this area takes its walking climbing and other active pursuits very seriously indeed. There are many (I think I counted at least eight) outdoor and camping stores in just this one small town. This might explain why most people were decked out as if they'd stepped from the pages of a Katmandu catalogue.

Also whereas at the castles in Scotland there were coachloads of much older crowds, here there are a lot of families and young people. Of course Barb HAD to go into the Beatrix Potter World shop. Who could resist? (John could .... he sat outside resignedly and read his ebook, brought for just such a contingency). Bronte has not been forgotten on this trip!

Barb outside Beatrix Potter Store

We've just come in after dining at a very nice little restaurant called "Fat Olives". It was packed in there, as were most of the other restaurants on the street. We were lucky to get a table with no prior booking. The pasta was good and John and I both agreed, as we wiped sauce off our chins, that it's not "first date" fare. There's just no way to eat it delicately.

Tomorrow we head for John's Uncle Walter, who lives between Southport and Liverpool, via Settle.  If you look at the map you'll note that we don't believe in direct routes!