The Lake District National Park is 912 square miles of spectacular landscapes and picturesque villages in Cumbria, in the north west of England, so steeped in history and beauty that it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whilst not necessarily the highest of mountains, there are 10 peaks over 2,900 ft high – the highest in the park being Scafell Pike at 3,210ft. There are a total of 214 peaks within the park itself, known as fells, colloquially known as ‘Wainwrights’ – being named such after Alfred Wainwright, a fell walker who authored a seven volume guide to the Lakeland Fells region. All but one of these are over 1,000ft.
Mere-ly Lakes
There are 16 lakes, waters or meres, the largest being Windermere – a ribbon lake running for 11 miles in length, with all of them being formed as a result of glacial erosion some 17,000 years ago…..give or take. Hiking around the area you will also come across plenty of ‘tarns’, the Olde Norse word for pool, or small mountain lake. As is peculiar in these instances, some of the tarns are actually larger than some of the lakes….so don’t let the naming fool you!
I’d never been to the Lake District before and neither had MrsFaceless, so when the opportunity arose to meet family there we jumped at the chance. The only draw back being it would be in the height of English summer and school holidays…..when the bulk of the 18 million visitors per year would be there. Hmmm…well, sometimes you have to just take a risk and work around the issues….
Plane Driving
Arriving in Leeds early in the morning we picked up the rental car and headed off to the first stop – no, nothing spectacular or jaw droppingly gorgeous…..just a supermarket to pick up some hiking supplies – snacks, water…..a chocolate bar or two for me and for MrsFaceless……ginger nut biscuits. Go figure….
We were staying in Bowness-on-Windermere as it seemed quite central to both our photography plans and the family meetup. The drive there was very pretty, with rolling hills, dry stone walls, quaint villages…..and lots of sheep. Everywhere. Sheep. One thing to note as we got closer to our destination, was the distinct narrowing of the roads. That made driving fun at times….
Just A Little Rain
As we arrived at the hotel to check in there was a brief shower…little did we know that would be a portent of things to come over the next few days!
Our first stop was a walk up to Rydal Caves, so we got up early the next morning, had a tasty breakfast and headed to the Pelter Bridge Car park. From there it’s less than a mile up a well maintined road, then path, then well worn track. As we had suspected when we got up and looked out the window, the rains were there to meet us as soon as we stepped out of the car. On a positive note, there weren’t many others out in the rain – a few dog walkers and the odd hiker who all seemed to be going in other directions. We’d soon made it to the caves and spent some time outside wandering around the rock waypoint markers that were built up before the entrance to the cave. We’re very used to seeing one or two now and again as we hike, but not so many all together when getting lost would be difficult in the first place.
MrsFaceless decided she liked the look of them against the backdrop of the hills in the distance and valley below, so she set about shooting them whilst i ventured into the cave.
The rain had stopped by now and, as it became busier, we decided that it was time to find somewhere quieter.
Hunting For Tranquility
That quieter place was Wastwater, on the western side of the Lake District National Park. Getting around was not too difficult; sign posting was good and although the phone service may be a little sparse in places we had decided not to gamble on that and had taken our satnav (gps for the Americans) which was working impeccably with our pre-planned points loaded in.
As the afternoon sun started to set we wondered how likely a sunset opportunity would be. Non existant was the answer as a short while later the clouds reappeared and the rain started falling again. Only one thing for it – get back to Bowness-on-Windermere and head into the town to explore the restaurants!
More Rain – Really?
We woke up the next morning to the continued sound of rain falling, making the decision whether to get up and photograph or stay in bed an easy choice. By mid morning we’d toured around Grasmere, sauntered through Keswick and briefly stopped at Ullswater to take in the famous boathouse scene…along with the several hundred other cars whose occupants were, like us, trying to avoid getting drenched.
We decided at that point to head west again, this time for Buttermere, figuring that the crowds would likely stick to the more touristy areas and not venture too far in the inclement weather. That turned out to be a good call as we arrived at Buttermere and there was no rain….just ponderous skies.
As Buttermere became busier a glance of the watch showed that we needed to head back to meet family – and what better way than with a fish and chip supper….
Time For Family
Family duties were intertwined for the next 2 days, but between the rains we did visit, amongst others, Kendal, Ambleside and Ashness Bridge, where the photos go some way to show the amount of rain that had fallen. The Lake District has shown us glimpses of how beautiful it is….and we wanted more…but simply had no time.
Final Day In The Dales
After the family portion of the trip was completed we had one day left, so took that opportunity to venture into the Yorskhire Dales as we headed towards the airport. It was but a fleeting glimpse of what the Dales have to offer, but after seeing Southerscales, the limestone escarpments, the Ribblehead viaduct and then a quick afternoon cup of tea for MrsFaceless and a coffee with a slice of fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese for myself (of which i got to eat a small part of, eh MrsFaceless?!) we got our photo of Bolton Abbey. As we drove to the airport hotel MrsFaceless and I nodded in agreement that we really should come back and spend more time here exploring.
‘What was you’re favourite part?’ I asked MrsFaceless. “Sheeps,” she replied, “Definitely the sheeps.”
We hope you have enjoyed our little journey together – the story and the video; if so please head over and leave a comment on youtube – and a like and subscribe is always much appreciated!
Until next time…..