28th June to 1st July
Well, Ravenglass, really, but we decided to have a day trip to Loweswater because it is the only lake in Cumbria we have not visited before. Well, not technically a lake as Bassenthwaite is the only true lake. The rest are meres, waters or tarns.
Friday
Torrential rain made driving conditions less than ideal and it took a long time to get there. We had requested a pitch overlooking neighbouring fields and got one, and the wardens manhandled the caravan into position for us, so no reversing for D this weekend. An excellent idea, if only all sites would follow suit.
As the rain eased to drizzle, D donned waterproofs and set about setting everything up, including the awning. J did all the usual indoor jobs, including the most important…putting the kettle on!
Quite often we spend Friday afternoons sitting in a pub, but we thought we’d have a change this weekend and went for a walk instead, the plan being to end up in a pub early evening for dinner and drinks. We set off for the River Esk estuary but not on well trodden paths, and we ended up hacking our way through wet, waist high grass before emerging onto the “beach”.
Far too wet and dishevelled to go into a pub, we went straight back to the caravan. Nice to see Ravenglass from a different angle, and if you look closely you can just make out Sellafield in the distance.
It brightened up considerably, so much so we toyed with the idea of a barbecue but decided against it and had ravioli instead. Then we popped into the village and had a couple of drinks at a couple of the pubs, and even managed to sit outside one for a while!
Saturday
Up early today, for a drive of about an hour to Loweswater, and a walk including Low Fell (423 metres) and Fallbarrow (416 metres). Mostly over grass, with some steep ascents, but nothing too strenuous. Excellent views of Crummock Water and Buttermere.
Loweswater, Crummock Water and Buttermere
More pics in the gallery, although it wasn’t a great day (or weekend) for pics!
Afterwards, a quick drink in the Kirkstile Inn (a really nice nearby pub) They sold 8 pint kegs of Loweswater Gold but for some reason we didnt buy one. Luckily the Cumbrian Legendary Ales website sells them.
We then popped into nearby Cockermouth, another place we have never been to. It’s OK, but it’s not Ambleside or Grasmere!
The onset of light drizzle put paid to tonight’s barbecue, so instead we cooked some sausages inside the caravan and had a sort of barbecue in the awning, which was much better than it sounds. Stayed in for the rest of the evening as the rain continued into the night.
Sunday
A trip on the Ravenglass & Eskdale railway, to Boot, paid for with Tesco clubcard vouchers.
In Boot we went for a walk along the river Esk and did a bit of geocaching on the way. Found four out of four, which is a bit of a record for us!
Then we had lunch (which turned out to be dinner) in the Brook House Inn, which is one of our favourite pubs and somewhere we might stay some time, when it’s too cold to get away in the caravan. A Wensleydale and apple sandwich for D and ham and homemade chutney for J.
Freezing cold on the train on the way back…so much for summer 2013! D kept dipping into a packet of pear drops we bought at the station, but later found his tongue had turned a funny colour, so we threw the rest away!
Had a rest in the caravan in the evening and then a stroll around the village and surrounding area as the weather improved…a bit.
When it got too cold (Could it get colder?!) we popped into the Ratty Arms but it was even more dead than usual…we were the only people in there…so we headed back to the caravan and had a bacon sandwich for supper and sat in the awning for a bit.
Monday
Awoke to the sound of light rain, but luckily it stopped in time for us to put the awning away relatively dry, and we left around 9.45 and were home by 1.
Coming soon…
Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters.
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