30th May to 2nd June
The C&CC site at Ravenglass is an old favourite of ours, probably the only thing we don’t like about it is the amount of time it takes to get there!
Friday
We asked for a range of pitches when we booked and we were allocated one of them - pitch no. 22. An excellent pitch, surrounded by trees and rhododendron bushes, and after a reasonable display of reversing from D, assisted by the friendly warden, we were in. We thought about putting the awning up but decided against it as the weather forecast for the weekend was very good (for a change).
After a short stroll into the village, we ended up at what used to be the Holly House Hotel, now The Inn at Ravenglass. A bit more up market than before, but still a good selection of beers and an excellent place to sit outside on a warm summer’s evening, overlooking the estuary.
We could have stayed longer, but decided instead to go back to the caravan and have a barbecue.
Then we returned to the village to enjoy a great sunset. There are more pics of it in the gallery, but here is our favourite.
Afterwards, we went to the Ratty Arms, which has also had a bit of a makeover since we were last here. We got there just in time, before it was overrun with morris dancers and folk musicians. Loco-morris, a gathering of morris dancers. We stumbled upon the same event a couple of years ago. We stayed to enjoy the music and had a few beers.
Saturday
No summits today, instead we got the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway to the village of Boot, and set off to visit Eel and Stony tarns in the hills above the village. Both very quiet and secluded, we didn’t see any other walkers all day after leaving the village.
Eel tarn (above) and Stony tarn
J looking for a geocache near Eel tarn
We had a couple of drinks in the Brook House Inn and managed to catch a bit of morris dancing in the road outside. We also got to see the manager or owner of the Brook House Inn presented with an award from CAMRA for West Cumbria pub of the year. This is one of our favourite pubs so we were quite pleased to see it recognised.
Another barbecue in the evening…well, you have to get them in when you can, don’t you. Then back into the village for another sunset…not quite as good as the previous night, but still pretty good.
Later we went back to the Ratty Arms but couldn’t get a seat in the main room, so had to sit in the dining area. We could still hear the music, but weren’t part of it as we were the night before.
Sunday
Another nice day, weather-wise, so we went for a walk up Muncaster fell, taking in another tarn on the way. Muncaster tarn, winner of the best tarn of the weekend award!
Excellent views from the top of Muncaster fell, albeit a bit hazy today.
We just sat around the caravan in the afternoon, enjoying the sunshine and nursing our sunburn! Then back into the village in the evening, but no sunset tonight, just thickening cloud.
Then a nasty surprise…no nice beers left in the Ratty Arms. We had dinner there anyway, then tried the Inn at Ravenglass, only to find they too had no nice beers left. No beers at all, to be exact! And no customers, except us!
The morris dancers have drunk the village dry!
Last chance was the Pennington Hotel, which still had two nice beers…phew. And a left-over morris dancer with a magnificent white beard (actually the trombone player, not a dancer).
Lots of beer this weekend…American Pale Ale, Loweswater Gold, Langdale, Tom Fool, Brathay Gold, Haystacks, Wolf Warrier to name some of them.
Monday
Awoke to drizzly rain, so we packed everything away and were on our way home by 9:15.
Gallery
Coming soon…
No caravan trips for a while, instead a cruise to Iceland…might do a blog about it so watch this space…