Keswick

20th to 23rd September 2015

As mentioned in the last blog, our Swift Charisma 220 has gone and we now have a Lunar Venus 490/4.

There wasn’t much wrong with the Swift but after almost buying a static caravan we couldn’t face having to make the bed up at the end of each day.  The Venus has a fixed bed, and very comfortable it is!

Our first trip in the new ‘van was to Castlerigg Hall, just outside Keswick.

Sunday

A week off work for D, so a Sunday start for a change.  To get to Keswick we have always stayed on the M6 to junction 40, but this time we thought we would try coming off at junction 36 and travel through Cumbria, aren’t we wild?

No problem towing the new ‘van, it is about the same weight as the old one, but about a metre longer.  It doesn’t seem it, though, maybe because it’s narrower.

We booked pitch no. 8 because it looked like it was the better of the two that were available, and it turned out to be okay.  Static caravans behind and in front, mocking us, it seemed, but not a problem.

No problems with the caravan once hooked up.

After setting everything up we went for a short walk up nearby High Rigg, 354 metres, the first of four “Wainwrights” this trip.

We stopped of at Castlerigg stone circle on the way back.

Then dinner in the on site restaurant and a quick drink in the bar of the adjacent Heights hotel.  Dinner was excellent, we both had steak followed by brandy baskets plus the obligatory bottle of red wine!

Monday

J enjoying her morning cup of tea in the very comfortable fixed bed

Not a very good weather forecast today, although it turned out to be okay in the afternoon.

In the morning, we waited for the rain to stop and when it did we went for a walk up Walla Crag, which is about a mile from the site.  Pretty good views of Keswick and Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite, despite the weather.

In the afternoon we walked into Keswick and had a look around the shops and a few drinks in a couple of pubs.  Got a taxi back to the site for less than £5.

Tuesday

A much better weather forecast today, so we drove to Honister slate mine, for a walk culminating in Green Gable, 801 metres.  We also visited the summits of Brandreth and Grey Knotts.  We took the wrong path at the start, so ended up doing the walk in reverse.

Honister slate mine

A walk made much easier buy starting half way up.  A lot of low cloud for most of the day, so no view from the top but excellent views from lower down.

Buttermere, Crummock Water and Ennerdale

Stopped off in Buttermere on the way back and had a pint sitting outside the Fish hotel…D could have stayed all night!

Dinner in the caravan, then one drink in the Heights hotel, then bed.

Wednesday

Relocation day, we swopped Castlerigg Hall for the CC site in Hawes, North Yorkshire, but that’s another blog…