{"id":3529,"date":"2022-06-30T19:40:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T19:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=3529"},"modified":"2022-06-30T19:40:54","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T19:40:54","slug":"8-penrith-and-the-lakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=3529","title":{"rendered":"8. PENRITH AND THE LAKES."},"content":{"rendered":"

Scenically, the Lake District is as lovely as ever.\u00a0 But we have noticed some marked changes.\u00a0 In many ways, the area is a victim of its own success.\u00a0 Probably much exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n

Everyone is out to recoup money.\u00a0 Parking charges range from \u00a35 – \u00a39.\u00a0 It’s 50p to use the loo – and they brazenly admit that they will take credit card payment!\u00a0 Eating out is expensive\u00a0and it’s often hard to find venues serving food.\u00a0 And if you want a cup of tea after 3pm, forget it (apart from at the National Trust cafe at the base of the Stickle Tarn path where they are happy to serve until 6pm!).<\/p>\n

This is partly because of the dire shortage of affordable housing in the National Park (because ex-residents have sold out to wealthy incomers and second home owners or turned their homes into Airbnbs).\u00a0 But several potential employers told us that there is a general reluctance to go back to work after the pandemic restrictions.\u00a0 People have got used to excess leisure time and just don’t want to go back to 9-5 jobs (or 10-3 jobs in the case of tea-room employees!)<\/p>\n

We had elected to stay at Laithes, just NW of Penrith – well out of the razz of the Lakes proper.<\/p>\n

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The Secret Garden at Pooley Bridge does a rather good breakfast right on the waters edge.\u00a0 So we starved ourselves the first morning and headed off for our morning feast.\u00a0 The quick way would be via one junction on the M6.\u00a0 But we want to avoid big roads so set the sat nav accordingly.\u00a0 We were soon shown our route to Greystoke …<\/p>\n

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No thank you so, staight on …<\/p>\n

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BMW – You have GOT to be joking!\u00a0 Greystoke is actually signed to the left here …<\/p>\n

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Got it at last!\u00a0 Just down the road.\u00a0 Don’t throw the hard copy maps away!<\/p>\n

A quick deviation into Dalemain Mansion and Gardens for coffee …<\/p>\n

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… then on to Pooley Bridge.\u00a0 Easy parking on the street – miraculous!\u00a0 However it transpires that, because of staff shortages, they no longer serve breakfast.\u00a0 Also, as the waiting staff pointed out, because it was after 11am, breakfast would have been finished anyway, even if it had been on the menu!\u00a0 So, the waiting staff – all five of them – continued to wait with no customers to wait upon!\u00a0 Weird and mad!<\/p>\n

Still, we had a free parking space for two hours so we walked along the East shore of Ullswater.<\/p>\n

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Past Gale Bay to Waterside House caravan park.\u00a0 Here we learnt from a couple of chatty caravanners that their waterside pitch was costing them \u00a361 per night.\u00a0 They had a very nice view, but we won’t be enjoying it!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Inn on The Lake at Glenridding is a superb location for teas, coffees, beers, snacks, lunches etc..\u00a0 But we just hesitated there to admire the view of the lake from their back garden and to plot our walk up the opposite bank.\u00a0 The walk starts at Patterdale, crosses the Beck feeding into Ullswater up to Side Farm and turns left.\u00a0 For enthusiasts, it’s a mere 16 kms to Pooley Bridge.\u00a0 We didn’t get that far for two reasons.\u00a0 We are not that enthusiastic and we are not prepared to pay \u00a37 to park for two hours!<\/p>\n

The next day Ian and Lesley came to see us.\u00a0 Coffee at the caravan followed by a walk around Long Meg and her daughters.\u00a0 This is a stone circle comprising 69 standing stones in the middle of nowhere a couple of kilometres north of Little Salkeld and about a kilometre east of the River Eden.<\/p>\n

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It is acknowledged to be one of the finest stone circles in the north of England.\u00a0 It has a diameter of about 110 m, the second biggest in the country.\u00a0 Long Meg is the tallest of the 69 stones, about 4 m high, with three mysterious symbols, its four corners facing the points of the compass and standing some 20 m outside the circle.\u00a0 Ian launched his drone …<\/p>\n

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    … to get a better view…<\/p>\n

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    After a brisk walk around a triangular course with plenty of stinging nettles, we headed to the Fetherston Arms in Kirkoswald for their Pie Night.\u00a0 A huge range of pies – mainly with chips – available only on Thursday nights to those who remembered to book a week ahead!\u00a0 Which we had – even before we knew that Lesley and Ian were coming to visit!<\/p>\n

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    Back home with the drone to get an alternative view of the campsite!<\/p>\n

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    We decided to walk from the campsite the next day.\u00a0 The signpost for the first footpath was cunningly hidden behind a hedge.\u00a0 And after passing through a farmyard took us to a field full of inquisitive bullocks who challenged us to cross their field on the public footpath.<\/p>\n

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    We didn’t.\u00a0 \u00a0Back on the road we took the path marked the other way.\u00a0 After 5 m this led us to a gate taller than me with no obvious way of opening it.\u00a0 The neighbours paused their bbq to explain that we could open it from the other side, but that the “path” led to a set of stepping stones which had been below water level since they had moved in four years previously.\u00a0 Farmers around here are not keen for walkers to cross their land!<\/p>\n

    So, plans were made for a walk at greater distance on the remote Eastern edge of the Skiddaw Range (the Northern Fells).\u00a0 But first we had to get there.\u00a0 The final approach road was “gated”!\u00a0 Gated 50 times!!\u00a0 (Well, several times anyway!).<\/p>\n

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    The target was the lane that runs beside the River Caldew from Mosedale End.<\/p>\n

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    After two and a half miles the road peters out, via a very pot-holed section, into a walking trail into the largely unexplored interior of the Northern Fells.\u00a0 They were definitely going to remain unexplored by us!\u00a0 But at that point, the river runs through a series of pools which were being much enjoyed by youngsters (and not so youngsters) sliding down the “rapids”!<\/p>\n

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    The bonus for us was that back where we parked the car there was a Friends Meeting House.\u00a0 This doubled as a charity tea room on weekdays, run by volunteers of the Northern Fells Group.\u00a0\u00a0This is a community charity which provides a variety of services and activities to help people live independently in rural areas.\u00a0 Excellent work – and, crucially important for us, it was still open and serving hot soup.\u00a0 It did seem a bit weird eating soup while perched on the Quakers’ uncomfortable benches!<\/p>\n

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    But the soup was very good!<\/p>\n

    No visit to the Lake District is complete without a visit to Langdale.\u00a0 On the way, we hesitated in Grasmere to check out the art galleries and then took the back road to Elterwater.\u00a0 A very narrow and steeply winding road past the Youth Hostel.\u00a0 We were much looking forward to lunch at Chesters at Skelwith Bridge.\u00a0 The walk along Elter Water and the River Brathay is now a fully surfaced easy-access path.<\/p>\n

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    Just before Chesters we passed Skelwith Force …<\/p>\n

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    Probably not a good place for wild swimming!\u00a0 Sadly, when we got to the restaurant, the place was half closed.\u00a0 The restaurant was no more.\u00a0 The place now serves only takeaway food which punters can eat out of brown paper bags and plastic pots while seated in the “restaurant”.\u00a0 Not a good experience.\u00a0 And hopefully not a permanent one.\u00a0 They just need to find (and hire) a few more chefs.\u00a0 This is what I was talking about earlier!\u00a0 But at least we were treated to a great sunset back at base!<\/p>\n

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    Because the way fuel prices are going, we are always on the lookout for bargain priced diesel.\u00a0 On the way towards the motorway, Glenda spotted a garage with what looked like a wildly attractive pricing strategy.<\/p>\n

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    I wonder what the catch is!\u00a0 Ahh, yes.\u00a0 I see now.\u00a0 We are in a time warp!<\/p>\n

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    I don’t think that filling station has sold any fuel in the last three years!\u00a0 As I write this, ASDA have started a price war, reducing their diesel by 2p per litre.\u00a0 Someone needs to deal with Putin.\u00a0 Surely there must be some sane, political leaders in Russia.\u00a0 Come on.\u00a0 Step up now!<\/p>\n

    Back to Cumbria…\u00a0 Another day we re-visited Ullswater, determined to do the walk from Patterdale which we failed to do the first time.\u00a0 But as we know the way and BMW doesn’t, we leave the sat-nav in park mode.\u00a0 As we skirted the lake (strictly speaking a “Water”) near Watermillock, we saw signs to “Another Place, The Lake”.\u00a0 I can’t quite come to terms with this modern trend of concocting multi-worded hotel names.\u00a0 However, I can overcome this problem for a swift look round, a wander down to their private lake shore and a potential coffee in their lounge!\u00a0 I’m easily bought!\u00a0 I must say it looks a very good (if very expensive) family resort.<\/p>\n

    Moving on, we get distracted again.\u00a0 This time by signs to Aira Force.\u00a0 Another waterfall we have not previously visited.\u00a0 The carpark was rather busy (well, they all are – I wouldn’t want to be here in the summer holidays).\u00a0 After a rather busy walk a mile up the hill, we were met by a sign saying that due to a land slip, the main viewing path is closed for remedial work.\u00a0 Excellent!\u00a0 Still we can just see the falls through the trees.<\/p>\n

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    After that diversion, we hit Patterdale and located a free carparking space – free for two hours.\u00a0 That’ll do nicely.\u00a0 Plenty of time to do the planned walk.<\/p>\n

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    And that is that.\u00a0 We are off to Cheshire tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Scenically, the Lake District is as lovely as ever.\u00a0 But we have noticed some marked changes.\u00a0 In many ways, the area is a victim of its own success.\u00a0 Probably much exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. Everyone is out to recoup… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-england","category-travels-in-2022"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3529"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3580,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529\/revisions\/3580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}