Lake District

(Part 1)

The Most Stunning Natural Beauty in England

I have been living in England for years and have travelled to many parts but somehow Lake District kept escaping, even though it is officially the most scenic place in England. My wife nagged me so much that we ended up here for a week long holidays. Before starting let me explain where it is and what it is:

–          A small area (40 x 33 miles) in North of England. This is the last district before Scotland starts.

–          It is stunningly beautiful area filled with lakes, forests and mountains.

–          There are about 50 lakes here, Windermere being the largest in England.

–          It has the highest English mountain Scaffell Pike, nearly 3,209 feet high.

–          It is the wettest place in England with highest rainfall.

One sunny morning we left for LD (Lake District), with a car full of clothes, foods, toys and lots of noise. It was a nice 350 miles long journey; there was not much traffic on roads. Our first stop was after 250 miles at a service station. It was built in such a way that seating areas was right above the motorway, so you could enjoy food while watching traffic passing through. People were quite excited about motorways when M1 the first one was built in UK back in 1959. They started having picnics on the hard shoulder (service lane). Having picnic next to fast moving traffic wasn’t a safe idea. Result was obviously few fatal accidents. UK government made it against the law to stop on a motorway without reason. We enjoyed coffee & ice cream here, staying above the law & traffic!

Soon we left the motorway and took a small road into LD hills. Suddenly I saw a strange bird similar to stealth making funny movements across the horizon on top of the hills. It must be a big kite I thought. Few meters down the road I saw signs for an Air Festival.  There was an air show going on in the area. It was an actual plane, a “Vulcan Bomber” designed & built by Britain in 1952. For the next few days we enjoyed many air shows from our window. It was happening on Lake Windermere where we were staying.  I was surprised to see this activity in the hilly area. On enquiry, a local lady told that Royal Air force has a base here and they practice here regularly.

Bowness on Windermere

We stayed in a small town called Bowness situated on Lake Windermere’s shores.  Using it as a base for the whole week we travelled through the LD enjoying many forests and lakes ranging from as small as a football ground to as big as we could run marathon around it. The biggest lake is Lake Windermere which is 11 miles long, 1 mile wide and 220 feet deep. One day we ended up in Coniston, the most stunning area. It is on the other (western) side of the Lake Windermere. There is no bridge on this lake. Going across from one side to another takes very long time because of narrow hilly roads around it.  A ferry service links both sides which is used by cars and foot passengers. We took the ferry back to Bowness. While on board I noticed a rope running in water on both sides of the ferry. This was strange; I asked one crew member, what is it for? There is no engine in this ferry. It is pulled with these two ropes, he replied. Once ferry docks on the shore, the rope is lowered to the bottom of the lake to let other boats and ferries pass across.

Kayaking on Windermere

One day my daughters insisted we must do kayaking in Windermere. Kayak is a small boat rowed with 1 Oar (rowing stick). Idea was that they will kayak and I will watch, safely at shore. I have forgotten swimming now (never knew much anyway) so was scared with the very idea but their insistence persuaded me too. I asked the person at sports centre if it is safe. It is safe for even 7 years old. Do you really mean this? I confirmed this 3 times. Positive he replied.  So I decided to be brave and took my 7 years old daughter as partner. Surprisingly it was quite enjoyable experience in the end. Initially we stayed at shores but then started venturing a far also.

Romantic Street – B5289

B5289, a road starting from Keswick is so beautiful that it is termed as Romantic Street. It is a narrow road passing through lush green jungles, Lake Derwent, other small lakes, little towns and valleys. Once in a low valley Borrowdale & passing by the Honister Yew Tree Restaurant, it starts climbing up the Honister Pass. The scenery changes from lush green lands and high trees to unimaginable low bushes terrain. I don’t know why it is but it is stunning. The Honister Pass is all worth visiting. The Romantic Street continues, I wish I could have gone further but there was not much time left before sunset so I turned back. Honister Slate Mine is also situated here.

Read Honister Mine Visit in Part 2