This is getting ridiculous; we've been back for two months and my journal is only half finished. Since I'm doing this mostly so I can have a record of where we went and what we did, I'm going to complete it. There will probably be fewer words and more photos as I go along, but at least it will be done. As always, click on the photo to make it larger.
I left us at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham. We still had a car for this portion of the journey so we left there and headed for the lake district and Keswick (pronounced Kezick). This was a day of rainbows, as we left Barnard Castle in a light rain shower.
The roads weren't too busy, which was always a plus for us since when we drove we were both on high alert all the time. No knitting in the car for me!
Our first stop was at High Force waterfall, a place Pat had researched at home and we had decided to see. On its descent to the North Sea, the River Tees encounters a large outcrop of volcanic rock which runs across northern England from east to west. Much of Hadrian's Wall was built along the top of this natural rock formation. As the river traverses this rock formation (called Whin Sill), it drops by about 22 meters (71 feet) as one of England's most spectacular waterfalls, High Force. On a cold, windy, and rainy day it was indeed breathtaking.
At this time of year and in the rain, there aren't really any people around. You park in a lot and walk down a forested trail to the magnificent waterfall. I liked the signs warning to stay out of the water. I can't imagine any circumstance that would make swimming or wading here seem like a good idea!
Another couple happened by so we exchanged phones and photos, and headed back up the path to the car. The rest of the drive was dark and windy but luckily there still wasn't much traffic to bother us.
Keswick turned out to be a pleasant little town on the shores of Derwentwater, a fairly large, mostly unpopulated lake. The photos we saw before the trip showed us beautiful weather and lovely lake and mountain views, but we pretty much got cold and rainy. The town was nice, the people were very nice, but it was crowded with lots of cars and traffic and dogs! everywhere. Even in the fall when we thought tourist season would be winding down, the streets were full. We found out that it was voted one of the most dog friendly towns in England, and people would walk the streets with multiple dogs and they were also welcome at most restaurants. This was a problem for us, since Pat (post transplant) isn't supposed to be around animals. Also, when it's raining, your dinner tends to smell like wet dog when there are several at neighboring tables.
Be that as it may, we came to this area for a hike and we got to do that. Cat Bells is a fell (a high and barren landscape feature such as a mountain range) in the Lake District of England. It rises to a height of 1480 feet and is a popular hike. Pat had also researched this and picked it out as something we should try. We asked our host at the B&B and he told us how to walk to the lake and which boat to catch. You have to ride in an old wooden boat to get across to the beginning of the hike (or you can drive but the boat is a lot more scenic and fun.)
We intended to get on the boat that goes counterclockwise around the lake so as to get to the hiking point at the first stop. Of course, we got lost walking to the dock and missed that one. Our plan B was to go on the other boat and get off where we would have ended the hike and do it backwards. I vetoed that plan because I figured we'd get lost again. So we rode the boat almost all the way around the lake (takes only 20-30 minutes) and got off. It was a good thing, since after the first little while, the trail wasn't marked and we just followed the other people up the hill. It was muddy and cool and we had pretty good rain pants but not waterproof shoes. Yes, I had lots of layers stuffed under my raincoat trying to stay warm. Not the most flattering look! The hand knit hats and mittens were handy.
When we approached the summit, the wind picked up and the rain started and it really was miserable. We still didn't know where to find the trail back down and the other people around us didn't, either. We made the decision to go back the way we came and I'm glad we did. It was a fun hike with beautiful views.
We went back down and caught the boat for the last bit of the lake traverse. We stopped for fish and chips (and more dogs) and called it a day.
That night we walked back to the lake to attend a play at the community theatre, Theatre by the Lake. We saw a very good play entitled "Handbagged" and was subtitled "When Maggie Met the Queen." It detailed the meetings between Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth over the years and acquainted us with some British (and world) history that we hadn't known or thought about for years. Each woman's ubiquitous handbag carried at the elbow was the inspiration for the title.
I left us at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham. We still had a car for this portion of the journey so we left there and headed for the lake district and Keswick (pronounced Kezick). This was a day of rainbows, as we left Barnard Castle in a light rain shower.
The roads weren't too busy, which was always a plus for us since when we drove we were both on high alert all the time. No knitting in the car for me!
Our first stop was at High Force waterfall, a place Pat had researched at home and we had decided to see. On its descent to the North Sea, the River Tees encounters a large outcrop of volcanic rock which runs across northern England from east to west. Much of Hadrian's Wall was built along the top of this natural rock formation. As the river traverses this rock formation (called Whin Sill), it drops by about 22 meters (71 feet) as one of England's most spectacular waterfalls, High Force. On a cold, windy, and rainy day it was indeed breathtaking.
At this time of year and in the rain, there aren't really any people around. You park in a lot and walk down a forested trail to the magnificent waterfall. I liked the signs warning to stay out of the water. I can't imagine any circumstance that would make swimming or wading here seem like a good idea!
Another couple happened by so we exchanged phones and photos, and headed back up the path to the car. The rest of the drive was dark and windy but luckily there still wasn't much traffic to bother us.
Keswick turned out to be a pleasant little town on the shores of Derwentwater, a fairly large, mostly unpopulated lake. The photos we saw before the trip showed us beautiful weather and lovely lake and mountain views, but we pretty much got cold and rainy. The town was nice, the people were very nice, but it was crowded with lots of cars and traffic and dogs! everywhere. Even in the fall when we thought tourist season would be winding down, the streets were full. We found out that it was voted one of the most dog friendly towns in England, and people would walk the streets with multiple dogs and they were also welcome at most restaurants. This was a problem for us, since Pat (post transplant) isn't supposed to be around animals. Also, when it's raining, your dinner tends to smell like wet dog when there are several at neighboring tables.
Be that as it may, we came to this area for a hike and we got to do that. Cat Bells is a fell (a high and barren landscape feature such as a mountain range) in the Lake District of England. It rises to a height of 1480 feet and is a popular hike. Pat had also researched this and picked it out as something we should try. We asked our host at the B&B and he told us how to walk to the lake and which boat to catch. You have to ride in an old wooden boat to get across to the beginning of the hike (or you can drive but the boat is a lot more scenic and fun.)
We intended to get on the boat that goes counterclockwise around the lake so as to get to the hiking point at the first stop. Of course, we got lost walking to the dock and missed that one. Our plan B was to go on the other boat and get off where we would have ended the hike and do it backwards. I vetoed that plan because I figured we'd get lost again. So we rode the boat almost all the way around the lake (takes only 20-30 minutes) and got off. It was a good thing, since after the first little while, the trail wasn't marked and we just followed the other people up the hill. It was muddy and cool and we had pretty good rain pants but not waterproof shoes. Yes, I had lots of layers stuffed under my raincoat trying to stay warm. Not the most flattering look! The hand knit hats and mittens were handy.
When we approached the summit, the wind picked up and the rain started and it really was miserable. We still didn't know where to find the trail back down and the other people around us didn't, either. We made the decision to go back the way we came and I'm glad we did. It was a fun hike with beautiful views.
We went back down and caught the boat for the last bit of the lake traverse. We stopped for fish and chips (and more dogs) and called it a day.
That night we walked back to the lake to attend a play at the community theatre, Theatre by the Lake. We saw a very good play entitled "Handbagged" and was subtitled "When Maggie Met the Queen." It detailed the meetings between Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth over the years and acquainted us with some British (and world) history that we hadn't known or thought about for years. Each woman's ubiquitous handbag carried at the elbow was the inspiration for the title.
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