Hiking in the Lakes Day 1

We were ready to get into the lakes the following day, rain and all! I found some great links to kid-friendly hikes and Aira Force was high on the list. This great website, http://taletrails.co.uk/the-walks, has created cartoon versions of trail maps and little stories about the areas. The kids loved studying the map for this hike and deciding which route to take. It was decided we would go via the "muddy and rocky" way and return through the "forever forest." I credit this map with making this hike so enjoyable. No whining or complaining! Our fall break was a week before the UK so we enjoyed low crowds. 

After the hike, we headed toward Keswick, stopping at the Horse and Farrier pub (love these names) for lunch. We didn't know it at the time, but this was the best pub of our trip! We are still thinking about the steak and ale pie! We also had a local sausage curl on mashed potatoes. Good thing we did so much hiking this trip!

So many sheep everywhere!

We drove into Keswick and did some shopping at the ubiquitous second-hand shops before going to the Museum of Illusions, which was enjoyed by all. We fueled up on candy and fudge from the local sweets shop before searching for one final hike. 

We headed to Ashness Bridge along lake Derwentwater. There was an area listed on the map as "surprise view." We didn't end up there, but the views were spectacular nonetheless. That candy really must have kicked in because Maeve wanted to keep hiking! There were some menacing-looking clouds behind the mountains and it was getting late, so we reluctantly left that beautiful place. The ferns covering the hillsides, called bracken, were these beautiful shades of amber. A perk of visiting in the fall! 

Maeve's cough was still in full force, and in these COVID times, I felt bad at this pizza restaurant. There was an elderly couple at a nearby table and I thought that they would for sure be bothered by it. As they were leaving though, the man smiled at us and asked if he could take our picture. A sweet end to a great day! 

A Day in Penrith

Our plan was to drive from Raby castle to the bungalow, which was around 20 minutes outside of Penrith, in the Northeast corner of the lakes. Upon arriving in England, we received a message from our hosts that the hot water heater had broken and we wouldn't be able to stay there. We were invited to stay with them at their house in Penrith instead. Our initial disappointment quickly passed as staying in town was a much more comfortable, convenient option. We arrived to dinner on the table and were treated the following day to a proper Sunday roast. 

Anticipating a wet week (typical Lakes weather), I looked up the area cinemas to see what was showing. We can see movies in English here, but for kids, the offerings are limited. The kids had been wanting to see the DC League of Superpets movie and it was playing at noon at the theater in Penrith. It had already made it to HBO Max at that point, but we couldn't resist an English movie afternoon (and the 20 pound family ticket price tag.) We had the theater to ourselves, which was good as Maeve arrived in England with a nasty cough (thankfully not COVID). 

We used the promise of the movie to bribe the kids to hike up to the beacon, a monument from 1719. 

Looking into the National Park

After Sunday lunch, we went for a walk around Penrith. Highlights were the grocery store and the castle ruins!

We brought back so much Halloween candy and paraphernalia (and cheese, and beer, and baking supplies, and pumpkins...)

Herftsvakantie to England!

We were so excited to return to England for our fall break. We tried to make it over last year, but the testing/quarantining requirements deterred us. Pandemic travel woes have been replaced by Schiphol airport madness and rental care price gouging. So we looked into taking our first overnight car ferry instead. There are a few routes from the NL to different points in England, the most convenient for us being the one from Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) to Newcastle. The overnight crossing took around 16 hours, so a much longer travel time than just flying. It is also a good deal pricer to take the ferry after adding on the accommodations and meals, but being able to drive our car straight into England was really cool. 

Our destination was the Lake District National Park in the Northwest of the country. After some Scandinavian hiking success with the kids this summer, we felt ready for this trip. The clincher was an invitation to stay at the bungalow owned by friends' parents who stayed in our house one Christmas and wanted to return the favor. 

We left right from school on Friday and were one of the last cars in line to check in for the 5:30pm departure. We took our friend Darren, who was heading home to visit family. We went for the budget accommodations on the way there, which meant we were one level below where we parked the car with tight quarters and no window. Clue the claustrophobia! 

Goodbye NL!

The kids loved the dinner and breakfast buffets.

We made plans to meet the Brownes at Raby Castle, which was conveniently just down the road from where Darren needed to be dropped off. We had a little extra time so we walked through Barnard Castle, the local market town.

The ruins of Barnard Castle

Reunited with our friends at the castle, we took off exploring the grounds. There was a Halloween scavenger hunt for the kids. 

The medieval castle is surrounded by an open deer park. The castle and estate are still owned by the current Lord Barnard, who apparently lives down the road, but uses the castle to celebrate holidays with his family. The castle was the home of Cecily Neville, who was the mother of two Kings. 

The grounds are home to a deer park. We kept the kids at a distance. We noticed Billy had wandered off and was sitting in the field in front of the castle, quietly steching. Then we saw one of the stags slowly walking in his direction! It was time to leave the deer area! 

Castle and grounds fully explored, we retreated from the wind and some rain in the yurt cafe before it was time to continue West to the lake.