Oh my goodness, we found the most beautiful hike. Views: 10 out of 10. Also, kid whine level: 10 out of 10! My heart was singing so loudly, I was almost able to block it out ;) And the make-up hugs and apologies at the end (from a particularly empathic boy) helped as well.
Hallin Fell was another recommended hike along lake Ullswater, the closest lake to Penrith. The steep ascent and 3rd day in a row of hiking attributed to the kids' disdain, but we trudged onward and upward. If the sheep can tough it out, so can we!
You park at Saint Peter's Church in Martindale and then just follow one of the paths up the fell. Fell: a high and barren landscape (from old Norse for mountain, fjall).
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| Up through the autumnal bracken |
Once you reach the top of the fell, there is a beacon and views out over the lake. Beautiful for sure, but the views looking away from the lake were what took my breath away. I took a few (dozen) photos, though they never do a place justice.
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| Oh to be that sheep, living with this view every day! |
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| I loved the color of the green meadows in contrast to the amber bracken. |
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| Recovering from the uphill and also seeking shelter from the wind! |
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| Steamer boats have been in operation on this lake for 160 years, but we deemed it too windy to experience a ride ourselves. |
And then the kids took off running down the mountain, reward in sight.
We drove back to Pooley Bridge, at the Northern end of the lake. I had yet to have a scone and tea and needed to rectify that! We feasted at Granny Dowbekins and then did some shopping in town.
Our other big outing that day was to go see Lyle, Lyle Crocodile at the cinema back in Penrith. We had some time to kill so we drove to the Southern end of the lake at Glenridding. There was a hike here that our friends recommended, but I knew that was out of the question! It had also turned quite cold so we had a quick walk around and then headed home.
