It had been many years since I last visited the Lake District, other than simply passing through. I was determined to see as much as was reasonably possible. We were based in Silverdale, right at the southern end of the Lake District. It is very convenient for the main roads leading into the main tourist areas though, so not in the least inconvenient as our base. I was driving most of the time, so missed quite a few otherwise excellent opportunities for photos.
On the first day, we visited Windermere. The trip began with a ride on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, which links the main road to the lake at Lakeside
Here is the view at the other end of the railway, watching our boat approaching from the quayside at Lakeside.
Our boat for the trip up the lake to Ambleside was the "Tern", seen here turning before mooring alongside the quay.
Here is a view of Lakeside from the boat as we set sail northwards along Windermere.
The lake side is covered in trees, with lots of very large houses.
The intermediate town on the lake is Bowness, seen here as we approached from the south. From the boat, the town looked very busy with cars and tourists.
North of Bowness, the mountains at the northern end of the lake come into view.
This is the northern end of the lake, on the final approach to the pier at Ambleside.
This is the view westwards from Ambleside.
The pier at Ambleside is some distance from the town. It was very quiet compared to Bowness. We went ashore here and caught the next boat back down the lake.
On the second day, we drove up to the Scottish borders via Penrith and Alston. The drive between these two places was very spectacular, with fantastic views as we climbed over the high mountain pass, which reaches around 1900 feet at its summit. The road gives really spectacular views to the west. I was too busy driving to take any photos, unfortunately. We returned via Brampton and Carlisle, using the A6 road rather than the motorway from Penrith.
Next day, we travelled up past Windermere to Keswick. The journey began with a ride along the coast from Silverdale to Arnside and Sandside. The views are superb - though the tide was out.
North of Ambleside, we headed for Glenridding, on Ullswater. This is the view from the Kirkstone Pass, looking north.
We then headed for Keswick for lunch. This is the centre of town.
We then turned south alongside Derwent Water and up over the Honister Pass. This view is near the top of the pass, looking back towards Seatoller.
This is the fall towards Buttermere.
Beyond Buttermere is Crummock Water, looking very blue under a sunny sky.
We then turned back towards Keswick along the Whinlatter Pass. This was heavily forested for most of its length. Eventually we came out of the woodland to see this excellent view of Bassenthwaite Lake to the north, with Skiddaw mountain on the right.
Beyond Keswick, we went south for Coniston, rushing to meet a boat cruising down Coniston Water. Despite narrow roads and heavy traffic, we made it with about 10 minutes to spare. We passed this modern replica of a 19th Century steamer soon after joining the boat.
Coniston Water is far more unspoilt than Windermere, with few buildings lining its shores. The most famous is Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin from 1872 until his death in 1900.
Further down the lake is Peel Island, more famous as "Wild Cat Island" in Arthur Ransome's tale "Swallows and Amazons"
The northern end of the lake is incredibly beautiful, being dominated by high mountains. The Old Man of Coniston, seen here in the centre of the picture, is the most spectacular.
Coniston Water is famous for Donald Campbell's ill-fated attempt at the world speed record on water on 4 January 1967, when he was killed on the return leg. The marker posts for the beginning of the measured kilometre are still present today at the southern end of the course.
The Coniston Fells are just beyond the northern end of the lake.
The village of Coniston climbs the slope beside the lake, with a spectacular backdrop of mountains.
This trip along Coniston Water was probably the highlight of the holiday.
Next day, we travelled along the Cumbrian coast to Ravenglass for a trip on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. Here is our miniature train heading up the valley towards Eskdale.
The line ends at Dalegarth where the locomotive was turned, ready for its journey back down the valley.
Dalegarth is at the foot of England’s highest mountains, the Scafell Range - 3,209ft at their peak. This is a view looking north east from the station platform, in the general direction of Scafell.
We waited for the next train, which had to wait in turn for another train coming up the valley.
We then departed down the grade and through the beautiful valley back to Ravenglass.
We drove up the coast through St Bees and on to Whitehaven for a brief stop.
We then turned back southwards towards Ravenglass before turning east along narrow roads through Eskdale towards the Hardknott Pass, seen here in the far distance.
This was quite a trial of my driving skills and the car too! The road is very narrow with frequent, sharp curves and very steep gradients. This is the view looking west towards the coast from well up the pass, near the first summit.
After a brief respite, we climbed further up into the mountains....
...before a short but steep descent to Cockley Beck. We then climbed over the Wrynose Pass, seen here in the distance.
Then followed more very narrow, windy roads as we headed for the main road to Ambleside and on south to our accommodation.
The following day we toured the south western edge of the Lake District, heading through Grange over Sands, Cartmel and Ulverston before taking the coast road towards Barrow. I neglected to take many photos, unfortunately.
Here is a view of Piel Island and Piel Castle from Roa Island.
After Roa Island we called in at Furness Abbey, once a major monastic establishment.
We then explored the remote area between Coniston Water and Windermere before crossing Windermere by ferry and heading south again towards our accommodation in Silverdale.
So far, we had experienced beautiful weather. In extreme contrast our last day, Friday, was plagued with torrential rain. In consequence, we did not venture out at all. The car was glad of the rest!
This was a really great holiday, which gave a very comprehensive view of the Lake District. It is indeed a very spectacular area of the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment