Fell Foot

On Sunday, as we started our journey home, the sun appeared. Fortunately we weren't hurrying anywhere and were able to enjoy it at the National Trust's Fell Foot Park.

A grand Victorian house once stood on the site but that was demolished years ago. Boathouses and their remains still survive at the water's edge though - and one has even been turned into a lovely, and unusual cafe.

There are water activities on offer here but we contented ourselves with a downhill walk to the cafe, and a back uphill one to the car park. It wasn't a long walk as yet again some of the paths were wet and muddy after the recent (and not so recent) rain.

It's a pleasant spot though, to just amble by the waterside and watch boats and canoes going past.

Another place that I'd like to visit again, hopefully in drier weather.

 

A Wet Weekend in the Lake District

There's always a certain riskiness about the weather when you decide to book a UK break in winter (or maybe tbh any time of year) and we unfortunately picked a wet weekend to head to the Lake District.

We still had a good time, pottering about between the deluges, dodging into cafes as the rain came again, playing board games back at the AirBnB when it didn't stop. There was snow on the mountain tops, and on Sunday the sun came out 

The first day, the wettest and coldest, we didn't do much; a short walk round Ambleside, looking at the (many, many) outdoorsy shops, and a lovely lunch at Dodd's restaurant. I'd hoped to visit Grasmere in the afternoon, but torrential rain put me off the idea. 

The next morning was cold and overcast with snow on the hills and rain threatening again, so we headed to Windermere Jetty Museum - not for the museum itself but for its cafe with huge picture windows and a magnificent view of the lake and boats by. It's definitely worth a stop here;  good food, wonderful views and, that most remarkable of things in the Lake District, free parking. 

After an early lunch the weather stayed dry for a little while as we wandered round the grounds and admired the views - there's smaller scale lake where model boats are sailed.

Onwards then, back through Ambleside and round the northern end of Lake Windermere, to Wray Castle, a fascinating National Trust property built in the mid-1800s as a second home!

Of course, our visit involved a brief stop at the cafe - a rather unusual one by NT standards.

The rain held off for a short walk round the grounds though we were advised that the longer walks were too muddy to attempt. 

Eventually, on Sunday as we headed home, the sun came out.

 Fortunately we had time to visit a couple of places before heading back down the motorway. First, Fell Foot park at the southern tip of Lake Windermere - for a short walk and brunch in a converted boathouse - then Sizergh Castle - to visit the gardens and take a longer walk round the surrounding estate, interrupted by lunch. More about Fell Foot and  Sizergh  . 

Despite the rain we had a really enjoyable time, which goes to prove that weather isn't everything.