Two and a bit days in the Lake District

Grizedale

I'm aiming this year to get away for as many short breaks as possible, partly to make up for lost time and holiday opportunities due to Covid, and partly because it's easier to leave the garden and allotment for a few days each month than to take one fortnight long break in summer. So, having visited Hertfordshire in March, at the end of April we set off for the Lake District. 

Hawkshead

This isn't an area that's totally new to me but we tried to work out how long it is since our last visit - and, although we visited Appleby-in-Westmorland a couple of years ago, it's probably over 30 years since we went to heart of the Lake District.

Windermere

We stayed in the quiet village of Broughton Beck, away from the main tourist spots but good for visiting the lakes of  Windermere and Coniston, walking in Grizedale Forest and around Tarn Hows, as well as spending most of a day at Holker Hall, near Grange Over Sands.  

Coniston sunset

Coniston Water

Holker Hall

Short trips away are almost as much about the journey as the overnight stays, so on the way north we stopped at Lyme Park for a picnic lunch, then Rufford Old Hall to break, while on the way south (though only as far as Manchester to see my daughter) we visited Sizergh Hall and the new(ish) RHS Bridgewater garden in Salford. 

Sizergh Castle

It was an excellent time to pick, after the Easter holidays, with hardly anyone around, and none of the half-expected Lake District traffic and parking problems. I'll like to go back, to the more northern lakes which we didn't have time to visit, but that might have to wait till next Spring

RHS Bridgewater 

 

Malham - the Cove and Janet's Foss

Our first full day away took us to Malham - walking to the Cove and later to Janet's Foss. Midweek in late April it was very quiet, but car parks and hard core paths to the attractions hint at how busy it could be on a summer weekend. Those visitor numbers are also reflected in the numerous choice of places to eat, considering the size of the village itself, but we dropped our evening dinner plans as the weather felt too cold for sitting around outside. 

Malham itself was far prettier than I'd been expecting. I don't know why but I'd had an image of dour, bleak stone houses huddled against winter winds and snow (maybe a photo in those long ago school text books), whereas it's green and leafy with a pretty beck gently running over stones and under bridges.

I'd heard of Malham Cove long ago in school geography/geology lessons but it's one of this year's 'first's'. Formed by a waterfall from a glacial lake back further in time than even my schooldays, the cliff-face doesn't look really impressive from a distance as its size isn't apparent. Close to, with climbers for scale, you realise how high those cliffs are! 

At the base of the rock-face, water bubbles out after flowing underground, but, although it's no doubt geologically interesting, it feels a bit like of an anticlimax; maybe like ticking-off something worthy-but-dull from a must-see list..

 

I wasn't in the mood to climb the steps (a hundred or so) to the top of the Cove (reports about this being on 'easy' walk aren't accurate, in my opinion) so we headed back to Malham, but not along the stony path we'd taken on the way out. 

Instead we crossed to the other side of the valley via an old clapper bridge, and followed a path between ancient field boundaries, with wonderful views over the village.

It was now mid-afternoon. An awkward sort of time, but after sitting for a while (and deciding it was way too early for dinner at one of the pubs) we headed off on the walk to Janet's Foss - a little longer than the walk to the Cove but flatter. 

Again, the walk itself was quite dull - loose stones or even slabs showing how many trudge this way at busier times of year - till it picked up a brook and headed into a ravine clothed in wild garlic, leading up to the waterfall. 

This section is almost magical, or would be if stumbled upon unexpectedly, and preferably without other visitors, but it definitely makes up for the dull approach.

The recent lack of rain had taken its toll on the waterfall, but it's still a delightful spot. As a warning though (and a reminder to myself), I've read since our visit that this is a popular plunge pool in summer, so it's probably best to visit away from warmer weather.

 

RHS Harlow Carr

The first stop our recent mini-break to Yorkshire was Harlow Carr, a RHS garden just outside Harrogate. Driving through the town I was enchanted by the cherry blossom avenues on the Stray, and would have liked to stop and walk along them, but these days everything hinges round timed entry slots and we had only a 30 minute arrival window for Harlow Carr. 

This is the first RHS garden I've visited so I don't know how typical it is. My initial impression was, to be honest, one of disappointment. From the entrance it seemed to be little more than a council park with large grassed areas edged by flower beds. Admittedly the plants in those beds are probably a more carefully curated mix than those found in the average park, but overall the feel was the same. I'm not a plant specialist and to me a common daffodil blowing merrily in the breeze is as pretty as a rare new variety, so maybe some of it was wasted on me. 

There were lots of unusual plants - erythroniums, and a mass planting of crown imperial fritillaries - and interesting little 'garden rooms',  but I felt something was lacking in the overall design; perhaps that elusive rightness that comes from feng-shui.  

I preferred the older, established wooded areas, with primroses growing 'wild' beneath rhododendrons, and temple 'ruins' to accidentally stumble across (unless you were using the map)

And, of course, we ended up in the kitchen garden area, though the crops being grown looked more for show or demonstration purposes than practical harvests to supply the cafe, and were interspersed with daffodils and tulips.

I'm not sure what the 'purpose' of the RHS display gardens is  - maybe the emphasis in on informing the public, demonstrating new techniques or design ideas - but Harlow Carr didn't compare favourably in my mind with other large scale gardens such as Chatsworth, Bodnant or Powis Castle. Next I plan to visit the new garden in Salford, which should be interesting.

 

Somewhere new - three days in Yorkshire

Now that the latest lockdown is lifting and we can take holidays again, I'm not making last year's mistake of waiting too long. So, despite my reservations about being away from the safety of home, with the presumed Easter holiday rush over, we booked an AirBnB and headed off for a few days to somewhere new  - the Yorkshire Dales, near Malham. My resolution for this year is about finding new things to do and new places to visit, so it was an excellent choice of location.

The weather had taken a bit of a downturn after the glorious sunshine of the previous week. It was certainly cooler, with occasional spots of rain, but at least we didn't wait till the Bank Holiday weekend, which was just atrocious!

I walked a lot, for me at least - going from my normal 3-5000 a day to over 17000. It's more than I've done in months, and I soon realised how unaccustomed to it I've become, and also how out of the habit of wearing heavy hiking boots I've become (maybe it's time to swap sturdy leather for something lighter) Even so I walked round the RHS Harlow Carr garden in Harrogate, from Malham to the famous Cove and back, then out to Janet's Foss, along the banks of the Skirfare from our AirBnB near Hawkswick to the pretty village of Arncliffe, and to see the waterfalls at Aysgarth and Grassington. Every single one a new experience. I think (hope) I've come home feeling fitter, even if a bit achey, and resolved to keep improving my stamina.

I'm going to be putting up individual posts with LOTS of photographs, so here's just a few - sunset in the Skirfare, Malham Cove, Aysgarth Falls, and blue skies reflected in the still mill ponds at Linton Falls, Grassington.

Obviously in a couple of days, you can only visit an extremely limited number of places and I've come home with a long list of things to do another time - not least of which is a visit to Bolton Abbey and The (actual full size) Strid which is the inspiration behind the garden feature of the same name at Chatsworth. I also want to explore further west, around Ingleton, north to Wensleydale and Richmond, and east to the coast and North York Moors. Add in all the other places I'd like to go and it could be a busy summer! Sometimes I wonder if a campervan would be a good investment for all the short breaks I'd like to take, but then I realise I enjoy the comfort and space of a small cottage with a full-sized comfy bed.

Kedleston Wilderness

 As part of my get fit campaign, I'm trying to go out at least once a week for a longer walk. This week saw us back at Kedleston, heading for the Wilderness walk.
Schools have now opened for autumn term but even so I was surprised how few people were out and about, especially on a warm sunny day. As always, most were near the gardens and as we headed across the park we almost seemed to have the place to ourselves.

From previous walks by the river and through the wilderness, I've decided the riverbank nearest to the house gives better views, so that's the way we took ... past the boathouse, alongside the lakes to the stepping stones and bridge at the edge of the park.

Heading into the Wilderness, trees brought some welcome shade, but despite the sun there were lots of signs of autumn around - leaves changing to yellow or red, berries ripening, acorns filling.

After a while the path passes from under the trees to a more open park-like area, and here I spotted another sign that autumn was on the way - fungi.

From here the walk leads back under the dappled shade of the main drive.

For once I'd finished my walk with a little time to spare, so instead of heading straight back to the car  we wandered a short distance alongside the lower lakes, and found an almost complete fairy ring of mushrooms.

By now all the picnic tables by the hall were empty - and so was the car park! Time perhaps to head home.