Writing update and the mystery of High Street Roman road

18 Nov 202119 Nov 2021

High Street, Cumbria courtesy of lakedistrict.gov.uk Quick update - my November newsletter is due out in the next couple of days. This month it includes: update on progress and excerpt…

A haunted castle

27 Oct 202119 Nov 2021

These days, Muncaster castle in western Cumbria is probably better known for its owl sanctuary. But it has a much longer and more varied history than that. According to Muncaster's…

The Man in the Checked Suit

23 Oct 202119 Nov 2021

High House, Seathwaite - pic from the High House website I was supposed to be editing and formatting my latest short story yesterday, but got hopelessly side-tracked by history -…

Two get rather wet

5 Oct 202119 Nov 2021

It's been dry here in Cumbria for so long (about four months, give or take) that many of the streams had dried up almost completely and even the lakes were…

Two go on a sculpture trail

22 Sep 202119 Nov 2021

Grizedale Forest in the Lake District is a perennial favourite of ours. We love it because it's a huge area of woodland, heath and moorland criss-crossed by walking trails. We…

Corpses and coffins, oh my

20 Sep 202119 Nov 2021

Grasmere lake from the old coffin road We took advantage of a warm sunny morning to head for Grasmere for a coffee and a stroll to White Moss Common. The…

Tuesday Trip – Yewbarrow House gardens

7 Sep 202119 Nov 2021

Here in the UK the National Garden Scheme (NGS) opens up beautiful gardens around the country with the entry fees going to charity. There are now hundreds of gardens of…

Two walk by the river

30 Aug 2021

It's a Bank Holiday here in England and we thought the traffic in the Lake District might be horrendous, so we went the opposite direction and ended up in Kendal.…

Two go to a concert

7 Aug 20217 Aug 2021

A rare evening out and a real treat, too. This was part of the Lakes Summer Music Festival, which normally takes place every year but which was cancelled thanks to…

Two lunch by the lake

14 Jul 2021

In all the years we've lived in the Lake District, we'd never been to the national park visitor centre before. Until yesterday, when we met friends of ours for lunch…