Through a glass darkly
After about a week of stormy weather it suddenly cleared yesterday and although it was really nippy, we took advantage of the break to have a mooch round Waterhead. There was still quite a lot of snow on the fells, mist over the lake and a crisp frost on the surrounding fields, and it was... Continue Reading →
We like to get out walking during the Christmas break, if only to avoid the temptation of sitting about eating chocolate and watching too much TV. Some years the weather fights back but this time it's been reasonable - no snow, no ice, no floods - and we've managed to fit in several strolls. On... Continue Reading →
We were having lunch in Esquires Coffee Shop in Ambleside earlier, and were much intrigued by a large and apparently antique map painted onto the wall. We spent a happy half hour browsing it and pointing out local landmarks, old-fashioned place name spellings and the like, and much fun was had. Until we started to... Continue Reading →
Wray Castle is a huge lump of a castle which squats on a hilltop overlooking Windermere and manages to look both Arthurian and menacing. Although roughly Medieval in form it was built in the mid 19th century by wealthy Liverpool surgeon Dr James Lawson as a "retirement home" for him and his wife, although the... Continue Reading →
Last time we visited the Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry in Kendal, we came across an old map of the shores of (Lake) Windermere between Windermere (town) and Ambleside. It dated from sometime in the 18th or early 19th century, I think - well before the area started to become more developed after the... Continue Reading →
Sorry about the pun - I couldn't resist. It's true though - there's a new museum right here in Windermere that is both beautiful and full of boats! This is Windermere Jetty (full name Windermere Jetty: Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories), which has appeared on the site of the old Steamboat Museum like a... Continue Reading →
Windermere town centre isn't particularly big, but it's well stocked with a selection of shops, cafes and restaurants - and more than a few interesting or unusual features if you know where to look. One of these is on Crescent Road, one of two main streets that form the town centre. At first glance, it... Continue Reading →
The UK's towns are full of history, often reflected in their odd street names. Here's a small collection I've gathered on my travels around the country over the last few years: High Wiend, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria Appleby used to be the county town of Westmorland and mostly dates from the early twelfth century when the castle... Continue Reading →
Well, march might be pushing it, but we certainly took part in a protest on Saturday against the current state of Northern trains. When we first moved to Windermere, one reason for choosing the town was the fact that it had a rail station, with reasonable links to the outside world. Trains ran roughly every... Continue Reading →
