A Walk in the Lake District September 16, 2006
Our host at the Howbeck Lodge is named Christine and I believe that her mission in life is to make sure that anyone staying with her gains weight with her breakfast alone. She is a very nice lady and even offered to do our laundry. That may qualify her for angel status.
We drove from the B&B to Keswick on a one lane farm road that meandered across the rolling hedgerow country and just to the east of two significant mountains. This land is a checkerboard with lines of hedges and stone walls accented by thousands of sheep. The grass on the hill sides is Green which offsets the grey-brown of the mountains. We were told that last month the heather was in bloom and the lavender color covered the mountain sides. It must have been quite a sight.
After finding an internet connection in Keswick, the Howbeck doesn’t have broadband, we found the makings of a picnic lunch in preparation for the days hike. Keswick is one of tourist centers for the Northern Lake District and on this beautiful Saturday the town was crowded with people looking for their place in the great outdoors. An open air market was set up in the town square and the stalls were loaded with everything from clothes to fruit, but we were anxious to get started on our hike and our metered parking was running out so we made our way back to the car and headed out of town.
There are literally hundreds of trails within an hour drive of Keswick but Holly had picked the Walla Crag and Ashness Bridge hike which is right outside of town. The nine kilometer, four hour hike filled our afternoon and exercised our car lazy bodies. This was a circular route that included an hour or so along the lake shore and then a climb to Castle Head followed by a longer climb to Walla Crag. Both of these points offered great views of the Lake Derwent Water and the surrounding valley including Keswick. The climbs were warm as the temperature reached about 23ﾟC, 74ﾟF, and most of the trail was open and exposed to the sun. After Walla Crag the trail descended toward Ashenss Bridge and our car. Ashness Bridge is a storybook spot with a single arch stone bridge set between a wood and a mountain pasture.
Today is Saturday, our treat day, so to reward ourselves on a hike well done we stopped in Keswick for ice cream before heading back to the farm. When we arrived Christine had folded our laundry and laid it on the cedar chest at the foot of the bed. She has my vote for Queen of England.
We drove from the B&B to Keswick on a one lane farm road that meandered across the rolling hedgerow country and just to the east of two significant mountains. This land is a checkerboard with lines of hedges and stone walls accented by thousands of sheep. The grass on the hill sides is Green which offsets the grey-brown of the mountains. We were told that last month the heather was in bloom and the lavender color covered the mountain sides. It must have been quite a sight.
After finding an internet connection in Keswick, the Howbeck doesn’t have broadband, we found the makings of a picnic lunch in preparation for the days hike. Keswick is one of tourist centers for the Northern Lake District and on this beautiful Saturday the town was crowded with people looking for their place in the great outdoors. An open air market was set up in the town square and the stalls were loaded with everything from clothes to fruit, but we were anxious to get started on our hike and our metered parking was running out so we made our way back to the car and headed out of town.
There are literally hundreds of trails within an hour drive of Keswick but Holly had picked the Walla Crag and Ashness Bridge hike which is right outside of town. The nine kilometer, four hour hike filled our afternoon and exercised our car lazy bodies. This was a circular route that included an hour or so along the lake shore and then a climb to Castle Head followed by a longer climb to Walla Crag. Both of these points offered great views of the Lake Derwent Water and the surrounding valley including Keswick. The climbs were warm as the temperature reached about 23ﾟC, 74ﾟF, and most of the trail was open and exposed to the sun. After Walla Crag the trail descended toward Ashenss Bridge and our car. Ashness Bridge is a storybook spot with a single arch stone bridge set between a wood and a mountain pasture.
Today is Saturday, our treat day, so to reward ourselves on a hike well done we stopped in Keswick for ice cream before heading back to the farm. When we arrived Christine had folded our laundry and laid it on the cedar chest at the foot of the bed. She has my vote for Queen of England.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 2:11 AM
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