The 17th Century Lady Takes on Cat Bells and Derwentwater

I just returned back home from an adventure in the Lake District, and although I haven’t anything remotely historical to relate to you, (although this area hasn’t changed drastically since the 17th-century) I think you might enjoy some of the photos (which belong to me, obviously). Like this:

My husband travelled up from Birmingham and we faced several obstacles before we could set out on our journey. Saturday morning, we found our car wouldn’t start, and Gavin found a mechanic who came and jump started our car, which was great. We then drove to Lytham, near Blackpool, to get our car serviced. About FOUR hours later, our car was ready and we went back to the house to pack.

The next morning we discovered that some horrible person had bashed into the side of our car, knocking the passenger mirror, and the plastic casing around it, off. No note was left. Typical of this area. Anyway, we ended up duct taping one of my compact mirrors onto this and we left. About an hour north of our house in Lancashire lies the stunning natural landscape of the Lake District. We planned to go rowing in Derwentwater (which we’ve done before) and then go camping and walking up a mountain.

Day 1: Derwentwater

We arrived around 2pm at the Marina and we rented out a rowboat and got ourselves kitted out properly. We were advised it was extremely windy on the lake and to stay close to the shore. In retrospect, we shouldn’t have done that, as it was worse for us to be close to the shore (I, erm, may have gotten us moored onto a rock…)

We rowed towards one of the many islands in the lake, and one of us read Wordsworth to the other. We pulled the boat up onto the gravelly shore and walked around. Unfortunately, we didn’t notice the geese and we walked too close to a nest and a male goose went flying towards us angrily and we had to run off. It relaxed substantially once it realised we posed no threat to its eggs. By the way, don’t you just love my outfit? The height of sophistication and elegance! haha! :p

After the marina, we went to Hollows Farm, where there were two fields for camping. We chose the field closest to the mountain.

Hollows Farm:

Day 2: Walking up Cat Bells

We had a rather uncomfortable night. I think I actually cried at one point because I got so cold (what a wuss, I know), I woke up grumpy, hungry, smelly, and not very amiable. That was soon solved:

The Grange Cafe was awesome and right down the road from the farm. The bacon, the sausage, the eggs, everything was so fresh and flavoursome. There’s really no food better than fresh food. The coffee, too, was superb and just as good (if not better) than Costa. Gavin laughed as after I ate, I felt much better and was nicer. The building which now houses the cafe was built in the mid-19th-Century. I find the houses in the Lake District utterly charming – so many were made using slate, which is is abundant in the area. That’s our car in front.

We were so lucky with the weather! It’s usually raining or cloudy, but we were gifted with blue skies, warm temperatures, and sunny skies! After our lovely breakfast, we went to the beginning of the Cat Bells walk. It was so windy, my hair tie flew off my head and my hair began beating me across my face. Again, classy.

 

There is a video here: DSC_0072

 

Here I am at the summit. Let me tell you, I was so proud of myself for having been able to reach the top of this big mountain. I’m not an outdoor girl (unlike my mum, who used to go mountaineering, hiking, and camping in the Chilean Andes when she was younger than me). She was very proud of me when I showed her these photos! I think we reached 1,500 feet and walked/climbed 4.5 miles!

We descended the mountain carefully, and as we walked we passed many springtime blossoms and cold, clear mountain water. If all we had seen wasn’t enough, we then came across the following:

Isn’t that the cutest thing?!

It was so nice to observe that nearly everyone we met in the Lakes were polite, nice to talk to, professional, and just plain decent. I didn’t hear a single expletive during the whole trip, unlike where I live in Lancashire or Birmingham or London. The Lakes are special because they are unashamedly English and hold onto traditional values which are, I believe, fast declining everywhere else in the country. It was so heartening and I hope to go back as soon as possible!

Next time, we plan on walking a much more history-packed route around Delamere, which is chock-full of 17th-century history!