June 22nd

The name of our campsite, Windermere Camping and Caravanning Club Site, was a little misleading. The site was in the countryside, about a 15 minute drive from Windermere. This turned out to be a good thing since Windermere is the tourist mecca of the Lake District and very busy.

In the morning after breakfast, we had a lovely walk from the campsite through the countryside into the small village of Staveley.

From Staveley, we caught the train to Windermere, a ridiculously short 6 minute trip. It was the right decision to get the train and leave Paddington behind as parking is a premium in the Windermere area.

As we exited the station, the skies opened and it poured with rain. We stopped by the tourist bureau and then beelined to a pub for lunch. Since it was Sunday, the pub was serving a roast beef dinner. This is typical of many pubs all over the UK to serve roast dinners on Sunday. Guy was in heaven. Look at the size of that Yorkshire pudding!! I was happy with my curried chick peas and rice. 😁

After lunch, we walked around Windermere. It’s a quaint and historical little village but as I said, very busy with tourists. Windermere straddles Lake Windermere, the largest lake in the Lake District.

We headed in the direction of Bowness on Windermere, a little village a half hour walk away from Windermere village. It is here we planned to see the World of Beatrix Potter, an exhibition about the writer and her books. We were told it would be interesting for adults but the presentation was more geared towards young people.

Here is a little background on Beatrix Potter, a writer whose books are a huge draw to this part of the UK. She was born in 1866 in London and died in 1943 at 77. Her first picture book Peter Rabbit was turned down by publishers so she self published the book and it sold out quickly. Publishers ultimately offered her a book deal, likely getting wind of its popularity. Beatrix Potter was able to buy a farm called Hilltop, in Sawry in the Lake District. Sawry is on the other side of Lake Windermere. It is here that she found inspiration for her further books. She was also a conservationist and ended up donating 4000 acres to the National Trust. Her hope was that the precious Lake District landscape would stay intact for perpetuity. (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/people/beatrix-potter)

On the way back from the Beatrix Potter exhibition, we got caught in a torrential downpour and hid out under the trees in a park. It was like a fire hose had let go. Once it subsided, we walked back to the train station and got the bus instead. We couldn’t have taken a train because they were cancelled for the rest of the day. We were thoroughly waterlogged by the time we made it back to Paddington but at least it wasn’t cold.

June 23d – Lake District

We took a drive mid morning up the lake past Windermere to Keswick passing by Ambleside and Grasmere. The scenery was some of the most stunning we have seen on the journey so far.

Keswick is a village close to Derwentwater Lake and it is the northernmost village in the Lake District. A vibrant town with all the essentials including cafes and restaurants and a live theatre venue on the lake, it is also close to dozens of walking trails. We had coffee then a walk around the town.

Then we headed down to the Lake where we found a nice trail. The views up the lake were incredible, the green of the hills shining in the light that made its way between the clouds.

Then we drove back to Windemere and the scenery was a feast for the eyes the whole way.

June 25th

We bid the Lake District goodbye in the morning. The Yorkshire Dales and the village of Skipton were our next stop.

Skipton is a charming market town and as the sign says, the “Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.” The canal that runs through Skipton is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, a major waterway linking the two cities, 127 miles long. The 200 year old canal is a draw for both walkers and boaters. (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/leeds-and-liverpool-canal) We wandered along the canal and the city streets, went by the Castle but it was closed, visited an old church, had lunch and did some grocery shopping.

Later in the afternoon, we drove into the countryside to our campsite Howgill Lodge Camping where we were staying for three nights.

June 26th

We went on a nice walk from the campsite over to the next town Appletreewick through the woods and along the river.

We stopped at the Craven Arms for a drink. We sat at the picnic table looking out to the Dales. The ancient old pub and scenery was like from a set on one of those British shows my mom watches. The Craven Arms building dates back to the 16th century. It was originally a farmhouse but gradually became a pub likely owing to the fact that that the woman of the farmhouse brewed ale which became popular for workers in the area including sheep herders. (http://www.craven-cruckbarn.co.uk/history.html)

Once refreshed, we walked back in the direction of our campsite. We were meeting our friend Karen who had driven out from Milton Keynes to spend a couple of days with us. We met her at the cafe a short distance from the campsite. We had coffee and cake on the terrace overlooking the Dales. It was a breathtaking view.

Before dinner, we were invited by the groundskeeper at the campsite to help feed the Llamas that lived at the site. These gentle creatures were hungry and ate the feed right out of our hands. Karen actually bought some Llama wool at the campsite reception which she is going to spin on her loom and then knit into something. Some of the wool is from the Llamas we met.

In the evening, we met a lovely couple who were camping below us. The fellow Johnny Malloy was an absolute hoot. An avid footballer, he represented England at the over 75’s Football World Cup in 2024. He was also an amateur comedian and had us all laughing as his wife stood nearby patiently. He told one funny story after another and kept us all entertained. They were such a friendly and fun couple. I told Johnny I would give him honourable mention in the blog so if you are reading this Johnny, a big hello from Canada to you and your wife Maureen. (Is Maureen correct? I couldn’t remember for sure. Apologies if not).

June 27th

We woke up to heavy rain that continued most of the morning. We had coffee and breakfast, Guy wrote in his Diary, Karen read, and I worked on the blog until the rain subsided. Then we had an early lunch in the camper and set off to Bolton Abbey, a fifteen minute drive away. The scenery was lush and green and gentle, dotted with gems of history like centuries old bridges and the Abbey, a jewel of architecture and beauty.

A bit of history on Bolton Abbey, it was a priory until the 1500’s when Henry XIII implemented an act to dissolve all monasteries. The one end is a gorgeous ruin and the other end is a church that survived the dissolution and that still holds services to this day.

After visiting the Abbey and having a walk along the River Wharfe, we drove to the Craven Arms for supper. The pub was packed but they found us a little table in the back where we had a reasonably good meal. Once back at the campsite, we took a walk along the lane above the property and found a footpath through a farmers field, passing sheep and catching fabulous views of the dales as the sun went down.

The Yorkshire Dales is a place I won’t soon forget and like so many of the places we’ve been, I wish we had more time to explore the hills and villages there.

Next blog, we visit the Bard’s birthplace and complete the circle at Cheltenham. Stay tuned.