My decision this morning was to go out and do everything I could today, since it’s my last day of vacation, or take it easy and go for a nice drive instead. Spoiler alert: I kind of did both. I didn’t do the longer drive I had planned, but did hike one of the iconic peaks in the Lake District.
England
Lake District 2017: Day 6
It happened. I started thinking about home today, and now I want to… yep, go home. Maybe it’s because today was another cloudy, overcast, dreary day in the Lake District. I didn’t sleep well last night (I blame it on a slight overindulgence in cider last night), but was still up before 5:00 AM. I spent the morning doing very little before having breakfast and setting off on the 9:50 AM boat from Waterhead Pier to Bowness-on-Windermere. I could just as easily driven the 5 miles, but finding parking (or more accurately, paying for parking… most lots have pay machines which only take coins and you need about £4 or £5 worth) is proving to be a bit of a challenge.
Lake District 2017: Day 5
I popped out of bed at 5:00AM as usual, and managed to put another 8 miles on my hiking shoes today. After a sunrise walk by the lake and breakfast, I started off the morning in the direction of Glenridding and Ullswater, going over the Kirkstone Pass from Ambleside via “The Struggle”. The road is twisty and narrow (and up to a 25% gradient!) as it rises up to the highest pass in the Lake District. Once over the pass, the road winds its way down to the village of Patterdale and then Glenridding.
Lake District 2017: Day 4
Well, I didn’t run a marathon today, but it certainly felt a bit like it. Instead I hiked/walked about 12 miles over a fell, through a village, and along a coffin road. I didn’t set out to do quite so much walking, it just sort of happened. I tend to have trouble with decision making (ask anyone who knows how many things I buy and then end up returning to the store…), so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I only had a general sense that I wanted to visit Rydal and Grasmere today and do some kind of walk.
Lake District 2017: Day 3
Today started off damp and dreary, and pretty much stayed that way all day. I started the morning (after a lovely 10 hour sleep… I’ve slept better the last two nights than I have in the past 6 months!) with church at St. Martin’s in nearby Bowness-on-Windermere. It was an Anglican service, and very liturgical, but it was nice to enjoy the old church and the music. I even got to sample a hot cross bun after the service!
Lake District 2017: Day 2
My legs are probably going to hate me tomorrow, but I spent the majority of the day walking today. I managed to stay up until 8PM last night, and slept through until 5:30 this morning. (In other words, pretty much my normal sleep schedule.) I went for a short walk around Jenkin’s field along the shores of Lake Windermere before breakfast, then set off to hike up to High Sweden Bridge. The route starts from Ambleside (about a mile from my hotel) with a steady climb up Sweden Bridge Road before turning into a footpath. The trail follows stone walls along the eastern bank of Scandale Beck as it winds upward to the High Sweden Bridge, an old packhorse bridge crossing the river. I stopped for a few pictures, then continued the climb to the top of the ridgeline before dropping back down into Ambleside. By the time I made it back to my hotel in Waterhead, I was ready for a cat nap!
Lake District 2017: Day 1
I’ll just say it again: I love the U.K. I mean, what’s not to love about English cider and scones with clotted cream? They certainly have it down when it comes to food on this side of the pond. And a week away from people and reality, enjoying the English food and countryside, is exactly what I need right now.
London 2016: Day 8
The final day in London. On the agenda for today were the Portobello Road Market and the Feast of St. George. I had my last hotel breakfast (I’m not a fan of British style scrambled eggs – too mushy for me) and checked out around 10AM. Repacking my suitcase took less time than I was expecting. And I managed to find the piece of fudge I bought in Cambridge! I left my luggage at the hotel and set out for Notting Hill to explore the market. I had plenty of company as I crept my way up Portobello Road. The market is roughly divided into sections covering antiques, new goods, food, etc. Plus, there are shops lining both sides of the road to stop into. My only purchase was a custard-filled donut from the same woman I bought one from last time I was there. One thing I will say about British sweets: none of them are overly sweet. The donut was good, but left me wishing I had stopped for a scone instead. Once I got to the end of the market, I wove my way back down Kensington Park Road to the tube. Along the way, I peeked into several of the neighborhood gardens, almost all of which require a resident key to enter. They were every bit as beautiful as the one Hugh Grant and Julia Robert’s climbed into in “Notting Hill”.
London 2016: Day 7
So… I saw the president this morning. Of course, that’s not what I set out to do today. But expected rain and colder temperatures put a bit of a damper on my original plans for the day (pun very much intended!). My original plan was to do a day trip to Rye. I was looking forward to wandering quiet streets, exploring the town, and enjoying afternoon tea. I knew a couple of days ago that the trip probably wouldn’t happen and was having trouble coming up with an alternate plan. Honestly, I would have been happy if I had been flying back to Boston today instead of tomorrow.
London 2016: Day 6
Rule Britannia! Today was the Queen’s 90th birthday, and while there weren’t many celebrations in London to mark the occasion, I did get to hear the 41-gun salute in Hyde Park while I was touring Kensington Palace. Today was also the day I decided I’m all set with the city and ready to go home. It’s not that I’m ready for vacation to be over, I’m just tired of the crowds of people everywhere and city life in general. I keep thinking back to last year’s April trip to the Cotswolds and wishing I had planned something similar this year…
Traveling with Laura 