Traveling with Laura

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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.  

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