Visiting the UK Lake District in Sep / Oct, 2011

[dbaldock]

My parents and I will be staying just east of the Lake District, at a 200 year old stone-built cottage in Ainstable (Eden Valley of Cumbria), for a week and a half at the end of September / beginning of October, 2011.  We'll have a Vauxhall Insignia sized  rental car, and we'll be taking a SatNav (GPS) that has UK maps.

On 24-Sep-11, we'll probably be going to see the "Patrick Street" Concert at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal.  This is the only event we've pre-planned.

I've been a subscriber to Britain Magazine (official magazine of the British National Tourism Agency) since the mid-90's. The July 2011 issue has 11 pages of article plus ads about "Unlocking the secrets of the Lake District", and it has given us some ideas of places and things to see and do.

I expect that we'll make at least one trip to the North to see Carlisle and the Roman Forts along Hadrian's Wall, and we may drive South-East to see the Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle and other sights in that area.  But for most of our trip, we want to see the sights in the Lake District, including taking a ride on the (usually) Steam Powered Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, and possibly a tour of Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens.  There are a number of properties that offer free or reduced entry fees if we purchase a Great British Heritage Pass, for US$66.00. The ones marked with a * are also included on the English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass, which is only US$34.50.

Beatrix Potter Gallery (at Hawkshead)
* Birdoswald Roman Fort (on Hadrian's Wall east of Carlisle)
Bowes Museum (~1.25 hrs southeast at Barnard Castle)
* Brougham Castle (near Penrith)
* Carlisle Castle (at Carlisle)
* Chesters Roman Fort (near Hadrian's Wall east of Carlisle)
* Corbridge Roman Town (near Hadrian's Wall east of Carlisle)
* Furness Abbey (at Barrow-in-Furness)
Hill Top (Beatrix Potter home near Sawrey)
Holker Hall and Gardens (near Grange-over-Sands)
* Housesteads Roman Fort (on Hadrian's Wall east of Carlisle)
* Lanercost Priory (east of Carlisle)
Levens Hall & Gardens (near Kendal)
Muncaster Castle and Gardens (near Ravenglass & Eskdale Railroad)
* Prudhoe Castle (east of Carlisle)
Rydal Mount and Gardens (William Wordsworth home at Rydal)
Sizergh Castle and Garden (near Kendal)
* Stott Park Bobbin Mill (near southern end of Lake Windermere)
Townend (near Windermere)
Wordsworth House and Garden (at Cockermouth)


So I'm wondering what places and things do you see and do when you're in the Lake District?  Also, do you know of any Pubs in the area that have live Traditional / Folk / Celtic music?


Thanks,
David Baldock

[Maggie]

My parents and I will be staying just east of the Lake District, at a 200 year old stone-built cottage in Ainstable (Eden Valley of Cumbria), for a week and a half at the end of September / beginning of October, 2011.  We'll have a Vauxhall Insignia sized  rental car, and we'll be taking a SatNav (GPS) that has UK maps.

So I'm wondering what places and things do you see and do when you're in the Lake District?  Also, do you know of any Pubs in the area that have live Traditional / Folk / Celtic music?
David Baldock

David I'm so glad I saw this post in advance of your vacation.
The Lake District is a beautiful part of England, very relaxing and you will find the people friendly.
My advice would be - don't try to do and see too much.
I am checking if the Pubs I know still have traditional sessions.....I will get back to you on that.
Of course a lot depends on the weather, which you can't predict. It's usually pretty nice at that time of the year.

The neighbouring County of Northumberland is my 2nd favourite English County (after Yorkshire)
you will love the towns of Corbridge and Hexham, and the Hadrian's Wall area. So much History!
The people are very friendly, they are called "Geordies".
They have a very strong accent unique to Northumberland,  you may find it difficult to understand.
It is the closest to ancient Anglo-Saxon than anywhere else in Britain. Also, their accent was influenced
by the Vikings who invaded that coast.
If you like beer, you MUST have Newcastle Brown Ale in that part of the world - yes you can have it cold!

Roman fort, and Hadrian's Wall:

 

If you have time, there are two fabulous castles about 50 miles Northeast of Hadrian's Wall....Alnwick Castle (pronounced Annick)
you will probably recognize, as it's been used in many movies. It was "Hogwarts" in Harry Potter,
also used in "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" and many Tudor-style movies.
It was built with stone soldiers on the battlements, to make it look from a distance as if it was guarded.

Alnwick Castle, Northumberland: ( the original "Hogwarts")


The most visually spectacular Castle in the UK, in our opinion, is Bamburgh on the coast.
Dave was blown away when he saw it from the beach.
http://www.bamburghcastle.com/history.php

Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland:       no, that's not a sand castle, it's the real thing!







 

[dbaldock]

Thanks for the suggestions!

When we we there at the end of September / beginning of October in 2001, we had amazingly good weather (but we were not in the Lake District). On that trip, we drove from Gatwick Airport to York, then to Edinburgh, then to St. Andrews, then up to Glamis Castle, then down to Bamburgh Castle, then to Durham, then to Cambridge, then to Leeds Castle - all in about 1 week (a lot of driving!). Then we flew to Dublin, and drove for a second week around the Republic of Ireland - to Mullingar, Achill Island, Kylemore Abbey, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Waterford, and up to Malahide - then we flew back to London for 2 days of sight-seeing before returning to the US. The only rain we had when we were actually walking around sight-seeing was in St. Andrews, and there were also some light showers (but no storms) while we were driving between destinations on one or two days.

After all that driving on the previous trip, I asked if we could basically "park" in one place, and just make day-trips out from the village we're staying in on this trip.  My parents agreed that was a good idea, and so my mother checked online and rented Ghyll Foot Cottage in Ainstable.  Google Maps Street View of Ghyll Foot Cottage, Ainstable, UK (It's the one with the black-and-white corner trim and the trellised garden.)

10 years ago, I had my Nikon FE2 SLR camera along with a couple of Zoom lenses, and shot 10x 36-Exposure rolls (total of 372 photos) of Fuji Professional film during the 2 weeks.  On the trip this year, I'll have my Nikon (D90 or D7000) DSLR along with a couple of Zoom lenses, and will undoubtedly be shooting several thousand photos.  (Aren't digital cameras fun?    )  The photos from 2001 are in a Set on my Flickr account Flickr - David R Baldock - UK Trip - 2001, including some shot when we stopped to refuel in Corbridge, and also when we toured Bamburgh Castle.

Keep the sight-seeing suggestions coming.  Thanks!

Take Care,
David Baldock


Old Stone Building in Corbridge, UK (2001)
(Click on the image to see the full size 1536x1024 photo)


Courtyard at Bamburgh Castle, UK (2001)
(Click on the image to see the full size 1536x1024 photo)

[Maggie]

Wow, you've done a lot of travelling!
You've already seen Bamburgh and York....and isn't Leeds Castle great too?

Where you're staying is about 25 miles Northeast of the Lakes. You're very handy for getting to Hadrian's Wall
and the Scottish Border.  Beautiful drive through the hills and dales.
The Lakes are all West of the M6:  Windermere, Coniston Water, Ullswater, Derwentwater and Thirlmere.
There are some pretty little villages and towns around the Lakes.

As you probably know, the Romans built very straight roads, didn't believe in going around hills!
If you travel the A68 through Northumberland, that's a typical example. Lovely Village Pubs on that road!
They built the original A1 also, between Eboracum (York) and Londinium.

Derwentwater:


Derwentwater has a history....the Dam on the Lake was built before 1916, and it was very peaceful until....
Barnes Wallis, inventor of the "bouncing bomb" used by 617 Squadron "The Dambusters" to destroy German dams in 1943,
decided it was the perfect place for the Lancaster Pilots to practice low level precision bombing.
The local farmers complained bitterly to the War Office about the loss of egg and milk production, and said
their livestock was very upset. Of course, when they found out after the dams raid,
they were proud their area had been chosen.
Here's the full story: http://www.sykesssillysite.co.uk/p15_dambusters.htm

If you are going to be there on 21st September, there is a traditional music session starting around 7:30pm
only 1 and a half miles away from your cottage in Armathwaite:

http://www.foxandpheasantinn.co.uk/

This one sounds good:
http://www.theoldcrownpub.co.uk/
The Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket
Session First Sunday of each month.
A mixed session with a significant contributions from local ballad singers.
Very good beer brewed on the premises.

The sessions around there are usually a Celtic Mixture...Scottish and Irish.
If you're lucky you may hear local folk songs also.

There are a few more pubs which are advertising sessions. I will keep checking!

Here is a nice site - pictures of Coniston water, and they have a live webcam but it wasn't working
when I tried it. You can access "recent images" though:
http://www.bankground.com/

The Boat Landings, Keswick - ( pronounced Kezzik )


 

[dbaldock]

Wow, you've done a lot of travelling!
You've already seen Bamburgh and York....and isn't Leeds Castle great too?
...

I really did enjoy the visit to Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent, UK.  We took the Castle tour, and walked through the Gardens, Aviary, and Maze.

If you are going to be there on 21st September, there is a traditional music session starting around 7:30pm
only 1 and a half miles away from your cottage in Armathwaite:

http://www.foxandpheasantinn.co.uk/

This one sounds good:
http://www.theoldcrownpub.co.uk/
The Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket
Session First Sunday of each month.
A mixed session with a significant contributions from local ballad singers.
Very good beer brewed on the premises.
The sessions around there are usually a Celtic Mixture...Scottish and Irish.
If you're lucky you may hear local folk songs also.

There are a few more pubs which are advertising sessions. I will keep checking!
...

Doing some Google Searches, I did find the Cumbria Folk Music - Sessions List, where the Fox and Pheasant Inn is mentioned.

Unfortunately, since we'll be flying to England on Friday night, 23-Sep-11, we won't be able to attend the Session on Wednesday the 21st.  However, I'm sure we'll visit the Inn / Pub for meals while we're there - and maybe they'll have some live music at times other than the monthly Folk Sessions.

From checking various web sites, I know that many (most?) of the Walking Paths in the Lake District are fairly strenuous, so we won't be doing any major hikes --- but we will do some walking in the Gardens, Villages, and Parks that have gentle grades.

My Dad is Retired from the US Air Force, so I was wondering if there were any Military Museums or History sites (other than the Roman Forts) in or near the Lake District?  On our previous trip, we enjoyed visiting the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian (near Edinburgh).

Take Care,
David Baldock

[Maggie]

My Dad is Retired from the US Air Force, so I was wondering if there were any Military Museums or History sites (other than the Roman Forts) in or near the Lake District?  On our previous trip, we enjoyed visiting the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian (near Edinburgh).

When we lived in England, we subscribed to "Flypast" Magazine, and went to as many Air Displays as we could.
When Dave was stationed in London with the US Navy, we went to the Farnborough Air Show
with the rest of the Intelligence guys. That was interesting as they flocked around the "stealth" aircraft,
which were quite new at that time.
So I just checked the list of Air Shows for 2011, and as usual the good ones are south of the Humber Bridge.
http://www.militaryairshows.co.uk/listing.htm

Your Dad would love Duxford - we've been there a few times. It's far from Cumbria though.
http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/

I also checked the BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight) schedule - there is nothing like the sight of
the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane, and the sound of those Rolls Royce Merlin engines!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odoXletBSas
They are at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire during your vacation.

I guess your Dad knows he and your Mom could fly to the UK or anywhere else at no cost on Space A travel,
being retired Military.
http://www.militaryhops.com/
They would land at the RAF/USAF base Mildenhall. Nearby is another RAF/USAF Base - Lakenheath - with a
great commissary and Exchange.
The disadvantage is you don't know how long you'll have to wait for your flight, but you can't beat the price.
We stayed on base for 2 nights and got a C-5 flight on the 3rd morning, great flight, very comfortable.  

I can only find one RAF base in Cumbria.....it is small but fascinating:
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafspadeadam/
I don't know if they admit the public, but you could call them and find out.

There is a Military Museum in Carlisle Castle:
http://www.kingsownbordermuseum.btik.com/

There's a Military Museum in Alnwick Castle too:
http://www.northumberlandfusiliers.org.uk/

If you like animals, and birds of prey, this place gets really good reviews:
http://www.trottersworld.co.uk/

http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/index/visiting/windermere/windermere-things-to-do.htm

[dbaldock]

Looking over the web site for RAF Spadeadam, it doesn't appear that they have any public museum or other events that we would have access to.


I ordered a GPS to take with us on the trip this Fall.

Actually, what I ordered is the WiFi model of the Samsung Galaxy 7" Android Tablet.  It has built-in GPS hardware, and once I install the ALK CoPilot Live Android application, it will work as a stand-alone GPS, without requiring a Cellular or WiFi  data connection.  In places where we do have access to a WiFi signal, we'll be able to check on local attractions and events.

The WiFi version of the Galaxy 7" Tablet is cheaper than the 4.3" Garmin GPS with multi-touch display that I was looking at, plus the tablet can be used for much more than a GPS.

[Maggie]

Looking over the web site for RAF Spadeadam, it doesn't appear that they have any public museum
or other events that we would have access to.
I ordered a GPS to take with us on the trip this Fall.

Yes you're right about Spadeadam.
Carlisle Castle might be worth a visit. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there in 1568
and it was besieged during the English Civil War in 1644.

When I was deployed as a damage inspector with FEMA, Dave bought me a GPS which was top of the range at that time.
I hated it! I discovered it was useless in a disaster zone. Even in unaffected places it kept sending me
up farm tracks and got me completely lost. At least with a map I can find an alternative route.

GPS would be pointless for me in Ireland......none of my family have a street address,
because there are no street names, house numbers or zip codes in rural Ireland.
I know my way around, and if I ever get lost - it's more fun to ask the locals. 

Dave, as you probably know - the people in the North of England are much more friendly than Southerners.
If you get lost just ask......the local Pub always has an expert or two, and the Police are usually friendly.
Here are some webcams in the Lake District National Park, which is celebrating it's 60th birthday this year.
http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/index/visiting/webcams.htm

Ullswater from Gowbarrow:

[dbaldock]

OK, I've got to ask this --- it's spelled by concatenating "spade" and "adam", but is it pronounced spade-adam?


Thanks for suggesting Carlisle Castle - we were planning to take at least one day driving up to, and around the Carlisle area.  We may drive over to Castle Douglas, since I know the couple who built Castle Douglas Texas.  It's big, with something like 23,000 sq/ft of Air Conditioned space, and four 3,800 lb exposed wood beams in the Great Hall that has a 48 ft high peaked roof.  Their last name is Dumford, but they named their castle Douglas in honor of his mother's maiden name.

The CoPilot software offers "Full street level maps, POIs and 7 digit post codes" for the United Kingdom, so I think it should help us find places and attractions that are listed by their Post Code.  For the USA, it offers "Full street level maps & POIs", but the main thing I like about it, is that when you ask it to create a route from "A" to "B", it can present 3 possible routes (shortest, fastest, most economical), and then you can "touch and drag" any of the routes to suit your needs before selecting / saving / using it.  In other words, it acts a lot like Google Maps.  This is much easier than the process of having to manually Zoom in and add Waypoints to modify the route that most stand-alone GPS units require.

[dbaldock]

Well, we had amazing weather during our holiday trip to the UK.

We were there from Saturday, 24-Sep-11 until Wednesday, 05-Oct-11, and only had some light rain on Sunday, 02-Oct-11 when were planning to tour in the Lake District. So, that day we went to the Great Northern Cheese Festival at the Rheged Centre, an indoor venue near Penrith.  On Monday, 03-Oct-11, there was some rain during the train journey from Armathwaite to Skipton, but the weather was nice when we got to Skipton and were walking around sight-seeing.

I took quite a few photos.  There are 17 Albums on my Facebook account. (I haven't uploaded the full size images to my Flickr account yet.)
Here are the links, generally in "Date" order:
01.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2433676117951.136512.1133127451&type=1
02.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434117168977.136528.1133127451&type=1
03.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434180530561.136532.1133127451&type=1
04.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434239652039.136534.1133127451&type=1
05.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434264772667.136536.1133127451&type=1
06.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434307413733.136538.1133127451&type=1
07.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434399256029.136540.1133127451&type=1
08.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434473817893.136542.1133127451&type=1
09.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434519179027.136544.1133127451&type=1
10.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434570420308.136547.1133127451&type=1
11.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434607661239.136548.1133127451&type=1
12.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434644182152.136550.1133127451&type=1
13.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434732504360.136553.1133127451&type=1
14.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2434354694915.136539.1133127451&type=1
15.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2435826011697.136602.1133127451&type=1
16.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2435859172526.136603.1133127451&type=1
17.) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2435961895094.136607.1133127451&type=1

[greenfire6]

I was unaware of this topic until today.

Thanks for posting David. I've got some reading and catching up to do right here!

[dbaldock]

I've uploaded the full size images to sets on my Flickr account.  These sets have more or less the same photos as the Facebook Albums, but they're larger (up to 20 MB per image).

01.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627923525432/
02.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927162230/
03.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927243008/
04.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927287250/
05.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627802694785/
06.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927364158/
07.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627802864817/
08.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627802878313/
09.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927570860/
10.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627802980533/
11.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627802994153/
12.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627803021439/
13.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927635578/
14.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627803056425/
15.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627927670818/
16.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627803083113/
17.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/david-r-baldock/sets/72157627803093251/

[MikeyK]

Really beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing!

[dbaldock]

You're welcome.

I enjoyed the trip, and wish I had been able to spend more time at the places we visited, so I could frame and shoot things from more different angles.

Take Care,
David Baldock

[lintje]

I love the lake district!

Went there with my mom when I was 11 Stayed at a lovely hotel (where Beatrix Potter once lived) Huge hotel!!!

Went to do so much things, It is just soooo pretty there. I always adored the tales of Beatrix Potter, so that is why my mom and me went there
we went to see her museum and all Loved it!

I really want to go back one day again