Lake District National Park

Upon leaving Ireland we once again sailed from Belfast to Cairnryan in Scotland. We decided to return to the Scar Park aire on Loch Ryan and wow, what a difference just two months makes! When last we were there the grasses were golden in color, but we returned to acres upon acres of lush green grasses. really pretty!

We planned to stay three nights there before moving on to begin our trek through England’s Lake District. The original plan was to catch up on admin and chore stuff, but that plan was happily scrapped when the Motoroamers showed up to play. Karen and Myles, whom we originally met in Morocco in early 2020, were making their way to Cairnryan to ferry to Belfast, so we had a couple of overlapping days. What a fab time we had together, yakking, eating and hiking.

We said our goodbyes and took off to our next stop, Castlerigg Farms in Keswick, the lovely town at the north entrance of the Lake District. This area reminds me of Finger Lakes in New York state, and geologically speaking, they are very similar. Both areas were formed by retreating glaciers, leaving U-shaped valleys, mountains and ridges and long, ribbon-like lakes. As the glaciers retreat and melt, rocks of all sizes fall and are left behind. These erratics, as they are known, cover the landscapes and as the land is cleared, rather than haul them off which, I think, would have been nearly impossible, they built walls. Lots and lots of stone walls just snaking up the hillsides.

Catbells, Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England

Keswick (pronounced Kez-ick) sits on the shores of Derwentwater, the third largest lake in the Lakes District National Park. Our campground was a couple of miles from town up on a hillside overlooking Catbells, a steep, 1,480 foot-high fell summit, accessed by a short ferry ride, and a 3.5 mile hike. (Fell is an old Norse term meaning mountain, a high and barren landscape, according to Wiki.)

The hike to Catbells is one of the most popular activities in the area, so we set out to conquer the summit on our first full day. To start we walked two miles into Keswick from our campsite, all downhill. Then we took a 10-minute ferry to Hawes End, near the start of the hike.

For the most part the hike was moderate and although it did go immediately and relentlessly uphill, it was doable. In a couple of areas it went from moderate to difficult, requiring a bit of scrambling. We managed fine until the last little bit of scramble where ultimately we decided not to climb the 50 meters or so to the summit, the most dangerous part of the climb. With time and concentration to ensure careful foot and hand placement, it would have been doable. What made it a no-go for me were the crowds. The summit was packed and there was a snaking line of people going up, competing with a line of folks on their way down. There was just no room.

The views from the Catbells hike were some of the most gorgeous we have seen, but the sheer number of people on that path really affected my experience. At the end of the hike, I was just glad it was over.

Hop On, Stay On

The following day we had planned to take the bus from Keswick to Kendal, with a stop in nearby Ambleside, a cute market town on the shores of Lake Windermere. I was glad to have a day of touristing while sitting, because my muscles were really sore from the previous day’s strenuous climb.

Our day didn’t quite turn out as we planned, though. We tried to buy an all-day ticket for £12.95, but the bus driver was not happy with our selection. He informed us we could go all the way to Kendal for £2 each, although he didn’t know we intended to hop off at Ambleside. We paid the cheaper price and decided to figure it all out on the return. Turns out he was right and it was cheaper to do it his way.

The bus ride was wonderful, taking us on the main road through the entire Lakes District National Park with a few stops along the way. The landscapes were so picturesque, I was glad not to be driving so I could see it all.

Once we reached Ambleside, we were taken aback by the traffic and the tourists. The town was heaving with both and it was challenging for the bus to get through town. At that moment we tossed Ambleside off our must-see list. In fact, we rode the bus to Kendal, ran across the street and boarded the return bus which was literally pulling out of the station. The driver admonished our tardy arrival, but opened the doors anyway and allowed us onboard. It cost another £2 each, so we ended up paying £8 total for our bus trip rather than £25.90 for the day pass.

Our Hop On, Hop Off day didn’t go as planned, but the scenery from the bus ride was beautiful and an easy day was just what we wanted. We had brought along a picnic lunch and enjoyed it on the bus. It was a good day!

Market Day in Keswick

We spent our final day in Keswick, which we planned because it was market day. We ended up doing this separately because Keswick is blessed with at least 100 outdoor gear and clothing stores that I wanted to poke around in (because there were sales everywhere) while Steven wanted to visit the Derwent Pencil Museum. Exciting, right? He’ll tell you more about that below.

I ended up buying a swim top and shorts and a cover for the little backpack I carry instead of a purse. I have been looking for this cover for months and could not find one, which is one of the reasons I bought that cute Cleverhood rain poncho. Now that I have the rain cover, I returned the poncho. I was kind of sad about it, but I just couldn’t envision when I would wear it, given all my other recent rain gear purchases.

Moving south to Kendal

We had really wonderful weather while in Keswick and a great travel day south to Kendal at the southern entrance to the Lakes District. We had grappled with the route we would take, either straight south through the park, or the big M6 motorway. According to Google the difference in drive time was negligible. We chose to drive through the park because even though we had already seen the countryside from the bus, it would still be so much more appealing than the highway. Big mistake. Once again the traffic around Ambleside just choked the main road and it took us an hour and 15 minutes to drive 1.5 miles through the town. And the people, OMG, the people!! It is a good thing we had all the time in the world to get where we were going, because the traffic more than doubled the time it should have taken us to arrive in Kendal.

With four days in Kendal we planned to do some hikes and poke around the town, unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas. The pouring rain has not stopped since we arrived, and even when the sun peaks out, the rain still falls. We tried to get out each day, but we didn’t manage any big hikes. It is funny how I have all this new rain gear, and I’m like, no, I don’t want to go out and get wet. I really am the worst Pisces ever! We just took the time to work on inside stuff, cooking, blogging, etc. and so on. It’s good to get stuff done, but a bummer when things we were looking forward to have to be scratched.

TLC for Bijou

Tomorrow we move on about three hours south, to Telford, England. Here we have an appointment for Bijou to have an oil change and an inspection just to make sure all is well. We have some big trips coming up and we want her in top top shape!

Derwent Pencil Museum?? Yes please!

Steven here. Okay, so it may not sound like the most exciting place to visit but, as most of you know, I have been doing a lot of drawing of late so it was intriguing for me to learn more about the tools of the trade. Derwent is one of my favorite pencil brands. So, how about a little context? Why Keswick, and what makes it so special?

Pure graphite was discovered in the 1500s near Keswick after a violent storm uprooted several trees. It became known as the finest quality graphite in the world. This lead to the manufacture of what has become the Derwent brand of pencils, highly regarded by artists worldwide, including myself.

When I arrived at this rather small museum, I was handed a clipboard containing a list of questions and the woman at the desk asked me if I’d like to fill it out during my visit. She said if I participated, I would be given a great prize. Okay, then!

The questionnaire is a stroke of genius because it encourages visitors to read through all the information in the various displays and makes for a much richer experience. When I was finished, I was handed three Derwent watercolor pencils for my effort. Nice.

The most fascinating part of the exhibit was learning about Charles Fraser-Smith. He was a writer and former missionary who became known for creating all manner of gadgets with secret compartments. They were known as “Q-devices”. So clever were his inventions that he became the inspiration for the character “Q” in the James Bond films/books. These gadgets ranged from golf balls to pens to pipes to shavers. He enlisted the Cumberland Pencil Company (now Derwent) in Keswick to manufacture a secret pencil for World War II Special Operatives. The pencils were hollowed out and a tiny map and compass was inserted. Should a POW manage to escape their captors during the war, these gadgets would help them find their way!

The museum was really engaging and I learned so much more about pencils than I expected. For instance, about 300,000 pencils can be made from a single cedar tree. One pencil can draw a line 35 miles long and can write 45,000 words. Also, the term “black market” was coined because of the telltale black hands of graphite smugglers. This was back in the 1500s when graphite was first discovered and had a value of £1500 per kilo! Oh, and the word “pencil” comes from the French world “pincel” meaning little brush. So, now you know more about pencils than you didn’t know you didn’t know!

Speaking of Derwent, here is a portrait I recently completed of my lovely niece Lauren. I drew this with a variety of Derwent graphite pencils. It’s the first drawing I’ve done of a family member so getting the likeness was a big priority. In the end, Lauren really liked it so mission accomplished. If you would like to see more, you can keep up with what I’m doing by following my Facebook art page here or on my new Instagram here.

Up next: Romping through Wales

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