Diwali was a bit of a damp squib in terms of festivities, as we still don’t know many people yet and haven’t made many desi connections. I am a bit on the fence. Do I really want to get sucked into a lot of forced socialization, weekly get-togethers, and cookouts? I am not a very social person, but I still think it would be nice to have a few friends to celebrate the festival with.
Anyway, to get our minds off the sudden homesickness that burst upon us, we planned a weekend away in the Lake District. There were some last-minute cabin rentals available at a steal. This was a great opportunity for K to flex his UK driving skills (which are amazing, considering how difficult driving is here).
Where we stayed
We booked a cabin with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a hot tub. From my trip to Yosemite last year, I realized that booking a cabin is significantly more economical than booking a hotel room. With 4 people, you end up paying for two rooms, and you have to organize food outside. Here, we just paid for the cabin, and got our own food that we cooked, so it was a super budget-friendly experience.
The cabin was also really beautiful, in such a scenic location. The only drawback was that it was about an hour’s drive from the main sights that we wanted to see. However, despite the extra driving, we appreciated the cozy comfort and isolation of our cabin – especially when we saw how crowded the main tourist areas were. Here are some pics of the lodge (click for large size with captions).
One thing to note is that, although distances might seem small on paper, the roads are very winding, the weather is unpredictable, and in general, it takes longer than planned to get anywhere. So, even though we hit lucky with our cabin this time, I think next time, we will probably stay in a more central location.
Day 1 – Grasmere, Ambleside, and Windermere
These are the three most famous towns in the Lake District, and are the typical must-visit spots for a first-time visitor. The Lake District, in general, is extremely scenic and made famous by William Wordsworth, who lived in multiple houses in the area. There is the Wordsworth house and gardens in Cockermouth. There is also Dove Cottage, where he lived with his sister and wife later in life. We had intended to actually visit the house in Cockermouth, but our Google Maps directed us instead to Dove Cottage, and we ended up visiting this one instead.
Dove Cottage is a tiny cottage located just off Grasmere Lake. There is also a museum attached to it, and it was lovely exploring this place. This is where he wrote most of his poems. The place is so scenic and beautiful, I can understand how he was so inspired to write. They lived a very simple life, very bare bones, but they were happy, and you can see that even a couple of centuries later. Here are some pics (click for large size with captions).
After Dove Cottage, we drove down to Ambleside looking for a decent sit-down place to eat. We wanted some hot food (it was quite cold outside), so we skipped the normal cold sandwiches we rely on. Snubnose was also craving some Thai. So, we landed up at Jintana. The food was excellent, and the ambience was so good that we spent way too much time relaxing there and completely lost track of time.
We suddenly realized that we were running quite late for the lake cruise that starts from Bowness-on-Windermere. We made a half-hearted attempt to arrive on time, but we were so full from the excellent lunch that we didn’t mind missing the cruise, and instead we just walked along the lake, eating ice cream and window-shopping. Here are some pics of Windermere (click for larger size with captions).
We stopped by a Tesco to pick up some groceries for dinner and then headed back to our hotel – feeling like we had done a fairly good amount of sightseeing. The days are fairly short this season and we didn’t want to be struggling trying to find our way back to the cabin in the dark, so we might have left a little earlier than needed, but better safe than sorry.
We came back to the cabin and made some instant rice and curry, some spaghetti with pesto, K had packed a bottle of Glenmorangie, and it was a lovely evening with family watching All Creatures Great and Small on Netflix – just the most perfect comfort watching. A lot of the scenery was very similar to the areas we had driven through, so that was an additional pleasure.
Day 2 – Railway Museum, Whitehaven
Day 2 was a bit of a washout. It was cold and raining all day, so we were all quite sluggish and lethargic. Snubnose took the opportunity to enjoy the hot tub. I was a bit envious of her forethought in packing a swimsuit. If I had one, I would have definitely joined her in there.
We waited till about 11 for the weather to clear but no luck, so we just headed out anyway. This time, we chose to drive along the coast, and this is also a scenic, seriously underrated part of the Lake District. Our initial idea was to take a toy train and see the area by train. But when the train rolled along, it was so tiny, and quite open. Piglet had a bit of a cold, and I didn’t want to expose him further to the weather.
So, we passed on the train ride and instead explored the Railway Museum, which was surprisingly cute and interesting. Piglet especially loved reading about and seeing how steam engines work.
We were a bit at loose ends after the museum. We considered visiting Muncaster Castle, but it involved a long walk through the mud, and none of us had suitable footwear.
Instead, we decided to have lunch and consider our next steps. K wanted a Wetherspoons (a pub chain), which was an hour’s car journey north of us. We weren’t crazy about driving another hour in the rain, but it was raining, it was a Sunday, and most of the nearby places were closed. So, we went to Wetherspoons (in the town of Whitehaven), and I am so glad we did. The drive was scenic, but Whitehaven itself is a joy to behold. After wolfing down our lunch, we walked around the coast. The views slightly misty and foggy were beautiful, and it all looked almost like a painting brought to life.
After exploring the place a little (honestly, not that much to do on a Sunday afternoon), we headed back to our cabin to relax and pack for our early morning start back home the next day.
A lovely break from our work/school/college routine, and even though we didn’t do a lot, I think I am starting to enjoy these leisurely breaks instead of the action-packed next, next, next itineraries of the past.
I guess we are growing old (☉__☉”).
