A blog exploring the Lake District's hidden gems and best-kept secrets
I started the Lake District Gems blog back in February 2015, and what a year it’s been! It’s been ideal for getting out and about, with endless dry days which weren’t too hot either. Then, of course, we’ve had the dramatic change in weather this winter with much flooding around […]
It has to be said that I’m not a big fan of winter. I really feel the cold, plus I hate the fact it’s always dark before the end of the working day. I’m also not a fan of the ice and snow, as I equate slippery surfaces with imminent […]
It’s been a week now since I watched with horror on social media as water levels rose and rivers burst their banks in towns and villages all over the Lake District and Cumbria. Storm Desmond was the main story on every news channel, with Cumbria being one of the worst […]
Bridge House in Ambleside is one of the most iconic – and smallest – buildings in the Lake District. Yet how many of us have actually stopped to take a proper look at this quirky historic landmark, or asked ourselves ‘what exactly is it’? One day back in the summer, […]
Which is your favourite season? A long time ago I would have said that my preferred time of year is spring, but since taking up photography in recent years, my appreciation for autumn has grown and grown. I don’t know whether this year is exceptional for colour, but it certainly […]
I was sitting inside working on what was forecast to be one of the last warm, sunny days of the year, when I suddenly realised it. There wasn’t one thing I was doing that couldn’t wait until the cloudy days at the weekend! So although time was getting tight, I […]
I love seeing a project that is someone’s obvious passion, and this is certainly what I saw on a visit to Larch Cottage Nurseries in Melkinthorpe, near Penrith. The nursery is a real hidden delight for gardeners and anyone else who just fancies a peaceful escape for an hour or […]
I had assumed that badgers were shy creatures and that it would be difficult to see them at close range, never mind take photographs. I was completely wrong! These cheeky chappies have made their home in a garden in Troutbeck Bridge, and on the night I photographed, the sun was […]
As I’ve mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, probably my favourite garden in the Lake District has to be Holehird Gardens just outside Windermere. There is just so much to see at any time in the season – the gardens are peaceful and welcoming, the views are outstanding, […]
Whether you’re relaxing outside in the holiday sun, or snuggled up warm on a dark winter’s night, there’s nothing quite like the company of a really good fiction book. But, as this is a blog about the Lake District, did you know that the area has inspired quite a few […]
When driving or walking along the A592 between Bowness-on-Windermere and the roundabout at Cook’s House Corner, it would be easy to think that there’s little to see of the lake (Windermere) that runs alongside it. Stop at the Rayrigg Meadow car park, and there’s just a big green hill in […]
The annual Ambleside Rushbearing procession usually takes place on the first Saturday of July. I hadn’t seen it before, so arrived early (drivers are advised by Ambleside Online to avoid the area on that day between 2.30pm and 3.30pm) to experience this little bit of Lakeland tradition. Clearly, the first […]