Staying at home: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Lake District
At this time, Cumbria Tourism and the Lake District National Park Authorityare urging visitors not to visit the Lake District, despite the change in lockdown rules on exercise which come into force on 13 May 2020.
Cumbria and the Lake District have sadly experienced some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the UK, and there are many anxieties related to this (e.g. the Lake District National Park Authority has expressed concern for the welfare of Mountain Rescue Team members, volunteers who often work for front line services).
I am also deeply concerned about the welfare of visitors, with many local walks containing ‘bottle necks’ such as stiles, gates and narrow walled paths, which will not allow for social distancing.
All visitor attractions, cafes and non-essential shops are currently closed in line with government rules.
A close up from question 2: In which garden does this sleeping beauty, the ‘sleeping giant’ lie?
Occasionally I come across an image in my photo library and think, ‘that would make a good picture for a quiz! I wonder how many people would know where it was taken…’.
So following this line of thought, here are 12 photos I’ve taken on my gem-hunting travels, some of which have appeared on the blog already, but not all (just to test how much attention you’ve been paying!). How many places can you correctly identify?! You can find the answers at the bottom of the page…
1. In which Lake District garden would you find a bench with a view like this?2. In which Lake District garden does this sleeping beauty, the ‘sleeping giant’ snooze?3. If I could see this lovely view, where would I be standing?4. This squirrel sits on a well-known road passing through the south of the Lake District. Can you remember where he is?5. This carved stone ceiling belongs to which historic Cumbrian site?6. This is certainly a bench with a view, but at which Lake District attraction will you find it?7. I’m standing on a jetty to take this photo, but on which lake?8. Where will you find this delightful little chapel, which is open to the public on selected charity days?9. At which Lake District residence would you come across this beautiful turret?10. In which Lakeland garden will you find this enormous tarn?11. Polished to perfection, where would you need to be to walk up and down these ornate brass-edged steps? (Clue: they’re never actually in the same place for long!)12. In the grounds of which estate will you find this adorable historic viewing station?
And now for the answers…
(no peeking before you’ve finished though!)
1. You’ll find this bench overlooking Windermere at the Stagshaw Garden outside Ambleside
The Stagshaw Garden is a natural woodland garden owned by the National Trust, and looks at its best in spring when its collections of azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias are in bloom. You can read more about the Stagshaw Garden in a post I wrote earlier this year.
2. The ‘sleeping giant’ slumbers in the lower gardens at Dalemain, near Ullswater3. I’m standing in the Café in the Courtyard at Claife Viewing Station on the western shore of Windermere
You can read more about my visit to the viewing station and the Café in the Courtyard, and the many great options for getting there (walk, boat, ferry), in my post about Claife Viewing Station.
4. This cheeky squirrel sits on the side of the A591 in the grounds of the Langdale Chase Hotel, between Windermere and Ambleside5. This ornate stone ceiling can be found on the top floor of the Keep at Brougham Castle
English Heritage’s Brougham Castle, near Penrith, is well worth a visit. I love the way you can climb up to the third floor of the Keep via spiral stairways and explore the stone passages, looking to the views below – find out more about Brougham Castle…
6. This bench can be found along from the café at Brockhole on Windermere – be warned though, you’re in the territory of an enormous robin who’ll keep his eye on you for titbits!7. This photo was taken from the Lingholm jetty (with a zoom lens) on Derwent Water
The Lingholm Kitchen and Walled Garden is one of the newest places to visit in the Lake District, opening in the summer of 2016. It looked great when I visited, and I’d highly recommend the food there – take a look in my post written shortly after the Lingholm Kitchen opened.
8. This gorgeous little chapel belongs to the owners of Larch Cottage Nurseries at Melkinthorpe, just south of Penrith. It is situated in the owners’ private gardens, which open to the public on selected dates to raise money for charity – see the Larch Cottage Nurseries website for upcoming openings.
Even if you can’t make it to an open day, if you’re at all interested in gardens and plants you should make the time to visit this particular nursery. Its outdoor ‘rooms’ seem to go on forever – take a look at what I mean in my post about Larch Cottage...
9. This beautiful turret overlooks Coniston Water from the upstairs bedroom at Brantwood
10. This tarn can be found at Holehird Gardens in Windermere – you can get to it via a gate from the lower gardens which takes you on a steep walk down a field to the tarn itself
I’m always amazed by how few people have heard of this garden, so it’s a true ‘hidden gem’ – you can see the spectacular range of planting on show here in my post about Holehird Gardens.
11. These steps can be found on the National Trust’s Steam Yacht Gondola, which is why they’re never in the same place for long!
I think you can really appreciate Coniston best from Coniston Water itself – you can read more in my post about Steam Yacht Gondola from earlier this summer…
12. This 17th century viewing station is known as the ‘Grot’, and can be found in the grounds of Rydal Hall, Rydal
The Grot is just one of several ‘hidden gems’ to be found in the grounds of Rydal Hall.
So how did you do? Did I make it too easy or too difficult? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks very much for commenting Dayve – it’s great to hear you liked the quiz! It’s attracted some positive comments on social media too, so I might try to put another one together in January when we all need a bit of cheering up post-holidays!
Hi Jill, I’m sorry but I don’t know. Perhaps the Langdale Chase Hotel could help if you asked them. There are some lovely carvings around the area – there’s a smaller squirrel in Hope Park in Keswick, and a large stag has recently appeared outside Grasmere Garden Village too!
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Hmm, it’s surprisingly hard putting together a quiz… are the answers really obvious or difficult?! I really don’t know!
Such a lovely quiz! Only got five, which means I need to get out more lol
Thanks very much for commenting Dayve – it’s great to hear you liked the quiz! It’s attracted some positive comments on social media too, so I might try to put another one together in January when we all need a bit of cheering up post-holidays!
Hi,
please can you tell me who carved the lovely wooden squirrel?
thank you
Hi Jill, I’m sorry but I don’t know. Perhaps the Langdale Chase Hotel could help if you asked them. There are some lovely carvings around the area – there’s a smaller squirrel in Hope Park in Keswick, and a large stag has recently appeared outside Grasmere Garden Village too!