In my opinion, one of the best ways to enjoy the outstanding scenery around Coniston is from Coniston Water itself, so if you’re looking for a unique, relaxing (and dry) way to do this, a trip on board the National Trust’s Steam Yacht Gondola won’t disappoint! It was with just seconds to spare that I…
Author: Janine John
Hello, I'm Janine, and I'm exploring the Lake District in search of the area's very best hidden gems! If, like me, you love the Lakes and enjoy the simple things in life (you won't find me in the mountains on this blog, but maybe in a tearoom!), join me again to read more about my latest local finds and adventures.
Poetic licence: Dove Cottage, the home of William Wordsworth, and a former inn
One of the Lake District’s most celebrated gems and once the home of William Wordsworth, Dove Cottage lets you discover more about the man behind the poetry.
Exploring the Lake District’s sheepdog trials
One of the great things about the Lake District calendar is that there are still a number of traditional events each year which have been taking place for generations, particularly amongst the farming communities. As well as the bigger agricultural shows, you can also look out for smaller gatherings such as the local sheep dog…
A look through the square window: Claife Viewing Station on the western shore of Windermere
Claife Viewing Station, on the western shore of Windermere, has been on my gem-hunting list for some time now. The remains of this historic viewing station were recently restored by the National Trust, and last weekend I finally got to see it for myself. According to the National Trust, Claife Viewing Station dates back to…
Happy birthday Beatrix! A celebration video from the Lindeth Howe
Today is 150 years to the day since the much celebrated children’s author Beatrix Potter was born, and to celebrate, a short film has been created to imagine how she would have spent the day. The video, which is six minutes long, has been created by a group of local film makers and photographers, led…
A hidden gem within a hidden gem: The secrets of Rydal Hall
It just goes to show – however much you think you know a place, there’s always something new to be discovered! I’ve been visiting Rydal Hall in Rydal, near Grasmere, for several years now, and it’s a gem of a place that not everyone has come across. But what I didn’t realise until the beginning…
Flight: a fascinating journey with Lakes Alive
Last night I went to see the preview of a new arts event taking place at Brockhole near Windermere. It’s called ‘Flight’, and explores our fascination with flying, and a side to the First World War we don’t often talk about: the loss of life in the Royal Flying Corps, also known as the ‘Suicide…
10 things you might not know about William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth has to be one of the most iconic names associated with the Lake District. Most of us know that he was a poet, and that he lived at Dove Cottage, near Grasmere, as well as at Rydal Mount, but far fewer know the detail of his life. Here are 10 fascinating facts that…
Return of the woodpeckers
I absolutely love wildlife – animals can be such good fun! The garden suddenly seems much quieter now that this year’s baby woodpeckers have grown up and moved out – an event that happened a couple of weeks ago now. Before that, I couldn’t step into the back garden without ‘daddy’ woodpecker scolding me for…
Book review: Judith Wants to be Your Friend
If you follow Lake District Gems on a regular basis, you may remember that last year I wrote a post featuring novels based in the Lake District, or which have a strong Lake District connection. You sent me lots of further suggestions on social media for novels based in the Lakes and Cumbria (perhaps I’ll…
Eggheads, rest easy…! Taking part on BBC Radio Cumbria’s Biz Quiz
I have to say that radio isn’t my natural habitat (which is probably why I’m a blogger and not a podcaster!), so when I was recently invited to play the Biz Quiz on BBC Radio Cumbria’s Kevin Fernihough Show, you can imagine how I felt just before I was about to go on! Kevin –…
In pictures: The Holker Garden Festival 2016
Recently I wrote about the 25 acres of beautiful award-winning gardens at Holker Hall, and just how much there is to see! This weekend is the Holker Garden Festival, which is held on the parkland next to Holker Hall and is always a fantastic day out. There’s lots to see including a horticultural marquee, floral…
The lambs have arrived! The new Go Herdwick Hide and Seek trails
Back in March, I wrote a blog post about Go Herdwick, a public art trail made up of 60 life-size, colourfully decorated ewes, which have been sponsored by businesses and organisations around the Lake District to raise money for the Lake District Calvert Trust. The trail has really captured people’s imaginations, and has proved very…
Pictured in bloom: Stagshaw Gardens, Ambleside
In a recent post, I visited the National Trust’s Stagshaw Gardens, near Ambleside, for the first time. Stagshaw Gardens is very much a spring woodland garden, with a host of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons and other woodland planting, and although it was beautiful, it turned out I had visited a little too early and the…
Garden heaven at Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel
If you visit the blog on a regular basis, you’ll know that I love to visit gardens, but despite having been to Holker Hall and the annual Holker Garden Festival on several occasions, I’d never actually visited the gardens until last weekend. I expected the gardens to be good, but didn’t realise just how much…
A secret haven near Ambleside: Stagshaw Gardens and Skelghyll Wood
You can also see more recent images of the beautiful Stagshaw Gardens in a further post, Pictured in Bloom: Stagshaw Gardens, Ambleside. I’ve been looking forward to visiting Stagshaw Gardens near Ambleside for some time now, and it turns out the garden really is a hidden gem. Owned by the National Trust, Stagshaw isn’t particularly…
The North and South Lakes reunited
A sudden flurry of tweets appeared on Tuesday afternoon to announce that the A591 – the main road between Keswick and Grasmere, which was severely damaged by the December floods – was opening earlier than expected, on Wednesday morning. The road is the main link between the north and south of the Lakes, and although…
New photography exhibition to explore the Lake District’s ‘dark side’
As regular followers of the blog will know, I’m always on the lookout for something a bit different, and a new exhibition planned by two local photographers promises to be just that… Rod Ireland, from Askham, near Penrith, and Jonny Marchant, from Kendal, are currently out and about capturing images of our favourite Lake District…
A treat for gardeners: Yewbarrow House, Grange-over-Sands
I first visited the gardens at Yewbarrow House several years ago, and they were so good I visited again… and again! The gardens belong to a private house perched on the side of a hill in Grange-over-Sands, and their owner, hotelier Jonathan Denby, opens them up to the public four times each year to raise…
10 great reasons to go shopping in Keswick
Keswick’s one of my favourite places in the Lake District to go shopping, and having not visited for some time, I was rather pleased to have a spare couple of hours to go exploring there recently. Here are just some of the reasons I suggest you visit Keswick: 1. It’s got a great atmosphere any…