Lake District Gems | a blog about the Lakes
A blog exploring the Lake District's hidden gems and best-kept secrets
The Millerbeck Light Railway is a perfect example of the hidden gems I set out to discover when I set up my blog, and most definitely qualifies as a Lake District gem! A non-commercial railway in the private grounds of a house, it opens to visitors for special event days, which are listed on its […]
With Father’s Day just around the corner, you might well be looking for places to enjoy a leisurely day out in Lake District, so in this post I thought I would put together a few ideas especially for dads! I’ve thrown in a couple of events, as well as recommendations for local attractions. Fingers crossed […]
Always on the lookout for something a bit different to visit in the Lake District, I was intrigued to come across Derwent Island House on the National Trust’s website. This historic house, which dates in part back to the 1700s, opens to the public for just five days each year. There’s just one catch though: […]
Have you ever wondered why the recently opened Arts Bar and Grill in Bowness-on-Windermere was previously a restaurant with the name The Spinnery? It turns out there’s an interesting piece of local history behind the name. Blackwell, The Arts and Crafts House, just outside Bowness-on-Windermere, is currently running an exhibition about historic figure and talented […]
There’s no doubt that the costs of holidaying anywhere in the UK can easily mount up if you take into account admission prices, food and drink, public transport and parking. If you know where to look though, there are a few things you can be doing to save those pennies on your visits to the […]
My fascination with Wray Castle started back in September this year when I visited the inside of this enormous mock-gothic Victorian house properly for the first time. It was whilst writing about Wray that I then came across its November ‘hard hat tours’ and thought what a great thing they too would be to share […]
Today, the Tour of Britain once again passed through the Lake District, this time setting out from Carlisle and finishing in Kendal, and climbing the fearsome ‘Struggle’ up to Kirkstone Pass! It was a shame that once the riders reached the South Lakes they were greeted with rain, but it didn’t stop a number of us from […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Anyone spending time in the Lake District over the past few days may have noticed some peculiar goings on, with some very brightly coloured sheep appearing in the most unexpected places, from driveways to B&B gardens. The reason? It’s the start of the Go Herdwick public art trail to raise money for the Lake District […]
2016 marks the 150th anniversary since Beatrix Potter’s birth, and whilst most of us are familiar with her beautifully illustrated children’s tales, there are many aspects of Beatrix’s life that are less well known. Sadly many of these wonderful facts weren’t included in the film ‘Miss Potter’. I think the film makers missed a trick […]
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 a number of visitors knew […]
There is a densely wooded and highly atmospheric area of landscape to the south and west of Windermere which, to me, is quite distinct from other parts of the Lake District. I include in this description places such as Newby Bridge, Backbarrow, Lakeside and Finsthwaite, and I always enjoy spending time there. Stott Park Bobbin […]
It seems a shame to write about events only after they’ve taken place, so this time I thought I’d let you know about an upcoming date for the diary in advance. If you’re wondering how to spend the last Bank Holiday Monday in May, I have one favourite suggestion that I’d like to share with […]
Yesterday morning was one of those fresh breezy April starts to the day, but still lovely and sunny after the recent good weather we’ve been having. What better way to spend the day then, than to go to the annual Damson Day celebrations in the beautiful Lyth Valley? (more…)
The Wild Boar, situated on the picturesque Crook Road between Kendal and Bowness-on-Windermere, has become increasingly well-known for its smokehouse and microbrewery, the products of which are visible across its extensive restaurant menu. What better opportunity to find out more about it all, than to visit the hotel’s second Festival of Smoke? The festival, which […]
This weekend was the annual Kendal Festival of Food, a programme of talks and demonstrations given by celebrities and local producers across venues in the town. Unfortunately my work commitments prevented me from going to any of the main events this year, however, I did make time to spend a heavenly couple of hours wandering […]
In my experience, some of the best and most memorable things about a day out are not those originally planned. That was certainly the case when I came across Ian Lawson‘s photographic exhibition at Rheged, Penrith, which has the title Herdwick: A Portrait of Lakeland. I had no expectations at all when I entered the […]