Gardens are one of my favourite things to spend time photographing, so I’ve visited quite a few around the Lake District over the years. I find myself particularly drawn to anything a bit unusual, and so for this post I thought I’d put together a list of some of the most interesting garden curiosities I’ve […]
You may have heard in the news recently that a new currency was launched earlier this month in the Lake District, the Lake District Pound. It’s one of a few local currencies to be launched in the UK, with existing ones including the Bristol Pound, Totnes Pound and Brixton Pound. So if you haven’t visited […]
Just over a year ago, I designed a little bit of a quiz based on places I’d visited around the Lake District (if you didn’t see it at the time, you can take a look here). I know that some of you really enjoyed it, so I said I’d do another one – and here […]
It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end of 2017, but here we are! And as I’ve done in the past two years, I thought I’d take a brief look back at some of the best of the past year’s gem hunting on the blog… Most unusual gem This year, the most unusual Lake […]
The weeks leading up to Christmas are crammed with festive celebrations across the Lake District, including markets, fairs, Santa boat and train rides, charity events, and Christmas light switch ons in several towns and villages. But so far in 2017, I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t made it to any of them! […]
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 […]
When I was asked if I would like to review a new book, The Lake District Quiz Book by local publisher Inspired by Lakeland, there was only one possible answer. A book? Involving quizzing and the Lake District? That’s three of my favourite things rolled into one! And if you’re a fan of curious Lake […]
Every now and again I’ll hear an interesting fact about the Lake District and think, ‘Another record belonging to the Lake District – I should collect them for a post!’ Well, having gathered a few facts now, the time has finally come, and although I’m sure I’ll have missed many more along the way, here […]
A few years ago I did a photography course over the winter, only to realise that it was the worst time of year I could have chosen. I was rapidly developing an interest in the photography of gardens (sorry about the pun – it was that or ‘growing an interest in garden photography!) and, except […]
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so for this post I thought I’d let the photos do the talking and see if I can tempt you to visit the Lake District in the near future! For this post I set myself the challenge of including photographs containing views from throughout the year, which […]
It’s that time of year again when our TV screens fill with reviews of the past year – the political, the surprising, the sad and the amusing. It therefore seemed a rather nice idea to take a look back over the last year of gem hunting, and revisit some of the standout moments from the […]
It’s hard to believe, but Lake District Gems will be two years old in February – where does the time go?! If you enjoy visiting the blog, I would love it if you could take the time to vote for Lake District Gems in the UK Blog Awards 2017 – voting is now open until […]
I first got the inspiration to write this post when I’d been working from home for nearly a week solid (…the glamorous side of self-employment!). By that time I’d almost lost the ability to hold a conversation with another human being, so I took some time out to frequent myself with the outside world again […]
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 […]
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 – […]
It’s amazing to think that a whole year has gone by since I first sat down and created the Lake District Gems blog in February 2015 – where has the time gone?! Here’s some coverage I received on the online news site Cumbria Crack. Whether you’ve been following during most of that time, or this […]
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 Cumbria and other parts of […]
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 pain. Take the time I […]
Hello and welcome to my very first post on my Lake District Gems blog. Thank you for visiting me! Why am I setting up a blog about the Lakes? There are several reasons really. I love writing and I love the Lake District, and to be honest, I spend far too many hours sat behind […]
