I’ve often been intrigued by photographs of Hampsfell Hospice, an imposing square stone shelter on the top of Hampsfell, above the seaside town of Grange-over-Sands, and had added it to my mental checklist of places to visit if I ever got the chance. As luck would have it, I recently spotted a guided walk to […]
There are several places around Windermere to enjoy short walks with great views of the lake. As I’ve formed something of an addiction to short walks recently, for my latest post on the blog I thought I’d share another of my favourites, the walk to Orrest Head. You can either make this a short walk to […]
There are many beautiful waterfalls across the Lake District, but few are as easy to reach as Stockghyll Force, which is just a short walk from the heart of Ambleside. Whilst some would regard the walk to Stockghyll Force as too well-known to be regarded a ‘hidden gem’, it would be so easy to miss […]
If you’re a regular visitor to the blog, you’ll already know that whilst I love the Lake District’s fells, I usually like to appreciate their beauty from a safe distance, rather than admire them by venturing to the tops! But earlier in the year, I got the taste for photographing scenery from a slightly higher […]
One thing I’ve learnt about the Lake District over the years is that however familiar you think you are with a particular area, there’s always something just around the corner that you’ve not seen before – and then you get home and read about it in a guidebook somewhere and have to go back! Some […]
I’ve wanted to visit Mirehouse for a long time, and one beautiful sunny Saturday in July, my gem-hunting companion and I decided we’d risk the busy weekend traffic (which curiously turned out to be almost non-existent that day) and head north to Bassenthwaite. We thoroughly enjoyed our look around Mirehouse, but the house itself forms […]
One of the things I like most about spring is that it’s a season of many layers, with each spring flower and plant taking its own star turn – daffodils, camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas and tulips… and now it’s the turn of the delightful bluebell. Famous places to see great displays of bluebells in the Lake […]
No visit to Keswick would be complete without taking in the views across and along Derwentwater. But while many visitors know that the lakeshore can be reached beyond the Theatre by the Lake, just outside Keswick itself, fewer people know about the short walk to nearby Friar’s Crag – and to miss the views here […]
Of all the stretches of water in the Lake District I’ve visited so far, Derwentwater has to have one of the nicest atmospheres I’ve experienced. It holds great memories for me because, as a child at primary school, I used to canoe on the lake. Although I can’t remember which area of the lake we […]
Book reviews have been on my list of things to feature on the blog for some time now, and as I know many of you are planning breaks in the Lake District this year, I thought it would be a good time to review the first of many Lake District guides which are available – […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 feels like it. The Lake […]
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 front of you – Queen […]
Although the term can be overused, Holehird Gardens, just outside Windermere, are what I would truly describe as a ‘hidden gem’. Whenever I visit, I feel like I’ve been transported to another world of complete peace and tranquility. On a warm day, it is heavenly to relax on one of the garden’s many benches and […]
If you’re in the Windermere area, or just passing by on a day out, you’d be mad not to stop briefly at one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the area. Hammarbank (sometimes spelt Hammerbank depending on where you look) is situated just outside Windermere on the A592 (Rayrigg Road), near Cook’s Corner roundabout. Turn […]
