A gem-hunter’s guide to Shap Abbey

If you enjoy seeing the remains of once grand historic buildings and imagining what might once have been, you’ll definitely want to stop off at Shap Abbey by the side of the River Lowther near Shap, approximately 10 miles south of Penrith. Where else would you go on a gorgeous sunny day apart from the…

27 things to do on a rainy day in the Lake District

One of the very first posts I wrote for the blog was a list of 10 things to do in the Lake District on a rainy day. We do get quite a few wet days here, but, as they say, the Lake District wouldn’t be the Lake District without them! Since writing that post however,…

10 ideas for Father’s Day in the Lake District

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…

25 things to do in the Lake District with dogs

Although I’m not a dog owner myself, I do rather like the idea of recruiting a four-legged gem-hunting companion – I think we’d make a good team, so maybe one day soon! In the meantime though, I know that many of you like to bring your own dogs on holiday with you to the Lake…

Spiral stairs and stone passages: exploring Brougham Castle

My first visit to Brougham Castle was on a coach trip while I was at secondary school. Digital cameras were not mainstream then, but I proudly took photos of the castle’s many wonderful features with my point-and-click film camera, and thought it strange that when I’d taken 26… 27… 28… photographs, the film still hadn’t…

Linking past and present: Stott Park Bobbin Mill

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…