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…
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Things to do for free in the Lake District with National Trust membership
If you’re a National Trust member, there are a number of places in and around the Lake District you might consider visiting during your stay in the area. Most are included in the cost of annual membership, which could make membership worthwhile if you don’t have it already, and all are really worth seeing (note:…
10 curiosities in the Lake District’s gardens
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…
A gem-hunter’s guide to Cartmel
The pretty village of Cartmel lies just south of the Lake District and around two miles north-west of the coastal town of Grange-over-Sands, near to the Furness Peninsula. If you love quaint old buildings then you’ll adore the centre of the village, and there are a number of things you might like to see and…
A historic gem in the North Lakes: Castlerigg Stone Circle
A Lake District gem I’ve been meaning to visit for ages is the Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick – and recently I finally ticked it off my list (albeit on a thoroughly miserable day when the sky became increasingly grey and eventually I got very wet – a complete contrast to the incredible weather we’ve…
10 things you’ll want to know about the Lake District pound
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…
A picturesque gem in Little Langdale: Blea Tarn
If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you may have noticed that I’ve been a little quieter than usual so far in 2018. Is that because I’m starting to run out of hidden gems to discover in the Lake District? Absolutely not! Work and other things have rather taken over recently, but last week…
A short walk to Orrest Head, Windermere
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…
8 of my favourite books about the Lake District
I absolutely love books, and have collected quite a few about the Lake District over the years – especially while I’ve been writing the Lake District Gems blog! There are a few titles that I return to time and time again for information, whether I’m looking for ideas, places to go, or just to seek out a curious fact….
A Victorian waterfall walk in Ambleside
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…
Travelling on the M6 north? Lunch at Barton Grange
The subject of today’s blog post is a true gem, but also an unusual one in that it isn’t actually in the Lake District at all! When I last visited this place for myself, I thought what a wonderful stopping point it would make for those of you travelling north on the M6 motorway to…
Just for fun: Another Lake District picture quiz
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…
A low-level walk from Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge
If you’re looking for a pretty Lake District stroll, at low level and mostly on the flat, the walk from Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge is ideal. In fact, it has all the ingredients you could possibly want… a lovely view over Elterwater towards the middle of the walk, a waterfall en route, and places to…
A house for all seasons: Blackwell, The Arts and Crafts House
At the end of the season, a number of the Lake District’s historic houses shut for the winter, however, Blackwell, just outside Bowness-on-Windermere, is an exception that is well worth visiting at any time of year. Blackwell is a famous example of a house from the Arts and Crafts movement, and was built in 1900…
Nine beautiful pictures of the Lake District in snow
Regular readers of the blog will know that I’m not that keen on snow – mainly for practical reasons, like staying on my feet! But there’s no denying it does look beautiful. Here are a few snaps I got first thing this morning of Windermere (and so far so good with walking in the snow,…
7 things to love about winter in the Lake District
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…