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…

25 photographs to tempt you to the Lake District this spring

Spring has finally arrived in the Lake District, and it’s one of my favourite times of year. There are so many sights to look forward to, and even as the daffodils say farewell for another year, there’s much else to anticipate. Each layer of spring takes its turn – from tulips to bluebells, and 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,…

Three must-see spring gardens in the Lake District

All the signs of spring are fast appearing: spring bulbs are forming carpets of colour by the roadsides, the daffodils are fast appearing, and BBC2’s Gardeners’ World starts its new series tonight – and there’s no more reliable sign than that!  I find springtime one of the most exciting times of the year, not only…

15 great places to stop for a brew in the Lake District

When I recently discovered that January is ‘Hot Tea Month’, I thought, now there’s a subject for a blog post! Although I’m not entirely sure how or where Hot Tea Month first came about – online sources seem to suggest it may have been the USA – here are some of my favourite stopping off…

In pictures: The Holker Garden Festival 2016

Recently I wrote about the 25 acres of beautiful award-winning gardens at Holker Hall, and just how much there is to see! This weekend is the Holker Garden Festival, which is held on the parkland next to Holker Hall and is always a fantastic day out. There’s lots to see including a horticultural marquee, floral…

Garden heaven at Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel

If you visit the blog on a regular basis, you’ll know that I love to visit gardens, but despite having been to Holker Hall and the annual Holker Garden Festival on several occasions, I’d never actually visited the gardens until last weekend. I expected the gardens to be good, but didn’t realise just how much…