Beautiful wood sculptures to look out for while you’re out and about exploring the Lake District
Tag: Keswick
10 short walks in the Lake District with tearooms
After the hustle and bustle of the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year, it’s lovely to return to the quieter months of January and February, and to return to finding enjoyment in some of life’s simpler pleasures. And what could be simpler but more thoroughly enjoyable than a gentle Lake District walk followed by a leisurely pot of tea in a nice warm tearoom? If this idea appeals to you, here are some popular – and less well known – short walks with tearooms you may like to add to your list in the next few weeks and months. To…
A festive tour of Keswick town centre
Earlier this week I spent a couple of hours one afternoon in Keswick in the North Lakes and, as always, the atmosphere there was great. I’ve previously written about why you should go shopping in Keswick here. I found myself drawn to photographing some of the lovely shop windows and Christmas light displays in the…
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…
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…
10 easy-to-reach Lake District viewpoints
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…
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…
A visit to Derwent Island House
Always on the lookout for something a bit different to visit in the Lake District, I was intrigued to come across Derwent Island House on the National Trust’s website. This historic house, which dates in part back to the 1700s, opens to the public for just five days each year. There’s just one catch though:…
A viewpoint not to be missed: Friar’s Crag, Keswick
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…
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…
A scenic road trip along the eastern shore of Derwentwater (and a few tips learned!)
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…
25 views to convince you to visit the Lake District
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…
Gem hunting in 2016: A look back at the last year on the blog
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…
A gem in the Coledale valley: Force Crag Mine
I first came across the Force Crag Mine processing mill on the National Trust website, and it looked absolutely fascinating. Situated at the head of the Coledale valley, the building can be seen from the outside at any time, but on just five dates each year volunteers from the National Trust open up the mill…
In Beatrix Potter’s footsteps at The Lingholm Kitchen and Walled Garden
If, like me, you’re interested in all things Beatrix Potter, the Lingholm Kitchen and Walled Garden at Portinscale – which is on the north-western shore of Derwentwater, near Keswick – should be high on your list of places to visit next time you’re exploring the Lake District. The main house at Lingholm was built in…
The lambs have arrived! The new Go Herdwick Hide and Seek trails
Back in March, I wrote a blog post about Go Herdwick, a public art trail made up of 60 life-size, colourfully decorated ewes, which have been sponsored by businesses and organisations around the Lake District to raise money for the Lake District Calvert Trust. The trail has really captured people’s imaginations, and has proved very…
The North and South Lakes reunited
A sudden flurry of tweets appeared on Tuesday afternoon to announce that the A591 – the main road between Keswick and Grasmere, which was severely damaged by the December floods – was opening earlier than expected, on Wednesday morning. The road is the main link between the north and south of the Lakes, and although…
New photography exhibition to explore the Lake District’s ‘dark side’
As regular followers of the blog will know, I’m always on the lookout for something a bit different, and a new exhibition planned by two local photographers promises to be just that… Rod Ireland, from Askham, near Penrith, and Jonny Marchant, from Kendal, are currently out and about capturing images of our favourite Lake District…
10 great reasons to go shopping in Keswick
Keswick’s one of my favourite places in the Lake District to go shopping, and having not visited for some time, I was rather pleased to have a spare couple of hours to go exploring there recently. Here are just some of the reasons I suggest you visit Keswick: 1. It’s got a great atmosphere any…