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,…

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…

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…

No longer a secret garden: Larch Cottage Nurseries, Melkinthorpe

I love seeing a project that is someone’s obvious passion, and this is certainly what I saw on a visit to Larch Cottage Nurseries in Melkinthorpe, near Penrith. The nursery is a real hidden delight for gardeners and anyone else who just fancies a peaceful escape for an hour or two in a fascinating and…

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…