Wednesday 19 September 2018

Away

I am back!  I was going to start today's post with a photograph of Lake Windermere but I just can't seem to access my photographs for some reason, so you will have to make do with your imagination.

Friend W and I set off on Monday morning on the one and a half hour journey across the Pennines from East to West - from Yorkshire to Lakeland. 
Not a bad morning weather-wise for late September and so a very pleasant journey, arriving at our friends' house in Windermere in time for lunch at around mid day. 

After a leisurely lunch of salmon and vegetables, followed by blackberry and apple crumble - and a nice chat - we drove down the side of Lake Windermere to Newby Bridge and the Whitewater Spa Hotel, where we were to stay for two nights.

A quick meal in the Bistro, unpacking and a chat before an early night before our one complete day in the Lakes.   Yesterday dawned breezy, rain now and again but as the day wore on more and more sunshine - not cold.   We caught the boat up Lake Windermere to Bowness - a pleasant journey of forty minutes.   There were still plenty of tourists about (especially parties of Japanese tourists) but the boat was not overcrowded and the journey  was very pleasant.   Our friends met us at Bowness and we spent a lovely couple of hours in
Blackwell, the beautiful Art and Crafts House in Bowness. I could do a whole post on the house but sadly no photography is allowed.   It looks out over Lake Windermere and every detail of the architecture, the decor, the furniture, is a thing of beauty.   A lovely morning.

We followed this with a visit to Lakeland - the large store in Windermere (easy to visit on computer if you want any buy any kitchen equipment!) and then had lunch there in their excellent cafe.

Then it was time to catch the boat back to our hotel.   The sky had cleared and for much of the forty minute boat ride the sun shone.   Then it was back to the hotel, a rest, a wash and brush up and then out in the evening with our friends, six miles or so to a lovely pub where we had beef and onion pie with chips and peas, followed by syrup sponge and custard.   Delicious but yes, you have guessed it, our eyes were bigger than our tums and both W and I spent a couple of hours in the early hours of the morning with chronic indigestion!

Then this morning we set off back by a different route - enjoying our ride through the Pennines - and were home in time for me to collect Tess today from the kennels, do a shop at Tesco, have a couple of hours sleep this afternoon, unpack and get back to normal.   The storm here today is so very strong that it almost blew me over when I got out of the car after collecting Tess.   I have not dared to go outside since.   If there is one thing this little holiday has taught me it is that I am really not up to holidays away any more.   I have really enjoyed the change - we both have - but we were both ready to return to normal life.   So sadly I suspect that is it on the holiday front.

Back to normal life tomorrow but I do feel better for the change away.   Nice to be back amongst you all though.

Not good photographs (suddenly able  to locate them on my computer.   One is of the lake and the other taken inside Blackwell (sorry it is fuzzy)

24 comments:

donna baker said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip. It is a lot of work to plan and execute all the comes before and after. I bet it isn't the last one.

Rachel Phillips said...

The holiday sounds like a busy one with friends and food. Perhaps one day another trip to the spa hotel could include some rest!

Sue in Suffolk said...

Maybe a change isn't always as good as a rest!
But I hope you now have a quiet day or two and hope this isn't your last break

justjill said...

Sounds lovely. But I know what you mean as to the tiring side. But who knows after a while there may be somewhere you want to visit....

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you have been away and that you enjoyed meeting up with your friends.
I'm sure Tess was pleased to see you back.
We were on a boat trip yesterday on the sea. It was very rough, yours sounds much nicer.
As you said a few days ago it suddenly feels like autumn!
Sue

wherethejourneytakesme said...

I love Arts and Crafts places - shame you couldn't take any photos. It has been rough up here in Scotland with a few incidents but luckily we have escaped the worst of it.

Granny Sue said...

Travel can be tiring, certainly. So rewarding, though. I always find myself wiped out the next day. Your trip sounds perfect--food, friends, beautiful scenery.

Bovey Belle said...

What a great little break. You were fortunate with the weather too. Oooh, could have spent a fortune in the large Lakeland!! It's always lovely to see friends again too.

Blackwell sounds the sort of house I would love to visit.

Wilma said...

No matter how wonderful a holiday is, I always enjoy coming home. Glad you enjoyed the trip.

Bonnie said...

What a wonderful trip! The views sound lovely and I love Arts and Crafts houses!

Heather said...

Welcome home - we missed you. Glad you enjoyed your trip. I sounds wonderful and I would love to have seen the Arts and Crafts house. I think my holidaying days may be over too, as they always wear me out even though I have enjoyed myself.
Batten down the hatches for tomorrow as I think the weather is supposed to worsen. I hope to get my weekly shopping done early before it reaches this far south.

Joanne Noragon said...

Love the tiles over the fireplace. Welcome back!

Chris said...

Every time I come home from a trip I say "Never again!", especially if it involves airports. But after a while I get the hankering again - I am off to Greece next month. Glad you're back, I have missed your interesting blog.

Virginia said...

Golly! I've just read The Guardian, and it sounds as if you're getting some very wild weather. Tess CAN manage without a walk, even if she tells you otherwise. Stay safe Weaver!

Barbara Anne said...

As has been said, Welcome home! Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Enjoy being back with Tess in your lovely, snug surroundings with your beautiful terraced garden outside. You're wise to avoid that wind.

Derek Faulkner said...

The people above have pretty much said what I was going to say, so glad you enjoyed it. The stand out part for me was the fact that you went out to a pub for a meal and actually had beef, not salmon.

Gwil W said...

And Theresa May enjoying the sunshine in Salzburg . . . but today is looking like the last day of good weather. Temperatures set to take a tumble. We've done very well though. Have been on the Windermere - Bowness boat a couple of times. It's a lovely area but as you say it gets crowded.

Tom Stephenson said...

We have a Lakeland here in Bath. Why bother to go to a lovely area of outstanding natural beauty to buy a saucepan?

Linda Metcalf said...

On one of my trips over your way I did the boat ride on Windermere and it was beautiful. Such a beautiful area. I have often thought of coming over again but wonder if I could keep up with all the walking on these tours.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

That all sounds wonderful. I'll bet Tess was glad to have you back! I'm not great on boats, but you seem to be fine with them? -Jenn

Derek Faulkner said...

I didn't realise that Lakeland stuff still existed, or that people still buy it.

thelma said...

Everyone being funny about Lakeland. Well I just ordered a whole lot of stuff from them, all kilner jars etc. But I can understand why you had to take a journey to your Lakeland Pat, it is just nice to paddle around all that stuff you could buy though probably don't need. I would also add that there was hardly any plastic in the packaging when it came just brown paper... Have I said that before?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Regarding Lakeland - Imust point out that we really went there to eat - their cafe is large, very efficient and has beautiful food. Wandering round afterwards was just the icing on the cake. I intend to buy myself a soup maker before winter and I wanted to look at their model for one thing.

Reasonable day today but supposed to be really bad weather on its way tomorrow.
Thanks for calling by.

Terra said...

That is a great idea to have a change of scene in such a pretty place.