England
Late April 2019
Amy and I were surprised to find that Easter isn’t much of a thing here in Britain. The idea of a four day weekend isn’t really something people seem to subscribe to. Not keen to lose this tradition, we made our way to the Lake District, eager to get away from the busyness of Glasgow for a short while.
The Lake District lies in the northwest of England and is famed for its natural beauty – rolling hills, calm lakes, wooded glens, and wandering paths. We stayed in the Ambleside YHA which sits at the northern end of Lake Windermere – England’s largest lake. Having stayed with the YHA previously, I can certainly recommend it if you happen to be looking for cheap, no-frills accommodation in Britain. Our spectacular location made it easy to look past any perceived lack of luxury.
We stayed on the outskirts of Ambleside, with the town centre only a short walk away. Quaint houses built from local shale rock lined the streets. Ice cream vendors hung out of their windows to tout their offerings. Trees were in full bloom, often in radiant pink or magenta. Unseasonably warm at around 20 degrees, the whole region had a blissful, summer holiday atmosphere, which reminded me of Yallingup or Dunsborough.
The entire Lake District is filled with hiking and mountain biking trails – some simple and flat, others arduous and technically difficult – some trails demand a map, compass, and considerable previous experience. I couldn’t help but notice the obvious difference in the amount of people recreationally exercising here, as compared to Scotland. Every second or third person seemed to be off hiking, running, or cycling. It gave the town a very energetic feeling.
We ate as well as you can in England – lots of pub food and pints. Our best meal came from the Royal Oak, an older pub in the centre of Ambleside - An old-school Sunday roast with all the trimmings, including a giant Yorkshire pudding. This meal was particularly good since it ended our weekend of hiking – we were beaten, battered, and in need of sustenance.
I’m getting ahead of myself though.
Most of our time in the Lake District was spent outdoors. Specifically, we hiked Loughrigg Fell and the trail from Bowness to Ambleside, via Wray Castle.
Not having hiked in Britain, we were initially perplexed on our first day when a very helpful tourist guide suggested a number of hikes to us, using all of the technical hill walking language – do you know the difference between a beck, a cairn, a fell, a ghyll, and a thwaite? We sure didn’t.
Taking the advice given to us (specifically not to attempt the hike we initially chose since it was way out of our league), we made off for Loughrigg Fell. Winding around hillocks, along streams, and beside isolated villages, it was wonderful and the weather remained sunny and warm the whole day through.
We had lunch on the summit and enjoyed the almost meditative silence and serenity.
Throughout the day, Amy & I were amused by the regular exasperated comments by British passers-by about how “scorching” or "roasting" the temperature was. At 20 degrees we didn’t notice it all that much, and in the shade it was decidedly cool, but warm days are a rarity here, so it isn’t a surprise, really.
To be sure though, if it is warm, the Brits go well and truly mad: bags of cans on the green, hours of pints at the pub, blistering sunburn by the weekend’s end – everyone is outside acting up.
The taps aff mentality makes a lot more sense having been here a while.
Our second hike began at Bowness Nab, having caught the ferry across for a miserly 1 pound. The weather was again perfect and although our initial ascent was rough, we were treated to a lovely, wandering walk to Wray Castle, where we had lunch. Cyclists rolled by, horses cantered past, fellow hikers smiled and waved – it was great. Carrying on, we finished our day’s work by returning to Ambleside, having walked 12km.
Having booked time to complete the West Highland Way in July, which is 96 miles over 6 days, we realised how much training we had yet to do…
Refreshed and relaxed from having been away, it did indeed feel like Easter. The only thing missing perhaps was the Margaret River wine and Mersey Valley pickled onion cheese we always seem to have each year in Perth.
If you happen to be in Britain during the warmer months, I’d highly recommend the Lake District if you are interested in the outdoors. I don’t think it matters where you stay, since you’ll probably spend your time outside running, hiking, cycling, etc.
Bring your boots and get lost.
JC
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
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