Our second day in the Lake District was spent in the North near Ullswater and Keswick. We were told the North is more rugged than the south and so attracts a more active crowd. But we decided to take it easy and just enjoy the scenery of the area while wandering around.
Saturday night, we stayed at a B&B called Lowthwaite, and although I don’t have much experience with B&B’s, it is probably the nicest one I’ve ever stayed in. They had an East African theme going on and all of the furniture was made from old Tanzanian boats. It was quite difficult to find as it is pretty far from civilization but the hosts, Jim and Tine, were wonderful and I would recommend this place to anyone.
So after a delicious breakfast made by Tine, we headed out for Ullswater. Of all the lakes we visited, I think Ullswater was my favorite because it was almost uninhabited. I can only imagine how beautiful this place must be in the summer when everything is green.
Next we went to Keswick (pronounced Ke-sick) on Derwentwater, and walked up to Friar’s Cragg, which is just a pretty viewpoint. On the way we passed Derwent Isle, which was owned by an eccentric man named Joseph Pocklington, who built a house on the island along with a fake Druid stone circle.
We stopped at a gas station for lunch and found something we were told to try in the Lake District called Kendal Mint Cake. We knew nothing about it other than its name, so it was really a mystery what we were buying. It turns out, it’s not cake. It’s more like a hard York Peppermint Pattie, minus the chocolate. And it’s very minty. Later we bought some that was coated in chocolate and it was a huge improvement. But the reason Kendal Mint Cake is so famous is because it was carried by Sir Edmund Hillary and his team to the top of Mount Everest on the first successful expedition in 1953.
This is us at Friar’s Crag! The weather was amazing considering how brown everything still is here. The sun was shining for our entire visit.
Another thing the Lake District is famous for is sticky toffee pudding. The village of Cartmel on the south coast of the Lake District National Park is considered the home of sticky toffee pudding, so of course we had to try some. And it was on our way home! George got his with ice cream and I got whipped cream to see which was better. Whipped cream was the winner for both of us. The pudding can be really filling, so it’s nice to have something lighter paired with it. We agree it is the best sticky toffee pudding we’ve had so far! But we’re still out to find some we love closer to home.
THE BRITTAINS ARE COMING 