The Lakes

Another bank holiday weekend, another short trip out of the city…

This time Russ and I planned a few days up in the north of England, in the Lake District, pretty close to Scotland. All week previous I worked extra hours to make up for the time I would take off on Friday for us to drive up there. I don’t get paid for public holidays!!

So Friday we set off just after lunch, from Russ’ work in Richmond. I always get the job of navigator as I can’t drive over here yet. So there I am, road map on lap, telling Russ the way. We left early because I knew the bank holiday traffic would be pretty bad. What should have been a 5hr drive, according to the AA Journey Planner online, in reality took us about 7 ½ hrs because of the ridiculous traffic! We even took a toll road part of the way to cut our time…

We arrived at the campsite we had planned to stay at – Low Wray, right beside Lake Windermere. They work on a first-in-first-served basis. We were too late. A bloody big scout group had taken over the majority of the site… Not impressed!! So they gave us a list of other campsites in the area, and we settled at one, Baysbrown Farm, at the foot of the Langdale Mountains.

We weren’t as prepared as we thought we were as the cold weather set in and we realised we hadn’t brought nearly enough wintry clothes. But we managed to survive under several layers of clothes and blankets.

Saturday was the fine day – the day we knew we could fit plenty of outdoor adventures into before the weather was meant to turn sour. Russ was adamant he would climb the highest peak in England – Scarfell Pike. But after chatting with a hiking store worker, we realised we hadn’t the time to fit in the 8+ hour climb. So we settled on the next best thing to our disposal, the mountain dominating over our campsite from a distance, the Great Langdales.

I had to be talked into the climb, which looked a bit like too much hard work when I really just wanted to chill out beside a lake for the day. But once I got started I got right into it. I’m quite competitive, and my motivation largely came from the need to pass people in front and not let anyone pass me. We made it halfway up, where we found a huge lake, not visible from the ground, where we fed some strange fish that fought over pieces of bread just as ducks do. But this wasn’t enough, I’d come this far and wanted to go higher. So we set off to the top – the highest peak, Harrison Stickle, at 736m. The views from the top were amazing!! Beautiful mountains, green hills, and stunning lakes and rivers. We could even see the sea from the top.

We woke up bright and early again the next morning. It gets light there very early. At 4am we were wide awake with light filtering through our tent. But today was a bit poor in the weather department. Wind and rain, though the only rain we got was far from our campsite, on the other side of the mountains, where we took a boat cruise along the Ullswater lake. Again the scenery was breathtaking. I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than there! It reminded me a little of New Zealand.

The remainder of our time was spent exploring other little walks and the local villages. It was much busier than we had imagined it would be. Everyone had the same idea it seems. We didn’t leave without eating the famous Kendal Mint Cake, though. That’s what got us up the mountain… Sir Edmund Hillary ate it when he climbed Mt. Everest.
We’ll be going back in the next few months no doubt, to conquer the great Scarfell Pike! Click here to see the rest of my photos of the trip.

Happy Anniversary

Today is Russ and my 3 year anniversary. It’s amazing to think we lasted the distance. We had some pretty tough times while we spent so long apart, but we’re all the better for it now.

Yesterday evening we got home from our weekend away up north, and then at around 8:30 – 9pm he opens the front door to let in a woman, carrying big black carry bags. She introduces herself as Katherine, saying she’s here to do my facial and massage… I’m speechless…

As Russ helps her open out her massage table and boil her some water, he says, “Happy anniversary…”

For the next two hours she treats me to an amazing facial and full body massage, with hot stones. I was pretty close to falling asleep with the calming music in the background and the rain beating on the conservatory roof, and everybody having gone upstairs to leave me to enjoy the moment. Heaven…

Katherine used to do house calls for beauty therapy until she got her salon in Chelsea, London – LOCKONEGO - where she works with Victoria Beckham’s hairdresser, Ben Cooke.

It was exactly what I needed, and the most amazing anniversary present, ever!!

Market Fever

The Portobello Markets are amazing!! Anyone who loves sifting through treasures in stalls, or loves antiques will find this street an absolute dream come true!!

Millie and I trekked up to central London last weekend intent on finding our own treasure. We were keen to just browse, but before we even got to the road, we were ready to spend up big! Even the shops that lead up to Portobello Road are amazing, selling everything you ever wanted for a trendy house or fantastic wardrobe, as well as plenty of little knick-knacks.

As we entered the crowded street that seemed to stretch for miles, we just had to have our photo taken with the sign.... Spot the tourist!! And there were plenty more photo opportunities to capture the vibe of these awesome markets!

Portobello Markets are most famous for their antiques. Silver, jewellery, paintings, leather & fur, you name it, they've got it! Of everything there, three things caught my eye... The first was a large print I could imagine hanging in my kitchen (when I have a kitchen), of cupcakes on a stand, looking quite rustic. Looked much cooler than I seem to be describing it... I didn't buy it however because by the time I'd got back to that stall they'd sold. The second was an antique set of scales, painted black, with a gold measuring bowl and gold weights... Too expensive! And the third, two blue bracelets, made of something unknown... These we my treasure for the day!! Love them!! Millie picked up a couple of large photos from the Grand Prix in the '20s and '30s.

We made it about 2/3 of the way down the market road before we got rained on... and it didn't just rain, it POURED!! So we thought best to turn around and do the rest next time. Before we could leave though, we had to check out a delicious looking bakery, Hummingbird Bakery. There was a constant line out their door and we heard nothing but praise for their cakes and cupcakes from people walking through the markets. We'll definitely be back!! And soon!! If you come to London, the Portobello Markets are an absolute must!!

South to the Sea

We've just had another bank holiday weekend, though this one wasn't as well planned as the last. Through lack of funds we decided to check out some sights a bit closer to home. Saturday was a chance to take the tour of the London Dungeon. At a regular price of £20, we found some tickets at Lastminute.com for half the price. We made our way into the city and waited in line for an hour and a half before we actually got into the Dungeon. You go through in groups of about 20, through each section. It was really interesting learning more about London's gory history, but would have been nice to learn more about the dungeon itself. Would have been disappointed if we'd paid £20 each, but it was worth the £10.

Sunday was a crazy cocktail-fuelled BBQ, which left us all completely stuffed by the end of the night!!

When Monday rolled around I felt like I hadn't really achieved much to make up for losing a day of pay (we don't get paid for bank holidays as temp workers). I bargained with Russ for a trip out of London somewhere, and we settled on a town near the south coast called Arundel. I know we have an Arundel near Geraldine at home, and we pronounce it 'Uh-run-dl', but here they pronounce it 'Aaron-del'. But this is understandable because it's on the river Arun, and 'del' means 'in the valley'.

It's a beautiful little town. Everything so old. As you drive into the town you see all these lovely old houses and on the left is a huge cathedral and to the right is a huge castle. It has a really nice feel to it, there aren't any big commercial businesses like McDonalds or Tesco. Instead it has a lovely little butcher, deli, fish and chip shops, sweet shop, and a really lovely old bookshop that smells like the oldest books in the world, as well as plenty of nice little cafes.

While strolling through the town, taking in the sights, we came across the Arundel Ghost Experience down a long alleyway. We sat outside in the waiting area while a man came out and took our money, only to come back a few minutes later wearing a brown cloak. (This is part of the Arundel drama club). While speaking in rhyme he led us through the passageway, everything almost completely dark. We were led into a room to hear ghost stories from the local area. While in this room we were asked to put our hands on the table in front and chant after him to a grey lady to join us. It was only Russ and I on this 'tour' so we had to stop ourselves from laughing too hard at this particular part. But we were also led into some of the cells where we found ourselves pretty creeped out, with objects moving and strange noises and temperatures. It was miles scarier and creepier than the London Dungeon!! Well worth the visit!!

The town, on the whole, was a beautiful little place, definitely worth a visit.

Our final stop was Bognor Regis, a typical English seaside town. The weather was pretty miserable most of the weekend, but we managed to push our way through the wind to stand down by the ocean and watch some surfers from the pier. I hadn't realised how much I missed being near the sea. It's the first time I've seen it in four months. There's not a lot to speak of in Bognor Regis, but I can imagine how great the atmosphere must be in the summer! We spotted a mini-golf course across the road from the bay, and decided we had to keep up our tradition of playing everywhere we go. Russell kicked my butt this time (lucky break) and won a free game at the end.

It's so nice to get out of London and see paddocks full of animals and green... green everything, it's refreshing! Those places aren't too far from Portsmouth, where we're moving in September, so was nice to see a bit of what to expect down on the south coast by the sea.
Click here to see the rest of my photos.