I picked Keswick as my home base while exploring The Lake District. I arrived in town just prior to sunset, as usual, so I was happy that I got to take a look around town before it got dark.
View of Main Street and The Moot Hall. Formerly an assembly hall and now a tourist information center and art gallery.
View of The Moot Hall from behind.
After doing a lap around town, I decided to try out a semi-new restaurant for dinner, Merienda (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186327-d4736540-Reviews-Merienda-Keswick_Lake_District_Cumbria_England.html.) From what I could tell, it was a coffee shop by day and trendy restaurant by night. I was just happy they stayed open until 10pm, because everything else I passed was closing soon. It felt a little awkward though being one of only a few tables of people since it was so late in the evening. To try something different, I ordered fried avocado for an appetizer. It had a coconut breading, and came with a sour cream dipping sauce. The combination was really weird, but I was starving so I ate it anyway. My main dish was fish, which was delicious.
I'll at least give them points for being original.
Fish board. I wasn't expecting it to come out like this!
The next morning, it was time to do some chores. This being about the half-way point of the two-week trip meant that there was laundry to be done. The town had a good Laundromat; it was just a little hard to find because it did not have an exact address. So here's a link to help anyone out who ends up in the same situation: https://plus.google.com/111444768251908055825/about?hl=en
Not happy about having my picture taken, or about doing laundry.
Huge driers.
While the clothes got cleaned, it was the perfect opportunity to stroll around the town's outdoor market. This market was a complete unknown to me until I heard about it from the host at my Bed & Breakfast. In fact, this market has ran for more than 700 years! I didn't get my hopes up, based on my experience in Moreton-in-Marsh (see my post "UK: The Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon" if you don't know what I'm talking about.) As soon as I saw the first stall though, I fell in love with this market. It was everything I had been hoping for. Handicrafts, artisan goods, snacks, produce, and friendly vendors. There was so much that I wanted to buy, but I controlled myself and didn't get every single thing...just most of it.
Sunday morning at the market on Main Street.
Cute wooden puzzles and toys. See for yourself:
Asking the vendor about the caramel fudge.
Yay for some great local shopping!
After that, it was time to actually explore The Lake District, which is also known simply as The Lakes. My plan was to follow a driving route in a Rick Steves guidebook. Following any driving route in the UK is easier said than done. I came to realize as this trip went on that most of the B or side roads are not labeled, or are labeled so seldom that you may not realize you missed a turn until several miles down the road. Although it was stressful to try to follow the right path, which I gave up on at times, the drive was still very pleasant and scenic.
Great views of hedges!
Buttermere lake in the background.
View of Buttermere lake from the south end.
Approaching Honister Pass. I stopped in the Honister Slate Mine shortly after this, and checked out their gift shop. It was OK to see, but not much to speak of.
After only taking pictures of the views from the road, it was time to stretch the legs a little bit with a hike. It ended up being just a short hike to reach the Bowder Stone, which is a glacial erratic weighing 2000 tons. (That's a fancy way of saying it's a ginormous rock.)
One of the few times, if not only time, I had to pay to do something while in one of the country's national parks.
There are stairs to climb to the top of the Bowder Stone.
I went to the top, but was too scared to stand straight up.
Following the route Rick Steves laid out, the next stop was at Ashness Bridge. The views of this stone bridge were beautiful from all angles. I'm very glad I didn't miss the turn to find it!
One of the thousands of public footpaths in the country. One of the thousands of things to love about the country too!
Just a short drive up the road was a parking spot for a "surprise view." Perhaps the name is correct, because there was almost no one else around to check out the incredible views of Derwentwater lake.
After driving the scenic loop, a little past Keswick was Castlerigg stone circle. Since a stop at Stonehenge was not on my itinerary, I guess this was the next best thing. I was amazed that sheep were allowed to run free among, and on, the stones. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area, and I can say it was very pretty at sunset. Plus, it's free!
Literally ON the stones!
There were great views of the surrounding mountains also.
The car got a little furry by the end of the day.
As usual, I was cutting it close on the end of dinner time. Since I had not eaten at a pub since my first day, I decided it was time to try another one out. The Pheasant Inn (http://www.jenningsbrewery.co.uk/pubs/pubDetails.aspx?pid=28) was on the outskirts of town. Thinking I understood pub etiquette, I grabbed a seat in the dining room. A waiter came by and asked if I had a reservation, and I replied no. I was then told that the dining room was for reservations only, but I could grab a table in the bar area if one was open. So I moved over there. The menu was the same either way. The first pub I went to had you order your food at the bar, which I assumed was how all pubs worked. But no. This pub had a waiter come out to take the food order. I was so confused and felt like an idiot. Really, there didn't seem to be much difference between the dining room and bar seating, other than the tables being slightly smaller.
I ordered some sort of fisherman's stew, and it was delicious. Loved the plate of veggies that came with it too.
Bonus info:
As I mentioned earlier, there is a slate mine in the area. Once you learn about the significance of slate to the local economy and architecture, you will notice slate everywhere...like the roofs for example.
Of course by this point in the trip, I was missing my dog. And of course, to make me miss her even more, I saw lots of Jack-Russell Terriers in this town!
Uno. Also in the background is Booths, a swanky grocery store which I loved. I found a raisin and hazelnut Green & Black's milk chocolate bar there, and it was amazing! Unfortunately, I only bought one and didn't find that flavor anywhere else on the trip.
http://www.greenandblacks.co.uk/our-range/Bars/Raisin-Hazelnut?p=2686&c1=1559#first
http://www.greenandblacks.co.uk/our-range/Bars/Raisin-Hazelnut?p=2686&c1=1559#first
Dos.
Tres. This little guy was not happy about being tied up while it's owner went into the gas station convenience store. (Side note: After eating tons of ice cream bars while studying abroad in Spain, I think it's weird for the sign to say "Wall's" below the heart instead of "Frigo." The name is different pretty much everywhere: http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Heartbrand)
During the entire trip, late at night the telly (TV) had SpringWatch Extra Live Cams on one channel. There were cameras with night-view lenses peeping in on all sorts of nocturnal animals. I didn't spend much time watching this, but during the little bit of time I did watch nothing really happened.
Badger cam.
I forgot how beautiful The Lake District truly was until looking through my pictures to prepare this post. At this point of the trip, I think I was starting to get a little worn out, so my time here quickly became a blur after having another week-long travel blitz to go. It would have been nice to spend a little more time here, and actually get out on one of the lakes and do a proper mountain hike. Perhaps someday I'll get the chance.
Up Next: The Scottish Highlands
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