Had a decent week up in the Lakes staying near Bowness which even in the rain is pretty and packed with tourists, mainly Asian from what I saw, they seem to really like the area ( my goodness o they take alotta photos ).
I have to say though, scenery aside and yes it is very pretty in many places, it did rather fall short in many ways for us.
The biggest problem is actually the locals. They are such a bunch of miserable folk and I dont mean just the normal people but even those who work in tourist attractions representing the area. Sometimes downright rude seemingly for the sake of it, I was left wondering why they are there at all as they dont seem to want to be.
You could say that your invading the place they live but frankly, half these places wouldnt be sustainable if it wasnt for tourism and on a wet September afternoon, id be happy to still have swarms of people spending money.
The drivers seem to also have the same attitude being both aggressive and happy to tailgate even on the twistiest, wet and uneven roads. The speedlimits seem a bit optimistic at times such as on the Bowness-Newby Bridge road which even on a sunny day is wet with the surface worn away in many places giving rise to varying levels of grip mid-corner - it says 50 on the sign but 40 felt more than enough, not that the locals agreed.
The coastline was very dull and not really worth venturing out to see although we did anyway. The really pretty bits are inland around the lakes and making a point of driving up each pass is well worth taking the long way round to do. Honister is pretty dramatic although I missed out on the Whinlatter which Id hoped to do as its supposed to be quite something.
Food was very expensive, its clearly thought of as a premium area although if you knew where to go, there were a few places serving lovely food at great prices ( Hylton in Bowness is a small but very friendly place but no more expensive than a Beefeater, but much nicer food ).
Its funny really but for a place that has been a tourist destination for so long, the Lakes feel just a bit under facilitated, something that ive never experienced in the South West.
The motor museum at Newby Bridge is worth a look, they have a Delorean and a mind Opel Manta, plus a lot of older stuff and some nice informative exibits - at £7 its not expensive to get in either and the Campbell museum with the land speed record cars and boats is very interesting.
The Aquarium on Windermere is also well worth a look although nearly £20 for two adults seemed a bit steep. It did however have many interesting animals there beyond Lakeland fish and was certainly worth the effort if not the expense ( the car park is £4 ontop of the entrance fee ).
Overall, it was a nice break - our lodge was on the banks of Windermere and with an outdoor hot tub, the curiously british persuit of enjoying a hot tub in the pouring rain while reading a book ( John Ellis, Diary of a Hangman - a curious read ) certainly made it a relaxing place to stay.
I dont think ill be going back anytime soon though - we both wished in the end that we had gone to Devon again as we have never failed to enjoy its delights and the warm nature of the people there, its popular for a reason and the Lakes failed to impress overall despite some high points.
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I think part of the problem is that, despite needing the tourist income they are just over-run, on sunny days, in the Summer anyway. Some mad number like 15 million people live with 50 miles of Keswick and a lot of them decide to visit. It has reached the point where some atrractions are not even signposted; Beatrix Potter's cottage at High Sawrey is one I believe. Obviously it doesn't suit everyone but it can be very enjoyable in early Spring and late Autumn
Last edited by: Perky Penguin on Mon 27 Sep 10 at 18:31
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>The biggest problem is actually the locals
yes they tend to shoot each other.
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Did you not do the hardknot pass?
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...Did you not do the hardknot pass?...
Might have pushed the Espero too far.
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No, I only read about the Hardknott after we got back, I wish id done it now, I was trying to find the steepest hill to scare the wife although I did a pretty goo job anyhow :-)
We took the Sirion, didnt wanna get halfway up some steep hill and something breaks!
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I'm not so much concerned about grumpy locals as foreign ones, if one can have such a thing.
Part of the enjoyment of buying something on holiday can be having a bit of crack on with the assistant about some local issue or other.
Not possible if the assistant is Eastern European, which I came across a few times during my last visit to Bowness.
For example, a speed limit was imposed on Windermere a few years back, despite opposition from watersports (not that kind, BBD) enthusiasts.
No point in asking the otherwise helpful waitress in the tea room about the limit's impact on the town, she only arrived three months ago and knows nothing about it.
Contrast this with my experience on Skye.
I called into a post office to buy a card, and asked a question about the bridge and the toll protest.
The (local) assistant produced a press cuttings scrapbook from under the counter.
And as if that wasn't enough information (it was), she offered to give me the address of the man who organised the toll protest campaign group.
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>>I'm not so much concerned about grumpy locals as foreign ones, if one can have such a thing.<<
The friendliest person in Bowness we met was our waitress, who was Polish - she even got english humour and couldnt be more helpful. She saved the day.
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If hardknott is the one I recall from 30 odd years ago, the moment of WTF occurred when going up a pretty steep bit in 1st gear and the tramac went off very abruptly behind my left ear somewhere.
Hmm.... we were on honeymoon in SWMBO's Morris 1000 (as the cans attached to my Dolomite had pulled the exhaust off), which added to the drama.
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I love the lake district, but wouldn't bother now with Bowness and Windermere unless for something specific. Ambleside is just about bearable if you find your way into the The Golden Rule. Coniston is also overrun by visitors but not quite as bad as Bowness and Windermere.
Some of my haunts of 35+ years ago are not what they were. The Drunken Duck at Barngates is now a gastro pub for heaven's sake.
But there are some less overused places, worth visiting even in the height of the tourist season. I like walking in Eskdale for example; hills up to 1000' suit me for a morning walk. Derwent Water is much quieter than Windermere, and you can still take a steamer. Wast Water is spectacular, and while I wouldn't venture up there on a summer Sunday, the pub at Wasdale Head is still a pub.
But, boy does it rain. Spent a (very) wet afternoon inside, at the Lakeside Theatre in Keswick Midsummer Night's Dream a couple of years ago!
Next time you're at Newby Bridge, carry on to Ravenglass via Corney Fell; then back east via Hardknott and Wrynose. (herself isn't keen on that route - I backed up for a Mountain Goat bus or similar, and she thought we were going to re-enact the Italian Job).
Pick a base in the western or northern lakes, take your walking gear (and waterproofs) and you might enjoy it more. Leave Bowness to the hoi polloi.
Or try Jockland - similarly impressive scenery, with nobody in it. But a slightly longer trek for you ;-)
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I suppose it shouldn't be any surprise that the northern English are grumpy and miserable. The Scots, Irish and Welsh just think of them as generically English and therefore don't like them but to make it worse even the southern English don't like them either because they talk funny and all sound like Orville the duck...
:-)
Think I'll go for a swim now.....
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My parents in law are about to move oop north to Cumbria. Hope they have better luck.
Mind you, they're going up above Ullswater which is one of my favourite places. Sister in law lives up there already in Cliburn, just outside the National park. I didnt particularly like Windermere when I last went a few years back.
Just seemed full of twee tea shops whose sole existence was to feed hordes of grey haired Wallace Arnold coach occupants.
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>> in law lives up there already in Cliburn, just outside the National park.
I have friends in Cliburn......they have a farm on the Penrith road and are very into horses.
Fred has a victorian carriage which he does local weddings in.
Other friends live in Maulds Meaburn, npot far away in the Lyvennet valley. beautiful, unspoilt area with no tourists. Lot of little places for lunch or afternoon tea and some great, proper village pubs. Anywhere east of the M6 is ok with me.
I like t'other side of Derwentwater as well, the Newlands Valley, Catbells and Swinside.
Did a lot of camping there as a teenager, cycling from Manchester I.m not keen on Bowness or Ambleside myself
Ted
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>> Next time you're at Newby Bridge, carry on to Ravenglass via Corney Fell; then back
>> east via Hardknott and Wrynose.
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (small gauge) is worth a ride. I stayed at a house situated near one of it's stations. It was a bit surreal to wake up at Eskdale station, get out of the British Rail train, walk across the platforms and step down into what seemed to be a toy train set with open carriages, and be transported by steam engine through the countryside with foxgloves brushing your knees. Brilliant!
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Pah! Tourists! - you fell into the tourist trap! you stayed in the "lakeside towns", the way to "do" the lakes is to pick a series of bases around the outskirts of the lakes area, and tootal in to the various places of interest each day!. The "locals" on the fringes are a lot friendlier, and actually happy to see you! the drink is alot cheaper too (some places apint o lager is £3,50 in the "trap" but only £1.70 - £2.30 elsewhere). Yep! it can rain sometimes, which adds to the charm! it wouldnt be the lakes without water! - give it another try, if you learn how to use it, you will certainly enjoy it more! - maybe more than Devon........!!!
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Despite having relatives in Kendal we can't get on with the Lakes either. As someone said above we cruise on past to the Scottish Borders at the very least or a bit further up for a more lumpy landscape.
Minimal tourists away from the hotspots, good eating and friendly locals.
One main reason is the fact we don't like large areas of water that aren't the sea... coastal lochs win every time.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 28 Sep 10 at 08:04
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Devonite above has it right - fortunately the majority of tourists like to go where everybody else is.
Another place not to miss is the Eden valley - well named Eden - between the Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales, and also not known to the masses. There's a delightful B-road (B6412 I think) which pretty much follows the River Eden for miles, and you hardly see another car.
Last edited by: Avant on Wed 29 Sep 10 at 00:20
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The Lowther estate is very nice to walk round and villages like Askham are a gem but don't tell everyone. Just be our little secret, eh?
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flat but with undulations and a few large hills
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I like the lakes its a bit different to Snowdonia. My late uncle setteled there when he completed his engeering degree (I don't think I need to point out where he worked!).
My heart has always been in Wales though, probably because going back 250 years I have a bit of welsh in me.
What I like most about the lakes is the stunning effect you get when the sun sneaks out through the clouds over a lake. I remember the long drive back as a passanger from Cockermouth to Manchester from my uncles funeral, my mother does not go on on motorways so my dad was forced to drive back purely on A roads in a last generation Escort. Not the best experience of my life.
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theres a bit of welsh in me too
i had welsh rabbit for supper
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I'm sorry, I don't do impressions.
BUT, if forced, I could probably do a half-decent Isle of Man impression, by holding a shoe, and putting one hand behind my back.
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>> I could probably do a half-decent Isle of Man impression
Don't forget to wave to the fairies if you do though.
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Impressions of Cumbria - Perky Penguin
