This is a fabulous walk, not least because it takes in a good pub halfway round!
We park near St Bega’s church which is a lovely little church, built on the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake over 900 years ago. To get to St Bega’s, follow the A591 from Keswick (where you will find several self catering lake district cottages) towards Bassenthwaite. Carry on for about 4 miles and then turn left down a small single tracked road (signed Bassenthwaite Lake & Scarness). The parking for St Bega’s is just down here and then you will need to walk across a couple of fields and an avenue of ancient oaks to get to the church itself.
After checking out the church, where you’ll find Melvyn Bragg is a patron in recognition of his book ‘Credo’, retrace your steps back along the oak avenue until it starts to go uphill and then turn left across the pasture to a wood which is accessed via a stile. This wood is beautiful in Spring with primroses and bluebells. It’s a small wood, and once through, you cross another field and then into another wood beyond. The badger sets here are massive. In fact, my dog once had several hours of playtime underground checking out what was what.
Once through the second wood, go straight across two fields towards the large ash tree and through the kissing gate. Cross the farm track and into the field opposite. Head for the other side, towards the right hand corner (this is right of the woods) and there you will find a stile which accesses the small road just further down from where you originally parked.
Turn left and follow the road for about 200 yards. Take the public footpath which is signed to your left, down some wooden steps just before the bridge. If you’re lucky you might meet a horse in the field behind the fence here which is very friendly.
The path follows a little beck and there is an abundance of wildflowers depending on the time of year. You’ll cross a little bridge and eventually come to a gate which is some way left of the farm itself. This part of the walk is liable to be wet, so do wear strong shoes or boots. Go through the gate and then turn left towards Bassenthwaite Lake. This lovely stretch of water has a resident pair of swans all year, magnificent lily-pads in summer, and a variety of birds. The photo shows a pair of oyster catchers.
You then follow the lakeshore for about a mile and a half. It’s very pleasant and quiet, being away from the usual crowds in the more central lakes. If there has been a lot of rain, you may bless those stout shoes. If it is sunny, then take a towel and have a swim!
You will eventually come to some wooden lodges built on the shoreside. Before these is a landing stage. You’ll need to cross the strip of land with the ‘slipway’ and then through the gate at the far side. This brings you to a strip of woodland. Turn right up here keeping the wooden lodges to your left.
Now it depends on whether you want more footpaths or whether you want to get to the pub. I tend to lean towards the latter and so when you get to the end of the footpath (by the entrance drive to Bassenthwaite Lodges), I turn right along the road and then first left down another single track road - signed Bassenthwaite, helpfully. There are not many cars here and it is lovely with the hedgerows starting to bloom in the springtime.
After about a mile, you will reach the A591 again, go straight across the road here and follow the road opposite up to Bassenthwaite village itself. When you get to the village green, turn right through an avenue of lime trees and then follow the road past a small farm and the Sun Inn is just round the corner.
It is a lovely pub and serves good food and fine ales. It does get busy during the school holidays so you may need to book – the number is 017687 76439. It was originally built as a farmhouse in the 16th Century and has oak beams, squeaking floors and low ceilings. Dogs are also welcome at the pub and tend to love the open fires.
After you have been in a nice warm pub and consumed vast quantities of ale, pie and chips (or whatever else may have taken your fancy) you will either be feeling relaxed and sleepy or eager and ready to go. If it is the former, I would suggest retracing your route back to St Bega’s church as this is a flat walk. However, if you fancy working off some of those calories, then you can get back to the car via the lower slopes of Ullock Pike.
To do this, go back to the village green and then cut up left at the start of the green, (Back Green) towards Green Cottage and then left again past a few other cottages. At the end of the lane go through the gate, where the path is signed to Burthwaite, and walk to the opposite side of the field. Underneath the tall tree is another stile to go over and then you need to head towards the telegraph pole and the farm ahead. Before the farm, by the pole is a narrow gate on your right. Go through it, over the grass and to the single track road. On the road, turn left, go past the farm and carry on until you reach a wooded area on your right. Go over the stile beside a gate with a footpath sign and into the woods.
Opposite you is a small bridge over the river, go over this and up the hill beyond it. Then go left and follow the edge of the field to another gate. Cross the narrow road and head up the farm track directly opposite, signed ‘Hole House’. Here’s a fine view of Skiddaw directly in front of you. Follow the track past the front of Hole House, down before the barn, then right before the track goes down to the stream, up a path marked ‘Bridleway’. Follow this path up through an oak wood, keeping the fence on your right, to the gate at the top.
Through this, turn right onto another farm track, and walk 50 yards up to the farm. Over the stile, take the left hand track opposite the farm and follow it upwards keeping a fence and a line of larches on your left. When the track bears left through a gate, abandon it and instead turn 90 degrees right and head up through the saddle with ancient hawthorn trees on your right. As you breast the saddle in 100 yards a breath-taking view of Bassenthwaite Lake appears, along with a ladder stile and a gate. DON’T GO THROUGH OR OVER! Instead, turn hard left up a grassy track back towards Skiddaw. Follow this till you reach a gate and stile out onto the open fell.
Go through, then turn immediately right and follow the wall (on your right) up onto the brow of the hill above you. Say hello nicely to this wall, it will be on your right for the next mile or so. As you crest the hill fabulous views open up of Bassenthwaite Lake, Lord’s Seat, and off to the Cumbrian coast. Also, well off to the right, the wind farm at Bothel. If you’re not that attached to the wall, you can allow yourself to drift up the hill and follow any of the sheep tracks that contour round the end of the hill, or you can stick rigidly to your new friend. On the right day, you may well find paragliders taking off above you and soaring along Ullock Pike.
At the end of whatever path you’ve chosen you will come to the main footpath leading down, and you should make sure you’re back with your wall by the time it ends and becomes a fence surrounding a new plantation, and starts to descend rapidly. The path goes through a gate and into a mixed woodland via zig-zags that cross a forest track in 15 yards. Steeply down through another gate/stile right down to the A591.
Turn right and up through the grounds of the Ravenstone Hotel on their drive.
Afternoon tea on their terrace is very inviting, if you’ve shaken down lunch. At the end of their drive you need to cross the A591 and pick up the path directly opposite, signed St Bega’s church, by the bus stop. It leads off down and left, over a stile/gate, past three magnificent Douglas Firs into the field below Ravenstone Lodge. Aim for the kissing gate, and through it across the obvious path towards the copse. Over the stile, through the copse, and onto Kissing Gate Alley. There are four in 300 yards, so make sure you’re directly behind someone you fancy! The last one leads straight to your car. There are several holiday cottages in the lake district which are in the area of Bassenthwaite which make a great base to explore this part of the Lake District.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Churches of the Lake District
The Lake District’s churches are nothing like those found in other parts of the country. It has always had a small, static population, and as a result, the churches are usually tiny, with small graveyards providing the resting-place for generations of the same families. Our county’s cathedral is a long way to the north in the border city of Carlisle.
Many of our village churches look alike. Made from sandstone or chunks of slate, sometimes grey-rendered, they have a low, barn-like shape, small leaded windows and short bell towers. A surprising number of them claim to have been founded by early medieval saints, including St. Bega, St. Patrick, and St. Kentigern.
These simple churches rarely have the elaborate decoration seen in later churches in other parts of the country. The compensation lies in stunning, carved stone crosses and tombstones from the Viking and earlier eras. Testament to the strength of Christianity in this remote part of the country from a very early time, they still stand sentinel in churchyards across the county.
Staying in self catering lake district cottages is the perfect way to start and explore these fantastic churches.
St. Kentigern was a 6th or 7th century monk, better known in Scotland as the St. Mungo of Glasgow Cathedral. Mungo is just a nickname, meaning ‘dearest friend’.
St. Kentigern's, Crosthwaite, near Keswick, was founded by Kentigern in 553AD, and there has been a church on the site ever since. The current building is mostly sixteenth century, and is probably unique in retaining its full set of sixteen consecration crosses, where the bishop sprinkled holy water as the new church was consecrated. Canon Rawnsley, a vicar of Crosthwaite and founder of the National Trust, is buried here, as is Robert Southey, the poet. There are plenty of Keswick cottages in the area as an added bonus.
St Kentigern’s, Caldbeck, is another church that claims to have been founded by the man himself in the 6th century. St. Mungo’s well, behind the church, is said to be the well where Kentigern baptised his first local recruits. The building is 12th century and later, and the churchyard has the graves of John Peel, the huntsman famed by song, and Mary Harrison, otherwise known as the Maid of Buttermere.
There are further St. Kentigern churches at Aspatria, Mungrisdale and Castle Sowerby.
St. Bega, or St. Bee, was also popular with early Christians in the Lakes. Tradition – if not history – has it that she was a 5th or 6th century Irish princess who became a hermit in Cumbria. The Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Bega, at St. Bee’s, is a 12th century church which once formed part of a Benedictine priory. The church has a fabulously decorated Norman west door and a display of medieval stone effigies, illustrating archers, swords, shears and a green man. The longevity of the site becomes clear in the graveyard, where there is a 9th century Cumbrian Celtic cross shaft with scrolled decoration and a 10th century Viking cross shaft. Opposite the church’s west door is an archway depicting a fight between St. Michael and a dragon. Cartmel Priory dominates this small village. Once part of a great Augustinian abbey founded in 1189, the church is the only part still standing. It has mixed Norman, Decorated and Perpendicular architecture, with fine renaissance screens, choir stalls and misericords.
Holme Cultram Abbey was founded for Cistercian monks in 1150, and, like Cartmel, retains the abbey church as the parish church. Sadly, this massive sandstone church suffered a huge fire in 2006. It is still under restoration, but the disaster has provided the opportunity for the West Cumbria Archaeological Society to excavate the grounds to identify the original cloisters and other features. Archaeological work continues this summer, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Cumbria lays claim to the smallest church in Britain, although this is disputed. The candidate is St. Olaf’s, at Wasdale Head. It is truly tiny, even by the standard of the many small sandstone churches in the area. Its antiquity is suggested by the roof beams, which are said to come from Viking ships. St. Olaf’s is surrounded by a splendid stand of yew trees in an otherwise bare valley landscape.
St. Catherine’s, near Boot in Eskdale, is splendidly situated against the backdrop of Scafell Pike. It has had much renovation, but it is in the traditional Lakes’ barn style, with tiny windows and a low bell tower. Its octagonal font is certainly very early, depicting St. Catherine’s wheel and some marigold decorations suggesting a late Roman or early Christian origin. A nearby well has been dated to the 6th century, and it is believed to be the site of early baptisms.
St. Paul’s at Irton is another ancient site. There has been a church here since a cross was erected in the churchyard in the 9th century. The current Victorian building is Grade 1 listed, and has some remarkable William Morris windows.
St. Mary’s, Gosforth, is best known for the Norse cross in the graveyard. The cross is 14ft high, dates to around 940AD, and shows the crucifixion, stories from Norse myth, and Loki, a Norse devil. There are also two 10th century hogback tombstones in the church, shaped like Viking houses of the dead, complete with carved battle scenes.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was once shipwrecked on Duddon Sands on the Cumbrian coast. From here, he made his way across the county, converting the people as he went. He baptised at St. Patrick’s Well, Patterdale, and both the village and local church were named after him. The current St. Patrick’s church, Patterdale is nineteenth century, and was designed by Anthony Salvin. There is an interesting altar here, dedicated to people who have lost their lives in air crashes on the fells.
There are many churches in the Lakes dedicated to St. Bridget or St. Bride, and, like St. Bega and St. Patrick, entire villages are named after her.
St. Bridget’s, Bridekirk was heavily restored in the Victorian era, but still has two Norman doorways. It has a splendid 12th century font depicting the stonemason at work, the baptism of Christ, Adam and Eve, and strange Norse beasts and runes.
St. Bridget’s Kirkbride is another early Christian site. The current building is mostly Saxon and Norman, with some stone seemingly sourced from the ruins of a nearby Roman camp.
St. Bridget’s in Beckermet is a little way out of the modern village (which now has another church, St. John’s, in the centre of the village). Another ancient site, St.
Bridget’s has two pre-Norman cross shafts outside, carved with scrolls and runes.
St. Bridget’s in Brigham was originally part of a 13th century nunnery, but the Viking crosses inside the church suggest earlier foundation, like our other St. Bridget’s churches. The tower is early 13th century and the rest 14th century, with some splendid 14th century stained glass. St. Bridget’s is the site of the tomb of Fletcher Christian, the Bounty mutineer.
St. Andrew is also a popular saint in Cumbria. St. Andrew’s, Dacre, is a site mentioned by Bede himself. It has a Norse cross shaft, and another, believed to be even earlier in date, showing Adam and Eve and the sacrifice of Isaac. Some floor stones are 10th century, and show a battle between good and evil. Dacre church is best known for its ‘bears’ – four bear-like statues in the churchyard. They are certainly very old, but it’s not clear how old and they may not even be bears!
St. Andrew’s, Greystoke, is a 13th/14th-century church. Its huge bell tower looks very much like the peel tower of a castle, and that’s no coincidence. During the time of the Border Reivers, the villagers used the tower as a refuge. Some splendid medieval stained glass here had a narrow escape from Cromwellian raiders in the seventeenth century. On hearing of their advance, the locals removed the glass and buried it. Two centuries later, it was unearthed and re-installed in the church. St. Andrew’s has two interesting sculptures. One, of the Madonna and Child, was carved with a penknife by German prisoners of war. The other, of the crucifixion, is by the modern sculptor, Josefina de Vasconcellos.
St. Andrew’s, Penrith, is a departure from Cumbria’s many medieval churches. Although the tower dates to the 13th century, the main part was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, a pupil of Christopher Wren, in 1720. Its internal decoration is stunning and surprising, with matt black pillars edged with gold, and strong highlights in Georgian blues and maroons. St. Andrew’s churchyard is well known for its so-called, ‘Giant’s Grave’. Some sources believe is to be the grave of the 10th century Cumbrian king, Owen Caesarius; the four side pieces are certainly Viking hogback stones. There are also two Norse crosses, one 14ft high.
Kirkby Stephen Church, which is not dedicated to St. Stephen, as many sources suggest, is known as ‘the cathedral of the Dales’ owing to its large size. It has some Saxon and Norman stones, but is best known for its ‘Loki stone’, an 8th century carving of a chained Norse devil.
St. Michael’s and All Angels, Muncaster, in the grounds of Muncaster Castle, is another departure from the norm. It’s Grade 1 listed, with 12th century parts and a north transept designed by Anthony Salvin. It has a rare ‘Doom’ window showing St. Michael and Christ at the Last Judgement and side windows depicting the archangels, Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel. St. Michael’s also has a Viking cross shaft depicting Norse myths.
Holy Trinity church, Grange-in-Borrowdale, surprises in that it is not as old as it looks. Built only in the nineteenth century, Holy Trinity has striking zigzag decoration imitating the Norman ‘dogtooth’ style, both inside and out.
St. Oswald’s, Grasmere, is always eclipsed by the graves of William Wordsworth and his family, which draw huge crowds all year round. St. Oswald’s is, however, another church with a remarkable history going back to its foundation by St. Oswald in the 7th century. The church hosts a popular rushbearing festival – where rushes are brought in to carpet the church – on 5th August each year.
St. Michael’s, Lamplugh, was designed by the famous 19th century church architect, William Butterfield, best known for Keble College chapel at Oxford. The church gained a lot of news coverage a few years ago, when the Carlisle record office uncovered some unusual causes of death in the 17th century parish records. Mrs Lamplugh’s cordial was responsible for two; some fell foul of a will o’ the wisp, the squire’s dog killed two vagrants; some were ‘frighted by fairies’ and three were drowned on a charge of witchcraft.
There are atmospheric church ruins worth visiting at Calder Abbey, near Calder Bridge, and Lanercost Priory, near Brampton. Perhaps the most enigmatic of them all is the church that – allegedly – appears only during hot summers. Mardale Church, in the village of Mardale Green, was submerged as the waters of Haweswater reservoir rose in 1937. It’s certainly the case that ruined village walls have re-appeared in dry summers, but the church bell tower? Good question. One some dark nights, travellers have reported hearing the bells of the old church, ringing out across the drowned valley.
To stay in self catering lake district cottages and start exploring these wonderful churches just follow the link.
Many of our village churches look alike. Made from sandstone or chunks of slate, sometimes grey-rendered, they have a low, barn-like shape, small leaded windows and short bell towers. A surprising number of them claim to have been founded by early medieval saints, including St. Bega, St. Patrick, and St. Kentigern.
These simple churches rarely have the elaborate decoration seen in later churches in other parts of the country. The compensation lies in stunning, carved stone crosses and tombstones from the Viking and earlier eras. Testament to the strength of Christianity in this remote part of the country from a very early time, they still stand sentinel in churchyards across the county.
Staying in self catering lake district cottages is the perfect way to start and explore these fantastic churches.
St. Kentigern was a 6th or 7th century monk, better known in Scotland as the St. Mungo of Glasgow Cathedral. Mungo is just a nickname, meaning ‘dearest friend’.
St. Kentigern's, Crosthwaite, near Keswick, was founded by Kentigern in 553AD, and there has been a church on the site ever since. The current building is mostly sixteenth century, and is probably unique in retaining its full set of sixteen consecration crosses, where the bishop sprinkled holy water as the new church was consecrated. Canon Rawnsley, a vicar of Crosthwaite and founder of the National Trust, is buried here, as is Robert Southey, the poet. There are plenty of Keswick cottages in the area as an added bonus.
St Kentigern’s, Caldbeck, is another church that claims to have been founded by the man himself in the 6th century. St. Mungo’s well, behind the church, is said to be the well where Kentigern baptised his first local recruits. The building is 12th century and later, and the churchyard has the graves of John Peel, the huntsman famed by song, and Mary Harrison, otherwise known as the Maid of Buttermere.
There are further St. Kentigern churches at Aspatria, Mungrisdale and Castle Sowerby.
St. Bega, or St. Bee, was also popular with early Christians in the Lakes. Tradition – if not history – has it that she was a 5th or 6th century Irish princess who became a hermit in Cumbria. The Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Bega, at St. Bee’s, is a 12th century church which once formed part of a Benedictine priory. The church has a fabulously decorated Norman west door and a display of medieval stone effigies, illustrating archers, swords, shears and a green man. The longevity of the site becomes clear in the graveyard, where there is a 9th century Cumbrian Celtic cross shaft with scrolled decoration and a 10th century Viking cross shaft. Opposite the church’s west door is an archway depicting a fight between St. Michael and a dragon. Cartmel Priory dominates this small village. Once part of a great Augustinian abbey founded in 1189, the church is the only part still standing. It has mixed Norman, Decorated and Perpendicular architecture, with fine renaissance screens, choir stalls and misericords.
Holme Cultram Abbey was founded for Cistercian monks in 1150, and, like Cartmel, retains the abbey church as the parish church. Sadly, this massive sandstone church suffered a huge fire in 2006. It is still under restoration, but the disaster has provided the opportunity for the West Cumbria Archaeological Society to excavate the grounds to identify the original cloisters and other features. Archaeological work continues this summer, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Cumbria lays claim to the smallest church in Britain, although this is disputed. The candidate is St. Olaf’s, at Wasdale Head. It is truly tiny, even by the standard of the many small sandstone churches in the area. Its antiquity is suggested by the roof beams, which are said to come from Viking ships. St. Olaf’s is surrounded by a splendid stand of yew trees in an otherwise bare valley landscape.
St. Catherine’s, near Boot in Eskdale, is splendidly situated against the backdrop of Scafell Pike. It has had much renovation, but it is in the traditional Lakes’ barn style, with tiny windows and a low bell tower. Its octagonal font is certainly very early, depicting St. Catherine’s wheel and some marigold decorations suggesting a late Roman or early Christian origin. A nearby well has been dated to the 6th century, and it is believed to be the site of early baptisms.
St. Paul’s at Irton is another ancient site. There has been a church here since a cross was erected in the churchyard in the 9th century. The current Victorian building is Grade 1 listed, and has some remarkable William Morris windows.
St. Mary’s, Gosforth, is best known for the Norse cross in the graveyard. The cross is 14ft high, dates to around 940AD, and shows the crucifixion, stories from Norse myth, and Loki, a Norse devil. There are also two 10th century hogback tombstones in the church, shaped like Viking houses of the dead, complete with carved battle scenes.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was once shipwrecked on Duddon Sands on the Cumbrian coast. From here, he made his way across the county, converting the people as he went. He baptised at St. Patrick’s Well, Patterdale, and both the village and local church were named after him. The current St. Patrick’s church, Patterdale is nineteenth century, and was designed by Anthony Salvin. There is an interesting altar here, dedicated to people who have lost their lives in air crashes on the fells.
There are many churches in the Lakes dedicated to St. Bridget or St. Bride, and, like St. Bega and St. Patrick, entire villages are named after her.
St. Bridget’s, Bridekirk was heavily restored in the Victorian era, but still has two Norman doorways. It has a splendid 12th century font depicting the stonemason at work, the baptism of Christ, Adam and Eve, and strange Norse beasts and runes.
St. Bridget’s Kirkbride is another early Christian site. The current building is mostly Saxon and Norman, with some stone seemingly sourced from the ruins of a nearby Roman camp.
St. Bridget’s in Beckermet is a little way out of the modern village (which now has another church, St. John’s, in the centre of the village). Another ancient site, St.
Bridget’s has two pre-Norman cross shafts outside, carved with scrolls and runes.
St. Bridget’s in Brigham was originally part of a 13th century nunnery, but the Viking crosses inside the church suggest earlier foundation, like our other St. Bridget’s churches. The tower is early 13th century and the rest 14th century, with some splendid 14th century stained glass. St. Bridget’s is the site of the tomb of Fletcher Christian, the Bounty mutineer.
St. Andrew is also a popular saint in Cumbria. St. Andrew’s, Dacre, is a site mentioned by Bede himself. It has a Norse cross shaft, and another, believed to be even earlier in date, showing Adam and Eve and the sacrifice of Isaac. Some floor stones are 10th century, and show a battle between good and evil. Dacre church is best known for its ‘bears’ – four bear-like statues in the churchyard. They are certainly very old, but it’s not clear how old and they may not even be bears!
St. Andrew’s, Greystoke, is a 13th/14th-century church. Its huge bell tower looks very much like the peel tower of a castle, and that’s no coincidence. During the time of the Border Reivers, the villagers used the tower as a refuge. Some splendid medieval stained glass here had a narrow escape from Cromwellian raiders in the seventeenth century. On hearing of their advance, the locals removed the glass and buried it. Two centuries later, it was unearthed and re-installed in the church. St. Andrew’s has two interesting sculptures. One, of the Madonna and Child, was carved with a penknife by German prisoners of war. The other, of the crucifixion, is by the modern sculptor, Josefina de Vasconcellos.
St. Andrew’s, Penrith, is a departure from Cumbria’s many medieval churches. Although the tower dates to the 13th century, the main part was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, a pupil of Christopher Wren, in 1720. Its internal decoration is stunning and surprising, with matt black pillars edged with gold, and strong highlights in Georgian blues and maroons. St. Andrew’s churchyard is well known for its so-called, ‘Giant’s Grave’. Some sources believe is to be the grave of the 10th century Cumbrian king, Owen Caesarius; the four side pieces are certainly Viking hogback stones. There are also two Norse crosses, one 14ft high.
Kirkby Stephen Church, which is not dedicated to St. Stephen, as many sources suggest, is known as ‘the cathedral of the Dales’ owing to its large size. It has some Saxon and Norman stones, but is best known for its ‘Loki stone’, an 8th century carving of a chained Norse devil.
St. Michael’s and All Angels, Muncaster, in the grounds of Muncaster Castle, is another departure from the norm. It’s Grade 1 listed, with 12th century parts and a north transept designed by Anthony Salvin. It has a rare ‘Doom’ window showing St. Michael and Christ at the Last Judgement and side windows depicting the archangels, Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel. St. Michael’s also has a Viking cross shaft depicting Norse myths.
Holy Trinity church, Grange-in-Borrowdale, surprises in that it is not as old as it looks. Built only in the nineteenth century, Holy Trinity has striking zigzag decoration imitating the Norman ‘dogtooth’ style, both inside and out.
St. Oswald’s, Grasmere, is always eclipsed by the graves of William Wordsworth and his family, which draw huge crowds all year round. St. Oswald’s is, however, another church with a remarkable history going back to its foundation by St. Oswald in the 7th century. The church hosts a popular rushbearing festival – where rushes are brought in to carpet the church – on 5th August each year.
St. Michael’s, Lamplugh, was designed by the famous 19th century church architect, William Butterfield, best known for Keble College chapel at Oxford. The church gained a lot of news coverage a few years ago, when the Carlisle record office uncovered some unusual causes of death in the 17th century parish records. Mrs Lamplugh’s cordial was responsible for two; some fell foul of a will o’ the wisp, the squire’s dog killed two vagrants; some were ‘frighted by fairies’ and three were drowned on a charge of witchcraft.
There are atmospheric church ruins worth visiting at Calder Abbey, near Calder Bridge, and Lanercost Priory, near Brampton. Perhaps the most enigmatic of them all is the church that – allegedly – appears only during hot summers. Mardale Church, in the village of Mardale Green, was submerged as the waters of Haweswater reservoir rose in 1937. It’s certainly the case that ruined village walls have re-appeared in dry summers, but the church bell tower? Good question. One some dark nights, travellers have reported hearing the bells of the old church, ringing out across the drowned valley.
To stay in self catering lake district cottages and start exploring these wonderful churches just follow the link.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Eskdale Walk - Stanley Ghyll
Short, medium or long? Your choice on these fine circuits of middle Eskdale, with combinations of about one, two, or three hours. There are several holiday cottages in the lake district which would give you easy access to the start of this walk.
Start at Fisherground, and walk down the lane, straight across the road, through the left hand gate, across the field and over the swing bridge to Milkingstead, now owned by the National Trust as their maintenance outpost for the Western valleys. Turn left over the bridge, and set off up the river, following the lane. The path goes through the gate at the field entrance and across to the gate opposite, and then through the ruins of Red Brow farmstead and so on up the side of the river Esk. Judging from the stone foundations of one or two of the sections, and its position, this is almost certainly the remains of the Roman road down the valley from Hard Knott fort (Mediobogdum) to Ravenglass fort, bath-house and port.
The clear path leads you through Dalegarth woods, a tribute to Colonel Stanley who planted well over a million trees here, and behind the stately round chimneys of Dalegarth Hall, the Stanley family seat. These sturdy, round chimneys are typical of the Lakeland architecture of the yeoman houses, and you will see many examples throughout the Lakes. Presently the path comes to a wide lane which runs up from Dalegarth to the lonely farms on Birker Moor, and here’s your first choice.
Dalegarth waterfalls are well worth the diversion (about half an hour). To see them, go right, up the lane, for about 100 metre then through the gate on the left, marked –helpfully- ‘Waterfalls’ then on the obvious path that wends upwards through the woods to the falls themselves.
You can climb up the right hand side as far as you like before turning back, and the views of the falls just go on getting better, till at the top, if you are brave enough, you can lie on your front and peer over the straight 120 feet drop. (Not for the faint-hearted!)
Retrace your steps down into the woods, and pick up the path up the valley. (Don’t bother going back through the gate). If you gave the falls a miss, then you will have crossed the Birker Moor lane and gone through the gate marked footpath, through the lovely little field to the opposite gate, and through into the lower section of the waterfall woods. The path now carries on up river to the stepping stones across to St. Catherine’s Church, which you’ll pick out as a goal. If they are above water, cross here: otherwise carry on upriver a further 200 metres to cross via the upgraded Ratty ‘girder bridge’, over a lovely pool. Thirty years ago, when Sally was a girl, there were just two girders crossing, and one of her earliest memories is of her foolhardy father hoisting her on his shoulders and carrying her over the nine inch wide girder!
Drop into St. Catherine’s, both for the peace and gentle spirituality of its interior and to view the ornate gravestone commemorating Tommy Dobson, the most famous of the Eskdale Masters of Foxhounds. He has many songs of his own, sadly not as famous as ‘D’ye ken John Peel’ but gems in their own right, and to be heard at every Eskdale Show (last Saturday in September). Standing at the church door, looking down the valley, his stone is ten metres away, slightly left.
Leaving the churchyard, turn left up the lane for 50 metres, then bear left along ‘Parson’s Plod’, the direct route from vicarage to church, and follow it to the metalled lane. Turn right, up the lane to the main road up Eskdale, and your second choice.
If time or energy is at a premium, turn right and walk up the road to Dalegarth terminus, the end of the Ratty. Here’s a café, toilets, children’s playground, and if you wish a train back to Fisherground or Eskdale Green. Tell the guard where you’d like to be dropped off, or it’s a long walk back from Ravenglass!
If you want to finish with a flourish, though, turn left and down the road past the vicarage, to Beckfoot, a large guest house on the left, and a small train halt on the right. Cross the railway just before either of the Beckfeet and go through the gate and then ever upwards on the old track that used to be the peat track up to Eskdale Common. Every farm had its rights to cut peat for fuel (called the right of turbage) and we’ll see lots of evidence further on. You will also catch glimpses of the old water pipe that used to bring water from Blea Tarn down to a tank to serve Beckfoot and the vicarage.
This is a major pull up out of the valley, but the view as you breast the top is well worth the effort. Blea Tarns are all over the Lake District, the name associated with the bleaberries that are also common, but this one is the biggest, and sits almost overhanging the valley below. Use the excuse of its charms to sit awhile and get your breath back, before setting off along its left bank, across the stream issuing, and follow the somewhat indistinct path over to Siney Tarn. This is a very reedy, overgrown area but a magnificent wildlife sanctuary, nesting place for hundreds of gulls. Be sure to keep the tarn on your right making your way down westwards; otherwise you will have to go all the way round to the right of it. You will see plenty of evidence of the peat cutting referred to here, as large boggy areas where all the topsoil, the peat, has been removed. This peat is the accumulation of ten thousand years of fallen woodland, rotted down to a burnable peat.
Whichever track you use, as long as you keep going generally west, you will come to a fence across the fell keeping sheep out of ‘Low Fell End’, an area covered in bracken, scrub and bleaberries where any sheep are vulnerable to attack by blowfly and ticks. Through the gate, and down the obvious track that leads level along at first before dropping down to the valley again. After 50 metres, if you look to your right, you will see a vast depression in the ground. This is where the iron ore quarry fell in late in the 19th Century; by great good fortune on a Sunday when there were no miners inside. There used to be a tramway right down from this quarry to the Ratty, where the full wagons of stone pulled the empty wagons back up and there are still traces to be seen (if the bracken isn’t growing).
Follow the track and as it begins to descend you pass a peat hut on your left. The cut peat was first piled to dry, then carted to these peat huts to be stored for the winter. It was tipped in from the high ramp on the back side, and removed from the low door at the front. Whenever more was needed, a horse and cart could come up and take a load from the hut. They were high on the fell to save carting time in the hard-pressed summer; in winter there was always time for the occasional load.
Follow on down the peat trod, through the gate in the wall, and on a further 50 metres, then turn left on the path that goes through another gate, and through the wood down to Fisherground, crossing the Ratty again.
This walk is from Fisherground Farmhouse and the walk can be accessed on foot from several self catering lake district cottages based in the Eskdale area.
Start at Fisherground, and walk down the lane, straight across the road, through the left hand gate, across the field and over the swing bridge to Milkingstead, now owned by the National Trust as their maintenance outpost for the Western valleys. Turn left over the bridge, and set off up the river, following the lane. The path goes through the gate at the field entrance and across to the gate opposite, and then through the ruins of Red Brow farmstead and so on up the side of the river Esk. Judging from the stone foundations of one or two of the sections, and its position, this is almost certainly the remains of the Roman road down the valley from Hard Knott fort (Mediobogdum) to Ravenglass fort, bath-house and port.
The clear path leads you through Dalegarth woods, a tribute to Colonel Stanley who planted well over a million trees here, and behind the stately round chimneys of Dalegarth Hall, the Stanley family seat. These sturdy, round chimneys are typical of the Lakeland architecture of the yeoman houses, and you will see many examples throughout the Lakes. Presently the path comes to a wide lane which runs up from Dalegarth to the lonely farms on Birker Moor, and here’s your first choice.
Dalegarth waterfalls are well worth the diversion (about half an hour). To see them, go right, up the lane, for about 100 metre then through the gate on the left, marked –helpfully- ‘Waterfalls’ then on the obvious path that wends upwards through the woods to the falls themselves.
You can climb up the right hand side as far as you like before turning back, and the views of the falls just go on getting better, till at the top, if you are brave enough, you can lie on your front and peer over the straight 120 feet drop. (Not for the faint-hearted!)
Retrace your steps down into the woods, and pick up the path up the valley. (Don’t bother going back through the gate). If you gave the falls a miss, then you will have crossed the Birker Moor lane and gone through the gate marked footpath, through the lovely little field to the opposite gate, and through into the lower section of the waterfall woods. The path now carries on up river to the stepping stones across to St. Catherine’s Church, which you’ll pick out as a goal. If they are above water, cross here: otherwise carry on upriver a further 200 metres to cross via the upgraded Ratty ‘girder bridge’, over a lovely pool. Thirty years ago, when Sally was a girl, there were just two girders crossing, and one of her earliest memories is of her foolhardy father hoisting her on his shoulders and carrying her over the nine inch wide girder!
Drop into St. Catherine’s, both for the peace and gentle spirituality of its interior and to view the ornate gravestone commemorating Tommy Dobson, the most famous of the Eskdale Masters of Foxhounds. He has many songs of his own, sadly not as famous as ‘D’ye ken John Peel’ but gems in their own right, and to be heard at every Eskdale Show (last Saturday in September). Standing at the church door, looking down the valley, his stone is ten metres away, slightly left.
Leaving the churchyard, turn left up the lane for 50 metres, then bear left along ‘Parson’s Plod’, the direct route from vicarage to church, and follow it to the metalled lane. Turn right, up the lane to the main road up Eskdale, and your second choice.
If time or energy is at a premium, turn right and walk up the road to Dalegarth terminus, the end of the Ratty. Here’s a café, toilets, children’s playground, and if you wish a train back to Fisherground or Eskdale Green. Tell the guard where you’d like to be dropped off, or it’s a long walk back from Ravenglass!
If you want to finish with a flourish, though, turn left and down the road past the vicarage, to Beckfoot, a large guest house on the left, and a small train halt on the right. Cross the railway just before either of the Beckfeet and go through the gate and then ever upwards on the old track that used to be the peat track up to Eskdale Common. Every farm had its rights to cut peat for fuel (called the right of turbage) and we’ll see lots of evidence further on. You will also catch glimpses of the old water pipe that used to bring water from Blea Tarn down to a tank to serve Beckfoot and the vicarage.
This is a major pull up out of the valley, but the view as you breast the top is well worth the effort. Blea Tarns are all over the Lake District, the name associated with the bleaberries that are also common, but this one is the biggest, and sits almost overhanging the valley below. Use the excuse of its charms to sit awhile and get your breath back, before setting off along its left bank, across the stream issuing, and follow the somewhat indistinct path over to Siney Tarn. This is a very reedy, overgrown area but a magnificent wildlife sanctuary, nesting place for hundreds of gulls. Be sure to keep the tarn on your right making your way down westwards; otherwise you will have to go all the way round to the right of it. You will see plenty of evidence of the peat cutting referred to here, as large boggy areas where all the topsoil, the peat, has been removed. This peat is the accumulation of ten thousand years of fallen woodland, rotted down to a burnable peat.
Whichever track you use, as long as you keep going generally west, you will come to a fence across the fell keeping sheep out of ‘Low Fell End’, an area covered in bracken, scrub and bleaberries where any sheep are vulnerable to attack by blowfly and ticks. Through the gate, and down the obvious track that leads level along at first before dropping down to the valley again. After 50 metres, if you look to your right, you will see a vast depression in the ground. This is where the iron ore quarry fell in late in the 19th Century; by great good fortune on a Sunday when there were no miners inside. There used to be a tramway right down from this quarry to the Ratty, where the full wagons of stone pulled the empty wagons back up and there are still traces to be seen (if the bracken isn’t growing).
Follow the track and as it begins to descend you pass a peat hut on your left. The cut peat was first piled to dry, then carted to these peat huts to be stored for the winter. It was tipped in from the high ramp on the back side, and removed from the low door at the front. Whenever more was needed, a horse and cart could come up and take a load from the hut. They were high on the fell to save carting time in the hard-pressed summer; in winter there was always time for the occasional load.
Follow on down the peat trod, through the gate in the wall, and on a further 50 metres, then turn left on the path that goes through another gate, and through the wood down to Fisherground, crossing the Ratty again.
This walk is from Fisherground Farmhouse and the walk can be accessed on foot from several self catering lake district cottages based in the Eskdale area.
Stately Homes in the Lake District
Here in the Lake District and Cumbria our major buildings are different in character to those in many other parts of the country. Many started out as small castles, built here in the buffer region between more populous parts of England and marauding medieval Scots. Some were simple fortified towers, now built into private farmhouses scattered throughout the east of the county, and others have been developed over the ages into grand stone edifices. Some holiday cottages in the lake district can boast being part of these wonderful buildings.
Many of the Lake District and Cumbria's important houses are smaller in scale than those found elsewhere. We do have our massive monuments to elegance, but you can also visit several examples of more modest properties. This is quite a different experience from the ‘walk-along-the-special-carpet’, ‘don’t-lean-over-the rope’ type of property, as it’s often not difficult to imagine yourself transported back in time, living there quietly.
Unlike much of the country, many of our stately homes and castles are still under private or charitable ownership, rather than the National Trust or English Heritage. This has its advantages, as often the personal effects of past owners remain on display, and the interiors aren’t honed to unrealistic perfection.
Our grandest properties are Muncaster Castle on the west coast and Levens Hall, Holker Hall and Sizergh Castle, all in the south of the county.
Muncaster Castle is on an old, old site. The first buildings appeared here in the Roman period, and these foundations underpin a mid thirteenth century pele tower. Every generation of the Pennington family has added to and improved the property, and it is now a very large and impressive house. Highlights include gold-leafed, leather wall coverings, early furniture, portraits and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. This is a great place for youngsters to indulge their Harry Potter fantasies with oak four-posters and a huge, extraordinarily high-ceilinged octagonal library, followed by a visit to some of Hedwig’s friends at the Owl Centre. Muncaster is home to the annual Fools’ Festival, of Blue Peter fame, and promotes itself as a ghost-hunting venue. Opens mid March. Closed Saturdays.
Levens Hall, near Kendal, is a large house that started as a simple defensive pele tower, but was extended into a gentleman’s residence in the sixteenth century. It retains its grand Elizabethan character, with heavy oak panelling, plasterwork ceilings, carved oak furniture and embossed leather ‘wallpaper’. The gardens, which were laid out at the end of the seventeenth century, are Grade 1 listed. The most memorable part is the topiary garden, but they also have an orchard, a herb garden, rose garden and wonderful borders. Opens April . Closed Fridays and Saturdays.
Holker Hall, at Cark-in-Cartmel, near Grange-over-Sands, is a rose-coloured, neo-Elizabethan, Victorian mansion. The present house replaced an Elizabethan original that burned down in the nineteenth century, and the rebuild echoes that style with oak linenfold panelling and moulded plaster ceilings. Like all Victorian reproductions of older styles, the effect is somehow loftier and more theatrical than the original. This is a stately home of the grandest sort, in a wonderful Lake District setting. Opens mid March. Closed Saturdays.
Sizergh Castle, near Kendal, is a truly splendid National Trust property. Like so many Cumbrian houses, it started off in the medieval period as a defensive tower. The Strickland family transformed it into a magnificent home in the sixteenth century, adding more in the Georgian and Victorian periods. There’s a lot to see and remember here; a medieval banqueting hall with ancient, foot-wide timbers, original weaponry, Elizabethan oak panelling, elaborately carved overmantels, exquisite portraits and four-poster beds. The span of history covered makes this a brilliant place to bring children to show them how grand homes have changed over centuries. Opens mid March, afternoons only. Closed Saturdays.
Dalemain is a smaller but nonetheless substantial home near Ullswater. It’s a surprising place to visit, as the Georgian shell is pretty much just that, encasing a home that is more Elizabethan and medieval than Georgian. Some rooms, such as the drawing room decorated in stunning Chinese hand-painted paper, speak of the later period, but the oak panelling, fretwork ceilings and newel staircase shout of the earlier.
Hutton-in-the-Forest, north of Penrith, is not as well known as it should be. Built in the ancient Royal Forest of Inglewood – and indeed, the resident is still Lord Inglewood – Hutton-in-the-Forest is linked enigmatically to the story of Gawain and the Green Knight, and to a knight of the round table, who may, or may not, have lived near here. Hutton, too started as a defensive pele tower – how those Scots have dictated the architecture of the region! – with additions from many following periods. The original tower is possibly the most memorable part of Hutton, with its impossibly thick walls and display of weaponry. There’s also a wonderful Elizabethan long gallery and a drawing room designed by Anthony Salvin in the later nineteenth century. Opens in the afternoons only from 31st March – 11th April, then from 28th April for the season. Open Weds, Thurs, Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays.
Mirehouse, west of Keswick, has a strong Lake District character, overlooked by Skiddaw, with grounds rolling down to Bassenthwaite Lake. It has poetic links in abundance, wonderful gardens, and access to the tiny, lakeside church of St Bega. The house itself, founded in the late seventeenth century with late eighteenth and nineteenth century additions, is more smart than grand. Its claim to fame is its extensive collection of the works of the fifteenth/sixteenth century writer, Francis Bacon, and letters from Tennyson, Carlyle, Southey, Wordsworth and Constable. It’s best to go to Mirehouse on a fine day, so that you can enjoy the Rhododendron walk, the woods and the path down to the lake. Opens end of March, Wednesday and Sunday afternoons only (and Fridays in August). There are plenty of Keswick cottages in the area as an added bonus.
Brantwood overlooks Coniston water and was the home of John Ruskin. It’s not easy to sum up Ruskin’s contribution to Victorian thinking, but it was profound and radical, extending to philosophy, art, philanthropy and social commentary. The house has a Ruskin video, a number of portraits, Ruskin’s drawings, copies of the Turner paintings he loved, examples of Ruskin lace and pottery and some furnishings. The site has wonderful lake views, best appreciated on the terrace café. Open daily.
Cumbria’s smaller houses are often absolutely charming. Try these for size…
Townend, at Troutbeck, near Windermere, is a seventeenth century yeoman’s house. It is built in Lakes vernacular style, with characteristic round chimneys and whitewashed exterior with flagged kitchen floors, narrow passages and a tiny, twisting staircase. This atmospheric cottage has a lot of dark oak furniture, carved ornately by a nineteenth-century resident. One of my favourite places in the Lakes. Open in February and March for guided tours only, otherwise from April. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Dove Cottage, in Grasmere, needs little introduction. This tiny seventeenth century cottage has achieved fame as the home of William Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808. This is another house of vernacular construction, with lime-washed walls, a slate roof, small latticed windows with panelled oak shutters, slate and oak floors and oak wainscoting. Coleridge, Southey and De Quincy were all regular visitors to Dove Cottage, and de Quincy took over the cottage’s tenantship after the Wordsworths left. The museum is worth visiting for its letters, books, portraits and memorabilia. Dove Cottage is extremely popular with both domestic and international tourists, and only a small number of people are allowed in at a time, so it’s a good idea to go early in the year to avoid the crush. Open daily.
Rydal Mount, near Ambleside, is another house associated with Wordsworth, who lived here from 1813 to 1850 – much longer than he lived at the better-known Dove Cottage. Originally a modest sixteenth century farm worker’s cottage, the house was extended in the mid eighteenth century to form a family house of respectable proportions. There are excellent portraits of William, Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth and much of the Wordsworth’s furniture and books. Opens daily 1st March.
Hill Top, Near Sawrey, Hawkshead, was once home to Beatrix Potter, bought with the proceeds of her books in 1905. Most of this tiny cottage is late seventeenth century, with a small extension built by Beatrix. It is of typical Lakes construction, with rubble walls, a stone roof, stone-flagged floor and panelling. The interiors are exactly as they were in Beatrix’s time; she bequeathed her entire property and land portfolio to the National Trust. There is a small, but pretty, cottage garden. Hill Top is extremely popular with domestic and international visitors and can get very busy. Only a small number of people are allowed in at a time, so there can be a long wait for entry. We recommend visiting early in the season. Open mid February. Closed Fridays except Good Friday.
Many of Cumbria’s smaller properties are located in relatively remote areas, at the end of long, narrow roads. Parking can be tight, and they tend not to have tea rooms or shops, so our advice is to arrive early and take a picnic. They are all splendidly situated with attractive gardens and views.
If you wish to come and stay and sample some of this great history there are plenty of self catering lake district cottages to stay at in areas across Cumbria.
Enjoy!
Many of the Lake District and Cumbria's important houses are smaller in scale than those found elsewhere. We do have our massive monuments to elegance, but you can also visit several examples of more modest properties. This is quite a different experience from the ‘walk-along-the-special-carpet’, ‘don’t-lean-over-the rope’ type of property, as it’s often not difficult to imagine yourself transported back in time, living there quietly.
Unlike much of the country, many of our stately homes and castles are still under private or charitable ownership, rather than the National Trust or English Heritage. This has its advantages, as often the personal effects of past owners remain on display, and the interiors aren’t honed to unrealistic perfection.
Our grandest properties are Muncaster Castle on the west coast and Levens Hall, Holker Hall and Sizergh Castle, all in the south of the county.
Muncaster Castle is on an old, old site. The first buildings appeared here in the Roman period, and these foundations underpin a mid thirteenth century pele tower. Every generation of the Pennington family has added to and improved the property, and it is now a very large and impressive house. Highlights include gold-leafed, leather wall coverings, early furniture, portraits and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. This is a great place for youngsters to indulge their Harry Potter fantasies with oak four-posters and a huge, extraordinarily high-ceilinged octagonal library, followed by a visit to some of Hedwig’s friends at the Owl Centre. Muncaster is home to the annual Fools’ Festival, of Blue Peter fame, and promotes itself as a ghost-hunting venue. Opens mid March. Closed Saturdays.
Levens Hall, near Kendal, is a large house that started as a simple defensive pele tower, but was extended into a gentleman’s residence in the sixteenth century. It retains its grand Elizabethan character, with heavy oak panelling, plasterwork ceilings, carved oak furniture and embossed leather ‘wallpaper’. The gardens, which were laid out at the end of the seventeenth century, are Grade 1 listed. The most memorable part is the topiary garden, but they also have an orchard, a herb garden, rose garden and wonderful borders. Opens April . Closed Fridays and Saturdays.
Holker Hall, at Cark-in-Cartmel, near Grange-over-Sands, is a rose-coloured, neo-Elizabethan, Victorian mansion. The present house replaced an Elizabethan original that burned down in the nineteenth century, and the rebuild echoes that style with oak linenfold panelling and moulded plaster ceilings. Like all Victorian reproductions of older styles, the effect is somehow loftier and more theatrical than the original. This is a stately home of the grandest sort, in a wonderful Lake District setting. Opens mid March. Closed Saturdays.
Sizergh Castle, near Kendal, is a truly splendid National Trust property. Like so many Cumbrian houses, it started off in the medieval period as a defensive tower. The Strickland family transformed it into a magnificent home in the sixteenth century, adding more in the Georgian and Victorian periods. There’s a lot to see and remember here; a medieval banqueting hall with ancient, foot-wide timbers, original weaponry, Elizabethan oak panelling, elaborately carved overmantels, exquisite portraits and four-poster beds. The span of history covered makes this a brilliant place to bring children to show them how grand homes have changed over centuries. Opens mid March, afternoons only. Closed Saturdays.
Dalemain is a smaller but nonetheless substantial home near Ullswater. It’s a surprising place to visit, as the Georgian shell is pretty much just that, encasing a home that is more Elizabethan and medieval than Georgian. Some rooms, such as the drawing room decorated in stunning Chinese hand-painted paper, speak of the later period, but the oak panelling, fretwork ceilings and newel staircase shout of the earlier.
Hutton-in-the-Forest, north of Penrith, is not as well known as it should be. Built in the ancient Royal Forest of Inglewood – and indeed, the resident is still Lord Inglewood – Hutton-in-the-Forest is linked enigmatically to the story of Gawain and the Green Knight, and to a knight of the round table, who may, or may not, have lived near here. Hutton, too started as a defensive pele tower – how those Scots have dictated the architecture of the region! – with additions from many following periods. The original tower is possibly the most memorable part of Hutton, with its impossibly thick walls and display of weaponry. There’s also a wonderful Elizabethan long gallery and a drawing room designed by Anthony Salvin in the later nineteenth century. Opens in the afternoons only from 31st March – 11th April, then from 28th April for the season. Open Weds, Thurs, Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays.
Mirehouse, west of Keswick, has a strong Lake District character, overlooked by Skiddaw, with grounds rolling down to Bassenthwaite Lake. It has poetic links in abundance, wonderful gardens, and access to the tiny, lakeside church of St Bega. The house itself, founded in the late seventeenth century with late eighteenth and nineteenth century additions, is more smart than grand. Its claim to fame is its extensive collection of the works of the fifteenth/sixteenth century writer, Francis Bacon, and letters from Tennyson, Carlyle, Southey, Wordsworth and Constable. It’s best to go to Mirehouse on a fine day, so that you can enjoy the Rhododendron walk, the woods and the path down to the lake. Opens end of March, Wednesday and Sunday afternoons only (and Fridays in August). There are plenty of Keswick cottages in the area as an added bonus.
Brantwood overlooks Coniston water and was the home of John Ruskin. It’s not easy to sum up Ruskin’s contribution to Victorian thinking, but it was profound and radical, extending to philosophy, art, philanthropy and social commentary. The house has a Ruskin video, a number of portraits, Ruskin’s drawings, copies of the Turner paintings he loved, examples of Ruskin lace and pottery and some furnishings. The site has wonderful lake views, best appreciated on the terrace café. Open daily.
Cumbria’s smaller houses are often absolutely charming. Try these for size…
Townend, at Troutbeck, near Windermere, is a seventeenth century yeoman’s house. It is built in Lakes vernacular style, with characteristic round chimneys and whitewashed exterior with flagged kitchen floors, narrow passages and a tiny, twisting staircase. This atmospheric cottage has a lot of dark oak furniture, carved ornately by a nineteenth-century resident. One of my favourite places in the Lakes. Open in February and March for guided tours only, otherwise from April. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Dove Cottage, in Grasmere, needs little introduction. This tiny seventeenth century cottage has achieved fame as the home of William Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808. This is another house of vernacular construction, with lime-washed walls, a slate roof, small latticed windows with panelled oak shutters, slate and oak floors and oak wainscoting. Coleridge, Southey and De Quincy were all regular visitors to Dove Cottage, and de Quincy took over the cottage’s tenantship after the Wordsworths left. The museum is worth visiting for its letters, books, portraits and memorabilia. Dove Cottage is extremely popular with both domestic and international tourists, and only a small number of people are allowed in at a time, so it’s a good idea to go early in the year to avoid the crush. Open daily.
Rydal Mount, near Ambleside, is another house associated with Wordsworth, who lived here from 1813 to 1850 – much longer than he lived at the better-known Dove Cottage. Originally a modest sixteenth century farm worker’s cottage, the house was extended in the mid eighteenth century to form a family house of respectable proportions. There are excellent portraits of William, Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth and much of the Wordsworth’s furniture and books. Opens daily 1st March.
Hill Top, Near Sawrey, Hawkshead, was once home to Beatrix Potter, bought with the proceeds of her books in 1905. Most of this tiny cottage is late seventeenth century, with a small extension built by Beatrix. It is of typical Lakes construction, with rubble walls, a stone roof, stone-flagged floor and panelling. The interiors are exactly as they were in Beatrix’s time; she bequeathed her entire property and land portfolio to the National Trust. There is a small, but pretty, cottage garden. Hill Top is extremely popular with domestic and international visitors and can get very busy. Only a small number of people are allowed in at a time, so there can be a long wait for entry. We recommend visiting early in the season. Open mid February. Closed Fridays except Good Friday.
Many of Cumbria’s smaller properties are located in relatively remote areas, at the end of long, narrow roads. Parking can be tight, and they tend not to have tea rooms or shops, so our advice is to arrive early and take a picnic. They are all splendidly situated with attractive gardens and views.
If you wish to come and stay and sample some of this great history there are plenty of self catering lake district cottages to stay at in areas across Cumbria.
Enjoy!
A Review of Eskdale
Eskdale was a brilliant place to grow up. The valley itself is beautiful and I think the fact that it takes that tiny bit extra effort to get to it means that it hasn’t been spoiled and is still one of the quieter valleys in the Lake District. Because it is quiet we were pretty much left to our own devices when we were younger. My parents used to run holiday cottages in the lake district which meant change over days were always pretty busy.
We used to get a season ticket on the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway and spend long summer holidays chugging up and down. It’s a beautiful ride (not that we noticed at the time) and it seems that adults get just as much out of it as children! When it’s hot, the open air carriages are full and even dogs are allowed to travel with a special dog ticket!
Then, once we’d learned how to ride a bike there was no stopping us. We’d cycle up and down the valley stopping off at various swimming spots along the river Esk. I’m not sure if I’d be confident enough do it now but we used to jump off Forge Bridge, then Trough House Bridge and then (working our way up the valley) jump off the rocks into the Upper Eskdale pools. They were just fantastic. I think I might find it a bit cold now but maybe I should revisit my childhood and try it again.
Certainly whenever I come back to Eskdale it feels like I’m coming home. All I want to do is get out there on the fells. Blea Tarn was always a particular favourite of mine – a walk with a point and it took less than an hour to walk there. Rob, of course, prefers the high fells and will go up Giggle Alley (beautiful Japanese gardens there, by the way), over the fells and up Scafell Pike before dropping down into Wasdale for a well earned pie and pint. If it were me, I would drive up Hardknott Pass to gain some height first. Then you can walk over Crinkle Crags, Bow Fell and eventually Scafell Pike. It’s still quite a hike though.
Talking of Hardknott Pass, this is an amazing road although not for the faint hearted. It leads to Ambleside and Windermere beyond but is a day out in itself. It is a tiny road winding up into the mountains. It is noted for being the steepest road in England with an incline of 1 in 3. Combine this with some very sharp hairpin bends, the odd car coming the other way and sheep on the road and you have a very interesting journey indeed. My dad took me up there when I’d only been learning to drive for a couple of weeks. He spent most of the journey with his head in his hands from what I remember. I’m not too sure because I think I had my eyes closed too! I certainly practised my hill starts that day.
Anyway, halfway up Hardknott Pass is Hardknott Fort, a Roman staging post in an amazing setting. It’s well worth a stop off there to imagine what it would have been like to be stationed there all those hundreds of years ago. If you like a bit of history, check out the Roman Bathhouse at Ravenglass which is 7 miles from Eskdale, on the coast.
April and May is my favourite time of year in Eskdale. The woods are full of bluebells and the woodland walk to St Catherine’s church is magical. Even better, take a detour at St Catherine’s up to Stanley Ghyll waterfall. The walk has a feel of being in a rainforest and the narrow paths lead you up a small ravine which criss-crosses the river over wooden bridges. The waterfall at the end of the walk is stunning – perfect for a moment’s quiet reflection. I suppose that’s why so many people enjoy spending time in self catering lake district cottages.
Muncaster Castle is at its best in April and May too. The rhododendrons are fabulous in March/April and then once again the bluebells are fantastic here in May. The gardens are my favourite in Muncaster – I used to work there and it took me almost three years to explore them fully. If you’re quiet, the deer and rabbits may come out to play with you. I now come with my two little ones who love the playground and the ice-creams. I loved working there and occasionally would do a guided tour of the castle for groups. There’s a painting of Nelson which is one of only two full length portraits of him in the country … except that the frame the Pennington family had for him was a tad small so they cut off the bottom of his legs! There’s also a ghost there – I know because I slept in the haunted room and couldn’t believe it when I felt a cold presence and deep pressure on my chest.
If you would like a bit more quiet reflection, then I would suggest a trip to Wastwater in the moonlight. It’s just in the next valley to Eskdale and was voted Britain’s favourite view (in the daylight of course). Even with this accolade, it’s still a peaceful valley.
And of course, sometimes enough quiet reflection is enough. It’s time for the pub and Eskdale is well placed for pubs with five in the valley plus a few others nearby.
We used to get a season ticket on the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway and spend long summer holidays chugging up and down. It’s a beautiful ride (not that we noticed at the time) and it seems that adults get just as much out of it as children! When it’s hot, the open air carriages are full and even dogs are allowed to travel with a special dog ticket!
Then, once we’d learned how to ride a bike there was no stopping us. We’d cycle up and down the valley stopping off at various swimming spots along the river Esk. I’m not sure if I’d be confident enough do it now but we used to jump off Forge Bridge, then Trough House Bridge and then (working our way up the valley) jump off the rocks into the Upper Eskdale pools. They were just fantastic. I think I might find it a bit cold now but maybe I should revisit my childhood and try it again.
Certainly whenever I come back to Eskdale it feels like I’m coming home. All I want to do is get out there on the fells. Blea Tarn was always a particular favourite of mine – a walk with a point and it took less than an hour to walk there. Rob, of course, prefers the high fells and will go up Giggle Alley (beautiful Japanese gardens there, by the way), over the fells and up Scafell Pike before dropping down into Wasdale for a well earned pie and pint. If it were me, I would drive up Hardknott Pass to gain some height first. Then you can walk over Crinkle Crags, Bow Fell and eventually Scafell Pike. It’s still quite a hike though.
Talking of Hardknott Pass, this is an amazing road although not for the faint hearted. It leads to Ambleside and Windermere beyond but is a day out in itself. It is a tiny road winding up into the mountains. It is noted for being the steepest road in England with an incline of 1 in 3. Combine this with some very sharp hairpin bends, the odd car coming the other way and sheep on the road and you have a very interesting journey indeed. My dad took me up there when I’d only been learning to drive for a couple of weeks. He spent most of the journey with his head in his hands from what I remember. I’m not too sure because I think I had my eyes closed too! I certainly practised my hill starts that day.
Anyway, halfway up Hardknott Pass is Hardknott Fort, a Roman staging post in an amazing setting. It’s well worth a stop off there to imagine what it would have been like to be stationed there all those hundreds of years ago. If you like a bit of history, check out the Roman Bathhouse at Ravenglass which is 7 miles from Eskdale, on the coast.
April and May is my favourite time of year in Eskdale. The woods are full of bluebells and the woodland walk to St Catherine’s church is magical. Even better, take a detour at St Catherine’s up to Stanley Ghyll waterfall. The walk has a feel of being in a rainforest and the narrow paths lead you up a small ravine which criss-crosses the river over wooden bridges. The waterfall at the end of the walk is stunning – perfect for a moment’s quiet reflection. I suppose that’s why so many people enjoy spending time in self catering lake district cottages.
Muncaster Castle is at its best in April and May too. The rhododendrons are fabulous in March/April and then once again the bluebells are fantastic here in May. The gardens are my favourite in Muncaster – I used to work there and it took me almost three years to explore them fully. If you’re quiet, the deer and rabbits may come out to play with you. I now come with my two little ones who love the playground and the ice-creams. I loved working there and occasionally would do a guided tour of the castle for groups. There’s a painting of Nelson which is one of only two full length portraits of him in the country … except that the frame the Pennington family had for him was a tad small so they cut off the bottom of his legs! There’s also a ghost there – I know because I slept in the haunted room and couldn’t believe it when I felt a cold presence and deep pressure on my chest.
If you would like a bit more quiet reflection, then I would suggest a trip to Wastwater in the moonlight. It’s just in the next valley to Eskdale and was voted Britain’s favourite view (in the daylight of course). Even with this accolade, it’s still a peaceful valley.
And of course, sometimes enough quiet reflection is enough. It’s time for the pub and Eskdale is well placed for pubs with five in the valley plus a few others nearby.
Lakeland Shows
Every rural county has its agricultural show season, but I'd wager that Cumbria has more than most. A sparse population, living in farmsteads and small communities separated by miles, had more reason than most to meet up annually for a jolly good knees-up. And this is how it is: farmers show off their livestock, others show off their cooking and horticultural skills, young men race up mountains, children show their pets, and crazy souls pull crazy faces. Staying at holiday cottages in the lake district is a great base to enjoy these great shows.
Every show features farm animals heavily. Herdwick sheep, a native of the western and central fells of the Lakes, are compared and judged. Swaledale sheep, the black-and-white resident of the more easterly fells, is common in the northern and eastern Lakes. Some shows from the better-pastured areas feature beef and dairy cattle, too.
Our other hardy native animal is the fell pony. This breed of small, dark ponies has probably lived wild on the Cumbrian fells since prehistoric times, and served people well in pre-industrial farming and pre-motor car transport. These days, fell ponies usually get an easier life; they are popular with children, for trotting races and for long mountain treks. Most of the shows have a fell pony section.
Sheepdogs are a feature of every show. If you've ever followed a quad bike occupied by a farmer and a couple of working dogs, you'll know how much they love the outdoor life. Leaning into corners, hanging onto any sheep that are in transit and keeping a frantic eye out for their moment to jump. So they love the obstacle courses and flat-out running of the sheepdog trial, and as for herding sheep? - that, apparently, to a border collie, is a wheeze.
Talking of wheezing, this is what I would be doing if I dared to enter a fell race. This traditional northern sport involves frighteningly fit people hurling themselves up inclines that most of us would struggle to walk. It isn't only a young man's game, this, either; lots of women, children, and mature people excel at this sport.
Cumbria's most famous local sport has to be Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling. Cumbrians have been called to this sport for many centuries, with its most proficient participants proclaimed as local heroes. The sport involves standing chest-to-chest with your opponent, chin resting on their right shoulder, whereupon you try to unbalance your opponent by any means other than kicking. In practice, this involves a lot of twisting legs and hooking motions whilst grabbing the other chap by the buttocks. Wrestling used to be well-known for its outrageously-embroidered trunks worn over white long johns, but the traditional outfit was dropped when it was realised that this was the reason that young people weren't taking up the sport. Several shows do, however, still have a competition for the fanciest trunks. Long may it continue!
Most of the shows have a lively produce competition, where strong men vie for the prize of best tomatoes, or most uniform potatoes. The horticultural events are often stunning, with fabulous floral displays. There are often bakery contests, featuring local favourites such as currant slice, damson plate cake (damson pie, to the non-Cumbrian), gingerbread (a biscuit, not cake) and that delicious but tooth-rotting favourite, rum butter.
It's common these days for the shows to consider children's interests. There's often a bouncy castle, face-painting and the likes, and there are always competitions aimed at children, whether it's best young rider, best pet ferret, handwriting, crafts or 'dog with the waggiest tail'. Add the herdwicks, goats and the occasional alpaca, and it's a fabulous day out for kids.
The maddest ingredient of a traditional Cumbrian fair is 'gurning'. Not every show has it; if you want to see it at its most extraordinary, head for Egremont Fair's World Gurning Championship. 'Gurning' consists of pulling a peculiar face, usually involving jutting out the jaw and pulling the lips towards the nose. Lack of teeth is, apparently, an advantage.
The best way to experience these shows is to stay in self catering lake district cottages.
Here's a list of upcoming shows:
Lakeland Country Fair, Torver, nr. Coniston, 15th August
This traditional fair is famous for its Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling and its foxhounds. There's also a particularly tricky fell race up Coniston Old Man; working horse displays; falconry; herdwick and swaledale sheep clipping; sheepdog, terrier, lurcher, beagle and ferret shows. You can also see lots of crafts including rug weaving, wood carving, fly tying, spinning, bee-keeping and taxidermy.
Appleby-in-Westmorland Show, 21st August
Westmorland's old county town is best known for its connection to horses, thanks to the annual Appleby Horse Fair held earlier in the year. The Appleby Show has a lot of horse classes; working ponies, fell ponies, veteran horses, miniature Shetlands, horse jumping and carriage driving. There are also cattle and sheep shows, vintage farm machinery, dry stone walling, floral art, produce and 'most attractive welly'.
Gosforth Show 21st August
This fair has a lot of horse shows, show jumping, cattle, herdwick sheep and terrier, hounds, sheepdogs and gun dogs. There are also classes for pets, vintage machinery, a produce and horticulture tent and Made in Cumbria crafts.
Hawkshead Show, 24th August
This year's main show is a departure from the norm, with a display of falconry, eagles, snakes and lizards! They also have sheepdog and foxhound shows, fell and Shetland ponies, horse jumping and carriage driving. The horticultural show includes contests for wine, ginger beer and damson gin and the cookery class includes rum butter, gingerbread and sticky toffee pudding. Perhaps Jamie Oliver pricked consciences here, as the children's cookery competitions include, 'healthy packed lunch'!
Patterdale Dog Day 28th August
Despite its name, Patterdale Dog Day is about a lot more than dogs. It does, however, have some excellent sheepdog trials, hound trails and shows for terriers, gundogs and foxhounds. There's also a fell race, sheep shows, pet competition and stick show.
Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show 29th August
A very famous show, Grasmere has been hosting this sports spectacular since 1852. The highlight is the Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, with children's and adult's competitions, and a prize for the best traditional floral costume. The show is also well known for its fell race, known here as The Guide's Race, and its new cross-country mountain bike race. There are also sheepdogs rounding up sheep and ducks, a tug-of-war, paragliding display, dog shows and a dressage display.
Loweswater Show 5th September
2010 will be Loweswater's 134th show. It features fell ponies; hound trails; sheepdog trials; carriage driving; sheep, poultry and goat contests and children's and adult's fell races.
Westmorland County Show, Crooklands, nr. Milnthorpe 9th September
This show claims to be Cumbria's biggest livestock show, and that's saying something in a county as rural as this. You can see sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, alpacas, horses, fell ponies, poultry, hounds, dogs, heavy horses and rare breeds all in one day.
There's also Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, carriage driving, show jumping, a produce show, chefs' demonstrations, a Made in Cumbria craft marquee and the British Wool Marketing Board's best fleece contest.
Egremont Crab Fair and Sports 18th September
Established in 1267, Egremont Fair is probably the oldest and certainly the most unusual fair in Cumbria. This is the home of the World Gurning Championships, where people with strangely flexible faces gain local fame by pulling extraordinary expressions.
The show has the usual Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, horse jumping and cycling, but also has a range of activities which both betray the fair's ancient roots and the more modern character of the current population. You can beat the bounds of Egremont on horseback, follow an apple cart, compete in the pipe-smoking contest, or climb a greasy pole. You can also take part in a talent show or fancy dress, play darts, see the motorbike displays, and enter the wheelbarrow race or the egg-throwing competition.
In case you're wondering, the fair has nothing to do with crustaceans. The 'crab' is the crab apple, which was traditionally distributed to the people by the Lord of the Manor. Some say the crab apple's sourness accounts for the sour-faced gurning tradition!
Borrowdale Shepherds' Meet and Show 19th September
The Borrowdale Show's fell race isn't for the faint-hearted. Seventeen miles long and several hundred feet in ascent, this is a race for experienced runners and admiring observers! There are also sheepdog trials, Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, terrier races, hound trails, falconry displays, dry stone walling demonstrations, duck herding (!), craft shows and a bouncy castle.
Eskdale Show 25th September
The Eskdale Show claims to be the premier show for herdwick sheep, and there's certainly no doubt that they've been right here for centuries. There's also a fell race, hound trails, foxhound and terrier shows, handicrafts, children's sports and displays of old farm machinery. Not to mention tents full of beer, tea and cakes!
Wasdale Head Shepherds' Meet and Show 10th October
Another prestigious and difficult fell race; not surprising given that Wasdale is home to England's highest mountain. There are also herdwick sheep and sheepdog shows, terrier races, hound trailing, children's sports, a craft barn, stick and crook show and Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling.
Buttermere Shepherds' Meet and Show 16th October
Usually the last show of the season, Buttermere has sheep and dog shows, fell races, Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, crafts displays and craft stalls.
Please Note that Keswick Show has been cancelled for 2010, although there will be some sheepdog trials on 30th August.
Every show features farm animals heavily. Herdwick sheep, a native of the western and central fells of the Lakes, are compared and judged. Swaledale sheep, the black-and-white resident of the more easterly fells, is common in the northern and eastern Lakes. Some shows from the better-pastured areas feature beef and dairy cattle, too.
Our other hardy native animal is the fell pony. This breed of small, dark ponies has probably lived wild on the Cumbrian fells since prehistoric times, and served people well in pre-industrial farming and pre-motor car transport. These days, fell ponies usually get an easier life; they are popular with children, for trotting races and for long mountain treks. Most of the shows have a fell pony section.
Sheepdogs are a feature of every show. If you've ever followed a quad bike occupied by a farmer and a couple of working dogs, you'll know how much they love the outdoor life. Leaning into corners, hanging onto any sheep that are in transit and keeping a frantic eye out for their moment to jump. So they love the obstacle courses and flat-out running of the sheepdog trial, and as for herding sheep? - that, apparently, to a border collie, is a wheeze.
Talking of wheezing, this is what I would be doing if I dared to enter a fell race. This traditional northern sport involves frighteningly fit people hurling themselves up inclines that most of us would struggle to walk. It isn't only a young man's game, this, either; lots of women, children, and mature people excel at this sport.
Cumbria's most famous local sport has to be Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling. Cumbrians have been called to this sport for many centuries, with its most proficient participants proclaimed as local heroes. The sport involves standing chest-to-chest with your opponent, chin resting on their right shoulder, whereupon you try to unbalance your opponent by any means other than kicking. In practice, this involves a lot of twisting legs and hooking motions whilst grabbing the other chap by the buttocks. Wrestling used to be well-known for its outrageously-embroidered trunks worn over white long johns, but the traditional outfit was dropped when it was realised that this was the reason that young people weren't taking up the sport. Several shows do, however, still have a competition for the fanciest trunks. Long may it continue!
Most of the shows have a lively produce competition, where strong men vie for the prize of best tomatoes, or most uniform potatoes. The horticultural events are often stunning, with fabulous floral displays. There are often bakery contests, featuring local favourites such as currant slice, damson plate cake (damson pie, to the non-Cumbrian), gingerbread (a biscuit, not cake) and that delicious but tooth-rotting favourite, rum butter.
It's common these days for the shows to consider children's interests. There's often a bouncy castle, face-painting and the likes, and there are always competitions aimed at children, whether it's best young rider, best pet ferret, handwriting, crafts or 'dog with the waggiest tail'. Add the herdwicks, goats and the occasional alpaca, and it's a fabulous day out for kids.
The maddest ingredient of a traditional Cumbrian fair is 'gurning'. Not every show has it; if you want to see it at its most extraordinary, head for Egremont Fair's World Gurning Championship. 'Gurning' consists of pulling a peculiar face, usually involving jutting out the jaw and pulling the lips towards the nose. Lack of teeth is, apparently, an advantage.
The best way to experience these shows is to stay in self catering lake district cottages.
Here's a list of upcoming shows:
Lakeland Country Fair, Torver, nr. Coniston, 15th August
This traditional fair is famous for its Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling and its foxhounds. There's also a particularly tricky fell race up Coniston Old Man; working horse displays; falconry; herdwick and swaledale sheep clipping; sheepdog, terrier, lurcher, beagle and ferret shows. You can also see lots of crafts including rug weaving, wood carving, fly tying, spinning, bee-keeping and taxidermy.
Appleby-in-Westmorland Show, 21st August
Westmorland's old county town is best known for its connection to horses, thanks to the annual Appleby Horse Fair held earlier in the year. The Appleby Show has a lot of horse classes; working ponies, fell ponies, veteran horses, miniature Shetlands, horse jumping and carriage driving. There are also cattle and sheep shows, vintage farm machinery, dry stone walling, floral art, produce and 'most attractive welly'.
Gosforth Show 21st August
This fair has a lot of horse shows, show jumping, cattle, herdwick sheep and terrier, hounds, sheepdogs and gun dogs. There are also classes for pets, vintage machinery, a produce and horticulture tent and Made in Cumbria crafts.
Hawkshead Show, 24th August
This year's main show is a departure from the norm, with a display of falconry, eagles, snakes and lizards! They also have sheepdog and foxhound shows, fell and Shetland ponies, horse jumping and carriage driving. The horticultural show includes contests for wine, ginger beer and damson gin and the cookery class includes rum butter, gingerbread and sticky toffee pudding. Perhaps Jamie Oliver pricked consciences here, as the children's cookery competitions include, 'healthy packed lunch'!
Patterdale Dog Day 28th August
Despite its name, Patterdale Dog Day is about a lot more than dogs. It does, however, have some excellent sheepdog trials, hound trails and shows for terriers, gundogs and foxhounds. There's also a fell race, sheep shows, pet competition and stick show.
Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show 29th August
A very famous show, Grasmere has been hosting this sports spectacular since 1852. The highlight is the Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, with children's and adult's competitions, and a prize for the best traditional floral costume. The show is also well known for its fell race, known here as The Guide's Race, and its new cross-country mountain bike race. There are also sheepdogs rounding up sheep and ducks, a tug-of-war, paragliding display, dog shows and a dressage display.
Loweswater Show 5th September
2010 will be Loweswater's 134th show. It features fell ponies; hound trails; sheepdog trials; carriage driving; sheep, poultry and goat contests and children's and adult's fell races.
Westmorland County Show, Crooklands, nr. Milnthorpe 9th September
This show claims to be Cumbria's biggest livestock show, and that's saying something in a county as rural as this. You can see sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, alpacas, horses, fell ponies, poultry, hounds, dogs, heavy horses and rare breeds all in one day.
There's also Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, carriage driving, show jumping, a produce show, chefs' demonstrations, a Made in Cumbria craft marquee and the British Wool Marketing Board's best fleece contest.
Egremont Crab Fair and Sports 18th September
Established in 1267, Egremont Fair is probably the oldest and certainly the most unusual fair in Cumbria. This is the home of the World Gurning Championships, where people with strangely flexible faces gain local fame by pulling extraordinary expressions.
The show has the usual Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, horse jumping and cycling, but also has a range of activities which both betray the fair's ancient roots and the more modern character of the current population. You can beat the bounds of Egremont on horseback, follow an apple cart, compete in the pipe-smoking contest, or climb a greasy pole. You can also take part in a talent show or fancy dress, play darts, see the motorbike displays, and enter the wheelbarrow race or the egg-throwing competition.
In case you're wondering, the fair has nothing to do with crustaceans. The 'crab' is the crab apple, which was traditionally distributed to the people by the Lord of the Manor. Some say the crab apple's sourness accounts for the sour-faced gurning tradition!
Borrowdale Shepherds' Meet and Show 19th September
The Borrowdale Show's fell race isn't for the faint-hearted. Seventeen miles long and several hundred feet in ascent, this is a race for experienced runners and admiring observers! There are also sheepdog trials, Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, terrier races, hound trails, falconry displays, dry stone walling demonstrations, duck herding (!), craft shows and a bouncy castle.
Eskdale Show 25th September
The Eskdale Show claims to be the premier show for herdwick sheep, and there's certainly no doubt that they've been right here for centuries. There's also a fell race, hound trails, foxhound and terrier shows, handicrafts, children's sports and displays of old farm machinery. Not to mention tents full of beer, tea and cakes!
Wasdale Head Shepherds' Meet and Show 10th October
Another prestigious and difficult fell race; not surprising given that Wasdale is home to England's highest mountain. There are also herdwick sheep and sheepdog shows, terrier races, hound trailing, children's sports, a craft barn, stick and crook show and Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling.
Buttermere Shepherds' Meet and Show 16th October
Usually the last show of the season, Buttermere has sheep and dog shows, fell races, Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, crafts displays and craft stalls.
Please Note that Keswick Show has been cancelled for 2010, although there will be some sheepdog trials on 30th August.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Dog Friendly Pubs in the Lake District
Cumbria is a great place for dogs. Wherever you go, you see visitors and pooches touring the Lake District. Whether it’s racing up the fell, tugging the lead through town, running for the lake - always carrying an infeasibly large stick – or sitting nobly waiting for leftover sandwiches, this is dog country.
Locals love dogs, too. I can guarantee you’ll see several sheepdogs leaning fearlessly into turns on the back of a tractor or quad bike, possibly whilst keeping one paw on a sick lamb. Every farmer has an invisible lead attached to a faithful hound or two, following him everywhere.
A vast amount of holiday cottages in the lake district are pet friendly. If you want to take them out to the pub, too, there are plenty of places to welcome you. Many of which are within walking distance of these cottages
The Boot Inn in Eskdale is a great pub in lots of respects – friendly company, great food, real ale and a proper dog-friendly policy. This oak-beamed, traditional pub has a bar, conservatory and snug with board games, TV, darts and pool. The Boot Beer Festival is held in June. Take the pooch!
The Woolpack Inn in Eskdale is happy to accept dogs on a lead in the bar. The Woolpack is home to the Hardknott Brewery, so a selection of real ales is guaranteed.
The Wasdale Head Inn, in Wasdale, welcomes well-behaved dogs in Ritson’s bar. In a county full of great views, the Wasdale Head Inn still has something to shout about, with a wonderfully remote location at the foot of the Scafell range. It’s cosily decorated, with oak settles and a warming fire. It serves real ales and wholesome bar food.
The Screes Inn in Nether Wasdale is happy to accept dogs. Their real ales and wide selection of whiskies are best enjoyed sitting by their roaring fire, after a long day’s walking.
The Strands Hotel in Nether Wasdale is another Lake Distict pub with a fine microbrewery. A great place to spend the evening after a long walk, the Strands has those real ales, a cosy open fire and a games room with darts, a pool table and table football. They hold a Beer Festival in May.
The Gosforth Hall Inn in Gosforth is a fabulous, seventeenth-century, Grade 2* (ie. better than normal grade 2) listed building, full of original feaures including an inglenook fireplace, a stone spiral staircase and a concealed priest’s hole. Serves real ale from the Lake District's Hawkshead Brewery and a wide selection of home-made pies. Dogs are welcome in the bar and lounge.
The Black Cock Inn in Broughton-in-Furness is run by dog-owners who are happy to welcome visiting dogs. This is a traditional Lake District pub, with an honest, hearty menu. An excellent choice after a day’s touristing.
The Blacksmith’s Arms in Broughton Mills, near Broughton-in-Furness is an attractive doggy pub. Built as a farmhouse in 1577, it has atmospheric panelling, slate floors and oak beams. Serves the Lake Districts own Jennings’ and guest beers from local microbreweries.
The Newfield Inn is a dog-friendly pub in Seathwaite in the Duddon Valley. It has a large garden and fabulous views. The Newfield serves traditional local food, with tasty seasonal specials.
The Shepherd’s Arms in Ennerdale Bridge is a familiar, traditional Lakes former coaching house with white-washed walls and big sash windows. It’s located on the main junction for passers-by – although, nowadays, those passers-by are likely to be walkers on the coast-to-coast walk. The Shepherd’s is dog-friendly and has real ales and hearty, home-cooked food.
The Wheatsheaf Inn in Low Lorton welcomes dogs on leads in the bar. It’s a seventeenth-century building, with an open fire, book-lined walls and an enclosed beer garden, serving Jennings’ and a selection of guest beers. The views here are second to none, looking out on to Whinlatter, Hobcarton, Hopegillhead, Whiteside and Grassmoor.
The Kirkstile Inn is the pub of choice for lunch in Loweswater for both two-legged and four-legged visitors (dogs are not allowed in the bar between 6pm and 10pm). CAMRA’s pub of the year is dog-friendly, serves great beer, fab food and a great welcome in a traditional Lake District setting.
The Middle Ruddings Inn at Braithwaite, near Keswick, is a rambling Edwardian building with a lovely garden and open views to the Skiddaw range. They welcome dogs in the bar, where you can choose from their selection of very hearty meals.
The Sun Inn in Bassenthwaite is just the sort of place to collapse in after a long walk with the dog. It has a great ambience and delicious food. There’s a scenic beer garden, with doggy bowls topped up with fresh water.
The Dog and Gun in Keswick is well-known amongst locals and visitors alike for welcoming dogs, and you can be sure there will be several there at any time of day. It’s a very attractive pub, with log fires, slate floors and low ceilings, serving unpretentious, filling grub. There are plenty of Keswick cottages in the area as an added bonus.
The Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite, Borrowdale is fantastically located near the foot of Great Gable, in the centre of the valley. Just right for a pint and a bite in the middle of a day’s walking. Dogs are very welcome here.
The Tithe Barn in Cockermouth welcomes dogs. It’s a Jennings’ pub – not surprisingly, given the brewery is located in Cockermouth – and it serves home-cooked food in its bar and restaurant.
Needless to say, this list isn’t exhaustive! Sometimes pubs change their dog-friendly policies, especially if they change hands, so if it’s critical to your enjoyment, please contact the pub to make sure before you go. If you would like to find a pet friendly self catering lake district holiday cottage please follow the link.
Locals love dogs, too. I can guarantee you’ll see several sheepdogs leaning fearlessly into turns on the back of a tractor or quad bike, possibly whilst keeping one paw on a sick lamb. Every farmer has an invisible lead attached to a faithful hound or two, following him everywhere.
A vast amount of holiday cottages in the lake district are pet friendly. If you want to take them out to the pub, too, there are plenty of places to welcome you. Many of which are within walking distance of these cottages
The Boot Inn in Eskdale is a great pub in lots of respects – friendly company, great food, real ale and a proper dog-friendly policy. This oak-beamed, traditional pub has a bar, conservatory and snug with board games, TV, darts and pool. The Boot Beer Festival is held in June. Take the pooch!
The Woolpack Inn in Eskdale is happy to accept dogs on a lead in the bar. The Woolpack is home to the Hardknott Brewery, so a selection of real ales is guaranteed.
The Wasdale Head Inn, in Wasdale, welcomes well-behaved dogs in Ritson’s bar. In a county full of great views, the Wasdale Head Inn still has something to shout about, with a wonderfully remote location at the foot of the Scafell range. It’s cosily decorated, with oak settles and a warming fire. It serves real ales and wholesome bar food.
The Screes Inn in Nether Wasdale is happy to accept dogs. Their real ales and wide selection of whiskies are best enjoyed sitting by their roaring fire, after a long day’s walking.
The Strands Hotel in Nether Wasdale is another Lake Distict pub with a fine microbrewery. A great place to spend the evening after a long walk, the Strands has those real ales, a cosy open fire and a games room with darts, a pool table and table football. They hold a Beer Festival in May.
The Gosforth Hall Inn in Gosforth is a fabulous, seventeenth-century, Grade 2* (ie. better than normal grade 2) listed building, full of original feaures including an inglenook fireplace, a stone spiral staircase and a concealed priest’s hole. Serves real ale from the Lake District's Hawkshead Brewery and a wide selection of home-made pies. Dogs are welcome in the bar and lounge.
The Black Cock Inn in Broughton-in-Furness is run by dog-owners who are happy to welcome visiting dogs. This is a traditional Lake District pub, with an honest, hearty menu. An excellent choice after a day’s touristing.
The Blacksmith’s Arms in Broughton Mills, near Broughton-in-Furness is an attractive doggy pub. Built as a farmhouse in 1577, it has atmospheric panelling, slate floors and oak beams. Serves the Lake Districts own Jennings’ and guest beers from local microbreweries.
The Newfield Inn is a dog-friendly pub in Seathwaite in the Duddon Valley. It has a large garden and fabulous views. The Newfield serves traditional local food, with tasty seasonal specials.
The Shepherd’s Arms in Ennerdale Bridge is a familiar, traditional Lakes former coaching house with white-washed walls and big sash windows. It’s located on the main junction for passers-by – although, nowadays, those passers-by are likely to be walkers on the coast-to-coast walk. The Shepherd’s is dog-friendly and has real ales and hearty, home-cooked food.
The Wheatsheaf Inn in Low Lorton welcomes dogs on leads in the bar. It’s a seventeenth-century building, with an open fire, book-lined walls and an enclosed beer garden, serving Jennings’ and a selection of guest beers. The views here are second to none, looking out on to Whinlatter, Hobcarton, Hopegillhead, Whiteside and Grassmoor.
The Kirkstile Inn is the pub of choice for lunch in Loweswater for both two-legged and four-legged visitors (dogs are not allowed in the bar between 6pm and 10pm). CAMRA’s pub of the year is dog-friendly, serves great beer, fab food and a great welcome in a traditional Lake District setting.
The Middle Ruddings Inn at Braithwaite, near Keswick, is a rambling Edwardian building with a lovely garden and open views to the Skiddaw range. They welcome dogs in the bar, where you can choose from their selection of very hearty meals.
The Sun Inn in Bassenthwaite is just the sort of place to collapse in after a long walk with the dog. It has a great ambience and delicious food. There’s a scenic beer garden, with doggy bowls topped up with fresh water.
The Dog and Gun in Keswick is well-known amongst locals and visitors alike for welcoming dogs, and you can be sure there will be several there at any time of day. It’s a very attractive pub, with log fires, slate floors and low ceilings, serving unpretentious, filling grub. There are plenty of Keswick cottages in the area as an added bonus.
The Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite, Borrowdale is fantastically located near the foot of Great Gable, in the centre of the valley. Just right for a pint and a bite in the middle of a day’s walking. Dogs are very welcome here.
The Tithe Barn in Cockermouth welcomes dogs. It’s a Jennings’ pub – not surprisingly, given the brewery is located in Cockermouth – and it serves home-cooked food in its bar and restaurant.
Needless to say, this list isn’t exhaustive! Sometimes pubs change their dog-friendly policies, especially if they change hands, so if it’s critical to your enjoyment, please contact the pub to make sure before you go. If you would like to find a pet friendly self catering lake district holiday cottage please follow the link.
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