25th November is our wedding anniversary and Hubby and I had taken a little break to go a-wandering. We had a great day out and enjoyed the change of scenery. Coincidentally, we were also hosting a couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on the same date, so we offered them a free room upgrade on arrival. (Free upgrades to a room of the next price range up from the one purchased when guests book direct with us is something we do on a regular basis subject to availability at check-in.)
We left Blenheim Lodge around 10:45 am and drove towards the northern Lakes. The drive from Blenheim Lodge to Keswick takes in 4 lakes along the way: Windermere; Rydal; Grasmere; and Thirlmere. The day was very fine and we enjoyed some fantastic views of the fells overlooking open water.
Just before turning into Keswick, we took a turn off towards Newlands Hause. This tiny unmarked pass presented a 25% gradient to negotiate at one point. Looming mountains seemed to press down over the valley in their midst, and we found some puddles on the road still covered with ice shards. Newlands Pass is a narrow windy road which, thankfully for anyone who suffers motion sickness, is also rather short in length!
Our destination was Buttermere, where we enjoyed a small repast. A short walk from this tiny hamlet takes one to Buttermere Lake and Scale Force, the latter of which is the highest waterfall in the Lake District. What struck us most about Buttermere was just how clear the water was!
The tranquility of the Lake District is possibly more pronounced in quieter seasons when there are fewer people and less traffic around. We had only seen 2 cars, a van and 2 bicycles on Newlands Hause. Now, we were going to take in Crummock Water via Whinlatter Pass. As expected, being a more well-used road, we did see more traffic on Whinlatter Pass; nonetheless, it was peaceful enough for Hubby and me to pull up into a lay-by opposite the Lake, where we were able to gaze admiringly on the lovely scenery whilst enjoying our cups of hot tea along with some scrummy biscuits.
I hope you will enjoy looking at some of these photos we took that day. We had left our home and guest house, Blenheim Lodge in Bowness-on-Windermere, just before 11 am, and were back at our Bed and Breakfast by 4 pm. It was a lovely day’s outing. Nonetheless, it is always good to be home again!
And if you fancy exploring the Lakes, why not make our B&B your home away from home? We have rooms for double, single, twin and triple occupancy. And we currently have SPECIAL OFFERS available, so do ask for more details.
Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’
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