A poignant walk around Cockshott Point

One of the lovely things about living in Bowness on Windermere is our proximity to all things handy (shops, restaurants, newsagents, post office and other amenities) as well as THE GREAT OUTDOORS. Yesterday, despite a lowering sky, we decided to go for an afternoon walk with Zack, our friendly Pyrenean Mountain Dog, at Cockshott Point. Cockshott Point is easily accessed from Bowness Bay and Promenade, with easy footpaths allowing walkers to meander right up to the Marina and Ferry Nab where the Windermere Car Ferry transports vehicles and foot passengers across to Ferry House on the opposite side of the Lake. We decided to start our walk on the path directly opposite the Council’s 18-hole golf course, making a circular route from thence to Ferry Nab and then on to Cockshott Point, from whence we headed back to Bowness Bay.

The walk was a poignant one. It was approximately a year ago that we walked that same route with Zack, our beloved Pyrenean Mountain Dog, some days after we had retrieved him from the animal hospital in Barrow-in-Furness where he had undergone treatment for an unknown illness that had almost killed him. We remember the tears and heartache well. It was colder last February and I remember ordering a fleece jacket for our boy partly so that we could keep his shaven tummy warm whilst out walking. This year, seeing him hale and hearty, was a welcome tonic to our hearts.

The walk at Cockshott Point took us around a bay where many yachts floated at rest. Far-reaching views looked south as far as the eye can see, and the Windermere Car Ferry could be seen being pulled by underwater cable lines in the near distance. Closer to hand, I walked down some stone steps right to the water’s edge where a family of ducks was bathing. One of them, a little more curious and braver of heart, waddled toward me for a closer look. It was a sweet-looking drake. (I have put up a video of these ducks swimming and washing themselves on Instagram if you’d like to take a look:

www.instagram.com/p/BQYjbONF-8m/?taken-by=blenheim_lodge.)

We were nearing the end of our short walk when a drizzling rain began to make itself felt in earnest. I don’t mind the rain but drying Zack’s heavy coat would not be an easy job. So it was back home to Blenheim Lodge B&B, some minutes’ walk from Cockshott Point, to the cosiness and warmth for us all and a well deserved cup of tea!

‘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.’