The Lake District

Over the Easter Bank Holiday Becky and I visited the Lake District in Northern England. Highlights:

• Hiking - Lots of great trails leave directly from Ambleside. Nothing is too rigorous but there are nice views over the lakes and the crumbling stone walls and farmhouses create interesting scenery. On Easter weekend there are also plenty of newborn lambs. The quaint villages (Troutbeck, Grasmere) provide a good stop for tea or a pint.
• Eating - Ambleside is overflowing with restaurants but our favorite was The Log House (bruschetta w/ beetroot chutney as a twist, lamb on root/mint mash and killer pavlova for desert). We also had a great local cheese and chutney sandwich for lunch at Lucy's Deli.
• Sleeping - We stayed at the Old Vicarage B&B which has huge rooms, English breakfasts and the obligatory (but acceptable) level of funkiness for a B&B. The hot tub seemed incongruous but after a long hike it made perfect sense.

So essentially the highlights of the Lake District boil down to walking, eating and sleeping. It sounds rather mundane but it really was fantastic. Also, as a former Seattle-ite who misses REI, Ambleside appears to have the single highest concentration of outdoor sport shops anywhere in England. 

As for the downsides, it's hard to think of any. We were fully expecting a day of rain but that never materialized. The town was crowded but that didn't extend to the trails. All in all, a great trip.

 

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