Back in January a group of friends booked a holiday cottage on the Cumbrian coast. Little did we know then what a strange turn of events would unfold in 2020. A global pandemic would envelop the world, like something out of a Sci Fi film. We were definitely thankful that we had arranged our mini break for August in Ravenglass….and happily for us , it could still go ahead. Fortunately this little corner of the Lake District is relatively quiet and social distancing was easy. We also had amazing weather, which always helps. 😎

Sunshine & Sunsets. So it was that 6 adults, 2 children and 2 dogs spent a happy 3 nights in lovely Ravenglass. Friday was enjoyed mostly on the beach in front of the cottage and admiring an incredible sunset from the balcony. One friend brought a Water Bottle Rocket 🚀 whose launches into the sky gave us endless entertainment on the sand.




A Ratty Trip , Walk To Eel Tarn & Wild Swimming. You can’t visit Ravenglass in the Summer without a ride on The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. Affectionately known as La’al Ratty, this narrow steam gauge railway takes passengers into the seriously scenic Eskdale Valley. We booked return tickets to Dalegarth Station near Boot, from where there are plentiful beautiful riverside and fell walks. Face coverings were advised though not enforced on the platform and inside covered carriages.
Our plan was to walk to a remote tarn for some wild swimming. However as stunning as the hike was, Eel Tarn itself wasn’t really suitable for water pursuits. Surrounded by boggy marsh, only Hugo the Labrador managed to spring in there for a cooling off doggy paddle. However the kids had discovered a promising looking waterfall pool in Whillan Beck , which we managed to visit later.














Saturday was a really hot day so the cool clear water in the beck was just perfect for swimming in. We had it all to ourselves too. As we left a local family arrived, the father had been coming to the waterfall for 40 years. To us it was an accidental ( and totally wonderful) discovery.
Eskmeals Nature Reserve. Having visited Ravenglass several times now, I hadn’t actually realised that the dunes I had seen on the other side of the estuary are part of Eskmeals Nature Reserve . We decided to visit here on Sunday for a walk. The dunes are home to rare natterjack toads ( we didn’t see any though) and many species of wildflower. There is parking by the viaduct at nearby Waberthwaite. Look out for a yellow flag. If it is flying the adjoining MOD land is in use.







A Few More Images From Ravenglass.









As we were leaving Ravenglass on Monday morning a man was setting up his sea plane for a 40 minute journey to a lochside cafe near Dumfries for a coffee. Can’t be bad!
Have you ever visited any places mentioned in this post?
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What a lovely break, those sunset photos are stunning. 😊
Ravenglass does have some stunning sunsets. We saw two beauties over the weekend. 🙂
I’ve been on La’al Ratty a couple of times, a fantastic route into Eskdale. However I’ve hardly walked on that side of the Lakes. Illgill Head/Whin Rigg can be done from that side as can Slight Side and Scafell but I’ve not done those yet
Me neither. The only ones I have done is Buckbarrow near Wastwater a couple of years ago. The scenery round Eskdale is gorgeous.
Wow, what a great holiday. I’ve never really thought of holidaying up there but seeing your photos it’s now on my list! P.s. I want a bottle rocket 😂
There’s plenty of fell walking. Along with the coast. The bottle rocket was ace!
It looks and sounds like you had a great mini break. I love the view of Eel Tarn, and the sea plane puts a whole new meaning on ‘just popping out for a coffee’ 🙂
I know! How fancy is that. 🙂
What exactly is a ‘bottle rocket’? Sounds geat fun .
I was impressed by the pebble Union Jack
Loved the pebble Union Jack. 🙂
You can buy bottle rockets online ( Amazon etc) , a kind of science experiment, but yes, lots of fun!
Funnily enough a couple of weeks ago we were up there too, also with really warm weather. We pottered around Ravenglass as well, was a lovely couple of days with plenty walking 😊
Oh really, it’s a lovely place for pottering. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Looks like a lovely break. I’ve never been to any of these places, but Harry and I often jump in our private plane to pop out for a cuppa 😉
Haha, I did look if the pilot had a dog with him, unfortunately not. Our friends Bedlington terrier would have fit in nicely. 🙂
My plane must be bigger 😂
I love it round Eskdale, it is a long way for us over on the other side of the county so we usually stay. We have had many holidays over there always with glorious weather. I have been to all of the places you mention and many more!
One of our friends family owns the holiday cottage, I’m so glad we booked it earlier this year. It’s a very beautiful area. 🙂
What a lovely weekend. You all look so happy.
We were. It was a fun few days. Almost normality. X
I seem to remember exploring the coast near Ravenglass when we stayed at Whitehaven for a day or two, such a long time ago but I do remember the railway. Your photos are wonderful and it looks like a good time was had by all. So many options on the finger post, Which way to go?:).
The sign really shows what an amazing place The Eskdale valley is to explore. 🙂
A lovely place and surprisingly quiet and sparsely-peopled. Love the train – they’re a great way to get an overview of an area aren’t they? Cool image of the Little Egret – it almost looks like it could be walking on water! I have a thing for pebble mosaics too – impressed with that Viking ship!
It’s a beautiful place. Lots of birds and flowers, so you would love it!
We went swimming the other day in the river ask near Dalegarth Station it was amazing. I am going to check the Eskmeals Dune as I have never heard about it.
It was my first time wild swimming. Loved it. 🙂
Eskmeals was a fab place to find. Glad we discovered it.
What a lovely spot Ravenglass is! And Eskdale too. I know almost all the places you visited. Really glad you managed to get away this summer and that you had good weather !
What a brilliant holiday! I love the sunset photograph. You had the perfect weather as well. Flying to Dumfries for a coffee? Now that’s just showing off!😀