Hi there, I have been stopping at the caravan with friends and we were using it as a base to visit some places in Cumbria and the Lakes! I thought I would update this blog everyday diary style and post at the end of our stay. 🥰
Day One. We arrived here last night , so today we nipped to nearby Penrith for supplies, had lunch, did some shopping, went for a few drinks and explored the red ruins of Penrith Castle. The girls had their nails done at a great little nail bar in town and we bought some pretty bits and bobs from a lovely clothes/gift shop called Adlib.
Day Two. An epic start to the day with an informative & interesting Whiskey/Vodka/Gin tasting tour, booked in at The Lakes Distillery near Keswick. Well Somebody had to take the morning slot. 😀
After the tour we headed to The Lake District Wildlife Park nearby. Lots of lovely animals & birdlife to learn about and admire, including Otter, Red Panda, Scottish Wildcat, Flamingo and Zebra. 🦓
An impromptu row on Derwent Water rounded up Sundays adventures. 🚣♀️ Look out for the rowing boats for hire next to the Keswick Launch & Jetty.
Day Three. A scorcher of a day! We are happily having untypically warm Bank Holiday sunshine. Our first destination was gorgeous Grasmere, the home of poet William Wordsworth and yummy traditional Gingerbread.
Grasmere Gingerbread Shop is definitely a must when you visit the village. Although the store is tiny it brims with character and the scrumptious aroma of baking gingerbread is impossible to resist. Yet more sweet treats were purchased at the Grasmere Chocolate Cottage. A short walk was needed to burn off those soon to be consumed calories.
After walking to Grasmere lake we called in at Faeryland Tea Garden which has an enviable position overlooking the water, and pretty pastille coloured rowing boats are available for hire. 🧚♀️
Although I have been to a Cat Cafe before, none of us have ever visited a Cat Bar….until now. Kittchen in Hawkshead is home to seven adorable rescue cats and serves yummy food and alcoholic beverages. Because the weather was so hot most of the furry felines were asleep, but the sunshine did mean we had the cats all to ourselves. A purrfect end to the day. 🐱
Day Four. Another hot day. Our anticipated llama trek was put back to late afternoon, so it wouldn’t be too hot for the above cute camelids, Warrior and Jester. We booked an hour mini trek with Lakeland Llama Treks based in Brougham and Melmerby. It was great fun to groom, learn about and walk with both boys to Brougham Castle ,with our lovely guide Caroline. 🦙
Day Five. The girls went on a little roadtrip to find a beach, spending a couple of hours relaxing on the sands in Maryport. Meanwhile I met up with family at my Mum’s in Askham and we enjoyed a saunter up the fell.
Day Six. Alot cooler today so we chilled at the caravan, watching films etc. It was Arwen and Tammy’s last full day with me at the van.
Day Seven. After a tasty lunch at The Old Village Bakery in Melmerby, the girls have made it home. I am presently waiting for my other half to arrive. It’s been great spending time here with friends, a treat and a bit of normality all at the same time. 😊
Thanks for dropping by.
sunshine and celandines 
Love this! Mind you it leaves me envious, you visiting the Lake District and a distillery I never knew about 🥂 Cheers! 🙏
Cheers Ashley and thank you. The distillery is well worth a visit. 🙂
What a great trip you had! Always good to read about somewhere new to me. When I got to the photos of the cat bar I didn’t scroll past straight away and read about it – initially I wondered what a baby panda was doing in a cafe – look again at the top right hand photo – could be a panda?? Love the face mask and cocktail’s (or gin?) photo – glad you included that one amongst the glamorous vistas and sunshine. Oh what a glorious sunny week the majority of the UK has had – it felt like summer had arrived to cheer us all on !
Your right, Kevin the cat does look like a baby panda. 🙂 Face masks and Baileys for two of us I think, Malibu and lemonade for my friend A. We certainly have been lucky with the weather. X
What a fab Lake District trip … lots of unexpected activities to have a look at … other than lakes and mountains … not that I don’t love those too. We got married in Glenridding so that part of the country will always have a special place in our hearts. 😃
Oh how fantastic. We did try and book on the Ullswater steamer but it was booked up. Glenridding is a beautiful place. Did you get married at the Inn on the lake? X
Yes we did … we then went on a trip on a steamer up the lake … it was just a tad breezy though. We went back to the Inn on the Lake for New Year a few times, which was a real treat. We haven’t been back for a few years now though 😃
What a lovely, enjoyable break and a little bit of normality returned
It was a good week with the girls. 🙂
It looks like a great break was enjoyed by everyone. I love the photos, especially the one with the boats at the tea garden 🙂
The tea garden is so pretty with its pastel boats and a Romany caravan too. 🙂
Even from my jaundiced point of view, that was a proper holiday. Anything including whisky tasting before lunch can’t be bad. And those pastel boats! Have a great weekend.
Thanks! I’m still here but with Wil now. No Hugo as he is staying at his doggy friends. I think we will try and have a relaxing wknd.
We’re off to the Lake District in September, so this gives me plenty of ideas for things to do.
Oh brilliant Emma. My friends thankfully booked most things as it’s hard to be spontaneous at the moment. X
It looks so wonderful. With so much to enjoy during your stay.
I really want to visit the distillery now. X
Yay, it’s well worth a visit. X
I miss the Lake District! You had such a lovely week.
It’s been a good one. X
Thereby proving staycations are better than tacky holidays to a Costa abroad.
Absolutely 🤗
Looks like so much fun, and lots of interesting activities. Might be the wrong side of Cumbria from your base, but I’d recommend a trip to the Whitehaven Rum Story, great little museum and you get a shot of rum too. 😉 X
Thanks for the recommendation. I have heard of it. 🙂 However, I tend to get heartburn if I drink rum. I know, really unfortunate! Maybe one shot will be ok though. 😉x
I didn’t know about the cat bar, I will check it out for sure!
It’s a fun place to visit. We only met three of the cats as they can vacate to their own private quarters if they wish. We met Kiki, Bill and Disco keV. 🙂
What a lovely time away & I’m late to the party as I’m having trouble getting WordPress blogs to load or then when they do losing my comments into the nether-nether. Looks like you had a fun time & the weather played nicely. Take care, stay safe & hugs.
Sounds such a fun break and love the photos, especially the boats at Grasmere and the car bar! x
Ahh, normality! Feels good, doesn’t it? I would love, LOVE to visit that gingerbread shop.
It is the best little old fashioned shop and the gingerbread is delicious. They do have an online shop, but not sure how far they post to. x