Exploring Cumbria & The Lake District.

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. 🥰

Penrith Castle ~ photo credit Arwen Ball.

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. 😀

The Lakes Distillery.

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. 🦓

Lake District Wildlife Park ~ photo credit ~ Arwen Ball.

Rowing Boat on Derwent Water ~ photo credit Tammy Cardoso.

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.

Inside Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.

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.

Colourful boats at Faeryland Tea Garden.

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. 🧚‍♀️

Kittchen ‘ Pussy & Pints ‘.

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. 🐱

Llama Trek to Brougham Castle. Photo Courtesy of Arwen Ball.

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. 🦙

Visiting family.

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.

Face Mask Thursday ~ photo credit Tammy Cardoso.

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.

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25 Before 45 Bucket List ~ How did I do??

So as November is my Birthday month , I thought I had better check on my 25 Before 45 Bucket list progress. Considering I am now almost the grand old age of 45 ( Sob! ), I think I haven’t done to badly with the list. I have managed to cross off 15 out of 25 of the entries I wrote down two and a half years ago. Some I still would like to do and I am sure I will probably write another list soon, and add them to it. But for now , here is how I did.

1.Learn to crochet. Discovered this isn’t my bag. 😐

A friend and I had a crochet lesson and I just couldn’t master it. Kind of knew I would find it difficult, as I can’t knit either. Imagine me looking quite confused and then thoroughly bored, with my hands tied in woolly knots.

2.Find a keep Fit Regime I like. Done! I have enjoyed the #walk1000miles challenge and am still continuing. Hopefully 1500 miles this year and maybe 2000 in 2019.

3.Eat a Dutch Pancake in Amsterdam. Haven’t got round to visiting Amsterdam yet. Its definitely somewhere I intend to go for a long weekend.

Kingfisher , spotted by a boat in Knaresborough.

4. Photograph a Kingfisher. Done! Got my photo on the river Nidd in Knaresborough. 🙂

5.Make an Honesty Box Meal. Still need to create a meal from produce bought from the side of a country road.

6.Read To Kill A Mocking Bird. Done! Bought the book from a second hand book shop in Fargo village in Coventry and loved it. I then just had to watch the Gregory Peck film from the 60s and found it to be a great adaptation of the novel.

Wrap up warm for Picnic Cinema. Bear suits optional.

7.Watch a Film outdoors. Done! Wil and I Saw a British black comedy called Sightseers at Lowther Castle, under the stars. Sightseers at Lowther Castle~ with Picnic Cinema.

8.See the Northern Lights. Maybe another trip to Iceland beckons. We chased the lights four years ago , with little success. I don’t really need an excuse to revisit !

9.Have a Vintage Make over. I’m not to bothered about this one anymore. Glam is just not me , to be honest. Does a Wham Tribute night , where my friends and I dress up in Eighties style Choose Life T-shirts and tutus count? 😉

10.Swim in a Lido. Well I can’t believe I never got round to swimming in a Lido! Ilkley Lido in Yorkshire is the nearest one to me, so hopefully next Summer……..

Real Ale Rail Trail.

11. Go on a proper picnic with a picnic hamper. Done! Bought a hamper from a charity shop and enjoyed a picnic by the stream in Dunsop Bridge. Unfortunately Hugo took a chomp out of the cake!

12. Be Nine Stone! A-hem, Nope!

13.Stay in a Bothy. Definitely in two minds about this one. The type of bothy I mean is one of the very basic Mountain Bothy Association stone buildings that you find in remote parts of Scotland etc. They are free to stop in, though you might have to share with other hikers. I wrote a post about them called Would you stay in a Bothy? I think I may actually prefer Wild Camping though, as you are zipped up in a tent, and there is no danger of a mouse running up your trouser leg…….

14. Photograph a Barn Owl in the wild. When I wrote this I had actually seen Barn Owls several times. Since then, none at all. 😦

Our Llama trying to appear as short as us. Cheeky!

15. Do a Rail Ale Trail. The East Lancs Rail Ale Trail from Bury to Rawtenstall. Done! All Aboard for a Rail Ale Trail Tour.

16. Take Part in a sponsored Charity Event. Done! Raised money for the East Lancashire Hospice, whilst walking across Morecambe Bay. The Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walk.

17. Have Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23. I have really been slacking in the Afternoon Teas department in 2018. Up to press , I haven’t indulged in this very British Institution, all year. I do like the idea of partaking in Afternoon Tea in the clouds though, so Cloud 23 ( at the top of Beetham Tower) your still on my list. 🙂

Hugo and I doing the doggy paddle over Morecambe Bay.

18. Enter Hugo in a Doggy Competition. Done! Entered Hugo in a bonnie dog category at a local pooch show. He didn’t get placed, even though he is of course, the most handsome boy in the world. I am one highly prejudiced doggy Mum!

19. Get Engaged! Haha.

20. Bathe in a Turkish Baths. Done! The Turkish Baths in Harrogate are a relaxing and fun experience. 🙂 If your ever in Harrogate , treat yourself….

21. Go trekking with llamas in the lakes. Done! Loved spending time with family and some very cute llamas ~ Llama Trekking in the Lakes. 🙂

22. Experience a night out down Canal Street. Done! The rainbow village in Manchester, a top night out!

Let Snoozy Cats lie. Cat Café, Manchester.

23. Do the Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walk With the Queen’s Official Guide. Done! See number 15.

24. Visit the new Cat Cafe in Manchester. Done! My friend Lisa and I spent some quality time eating cake and stroking cute kitties. Cat Cafe Manchester.

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25. Cook a proper Sunday Roast Lunch ( I almost never cook!). Done! I know its a shocker that up until my 45th year, I had never made a roast dinner. Please don’t judge me. ;). Thanks Wil for overseeing my attempt at Sunday lunch. Yes I did cheat somewhat as I bought ready made gravy, Yorkshire puds and a tray of pre prepared veg to roast. But It still counts….I hope. 🙂

Sunday Dinner. 🙂

What would you put on your Bucket List?

A Bucket List Progress Report and Links & Likes ~ January.

Last year I started my  25 Before 45 Bucket List and although progress is quite slow, I have at least achieved a few things on it !   Whilst I have not yet learned to crochet, swum in a Lido or watched a Film Outdoors, I have managed to Trek With Llamas in the Lake District, Picnic on a Village Green with my old-fashioned Picnic Hamper ( Not very successfully, Hugo ate the cake ! ),  do a Rail Ale Trail Tour  on the East Lancs Railway  and  take part in  The Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walk  led by the Queen’s Official Guide, Cedric Robinson. I have just under 2 years to complete the list, so hopefully in 2017 I will make a sizeable chunk in it. Wish me Luck!

 

Picnic on the Village Green.

Lakeland llama Trekking.

East Lancs Rail Ale Trail Tour.

Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walk.

And now for a bit of  Blog love. Here are some links to posts I have enjoyed reading in January. X

Lisa knows where to get warm in the winter. Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens of course!

Leah shares a wonderful Insiders Guide To Malta. 🙂

Snow Day and an Excited Pup on Loving Life In Wellies. So cute!

Em has a delicious recipe for an Amaretto & Apple Juice Cocktail. Looks and sounds heavenly. 🙂

Polly has only gone and had a baby. Congrats Polly. 🙂

Christine has been accidentally  bagging Wainwrights in the Lake District.

Fancy making Memory Jam ? Head on over to Cultivating Time.

Laura has wrote a lovely post about her  Favourite travel companion. 🙂

Gregson the dog has found out that Margate is a very pet-friendly town. ^^

Thanks for Visiting!

Sunday Sevens 24th July.

Sunday Sevens is here once again. I’m joining in with Natalie at Threads & Bobbins whose fab idea of posting 7 piccies of her personal week, has really caught on in the blogging world. 🙂

I’ve made a little bit of progress with my 25 Before 45 Bucket List this past week. Finally used my picnic basket and went on a ‘proper Picnic’,with it, a ton of yummy food ( sadly not homemade though) and a copy of Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. Unfortunately it was last Tuesday that we decided on a picnic tea….and it was scorching hot, even at 6pm. It was to uncomfortable to read plus Hugo got his paws on the Sainsbury’s lemon cake I bought !  Plenty more time for picnics this summer though, hopefully. 🙂

Another activity I’ve crossed off my Bucket List this week is Llama Trekking in the Lakes. Last Sunday myself and some of my family met up at Brougham, near Penrith in Cumbria, and took a herd of llamas out on a countryside trail. It was a lovely experience. No Llama Dramas! You can read my Llama Trekking in the Lakes. 🙂 post here. 🙂

How do you like my new bag?? I got it in the Orla Kiely Sale. I think it says ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ ,in a subtle way…….

Hugo is officially a magazine star ! A couple of months ago we went camping in the Yorkshire Dales and I happened to take this photo of Hugo curled up on the camp bed with his  my favourite magazine. I put it on Twitter , and here he is, looking all nonchalant in the August edition.

Babysitting these two cheeky chappies happened this weekend. Happily all went well. The sunshine, Castle park and the Goosebumps movie on dvd proved suitable entertainment. 🙂

And today Wil and I met up with my sister and family again in the nearby village of Downham. My sister and I went to the village school here, many moons ago 😉 Downham Hall was holding an Open Gardens day for charity. So it was nice to look round the grounds as they are rarely open to the public. Oh and I bought a Bob’s Knoblets Lancashire Cheese!

Thanks for dropping by…..x

 

 

 

 

 

Llama Trekking in the Lakes. :)

llama Trekkers. Photo Y Allison.

Llamas are very sociable animals. Llamas can live until their early thirties. Llamas hum when they are happy. 🙂 These are a few of the things we learned about these very interesting, gentle ( and friendly) creatures on a Llama Trek in The Lake District. Lakeland Llama Treks near Penrith in the scenic Eden Valley is a family business, with our hosts Mary and Graham running the trekking side, and other family members looking after the colourful and quirky Llama Karma Kafe. As Llama trekking has been on my Bucket List for a while now, I decided to commandeer the rest of my family in joining me for a’ countryside trail’ in the glorious sunshine on Sunday. 🙂

Seven of us ( 5 adults,2 kids) assembled at the Llama Karma Kafe at 11am.  We were joined by another family of three, so there would be ten of us on the trek altogether. Five llamas were loaded into a specially adapted horsebox and we followed Mary and Graham a few minutes down the A66 , parking on a small carpark just off a country lane, where we would start our trek. We were then given a little talk about the llamas and put into pairs. Each pair was then introduced to their llama companion for the walk.

I paired up with my five year old niece imogen and our llama was this little chap called ‘Cuba’. As you can see we are leading Cuba with a double lead, one of us at either side of him.

Llamas come in all shapes and sizes. Cuba was definitely the shortest of our llama friends that day. He suited Imogen and I , being that we are shorties ourselves. 🙂 The funny thing was, he really liked to lower himself down to our level. When I asked Wil to have a hold for a minute, Cuba stretched himself up as tall as he could!

We walked through the fields and along the river, stopping to admire a secluded 17th century church. There were plenty of photo opportunities.

Mary and Graham and our other guide ( I totally forgot to ask her name! ) were very knowledgeable about the llamas and the local history of the area too. When I had told friends, that I was going on a llama trek, their reactions ranged from ‘What your riding llamas ?’ to ‘Be careful of them spitting at you!’ but our guides explained these common misconceptions. Firstly, you can’t really ride llamas. Llamas are strong enough to carry all sorts of things. Originally from South America these placid creatures have been domesticated and used as pack animals by native peoples for centuries. They have longer backs than horses , so weight has to be evenly distributed. Overloaded llamas will just sit down on the ground. A human’s weight all in one spot, would not a happy llama make.

And yes llamas do spit. But only when feeling threatened. If they are used to people like these guys then they will rarely spit at a human being. However they may possibly spit at each other . Females will spit at a male who is making advances she doesn’t want and llama’s may spit at each other when in competition over food. For this reason ( and just the excitement of being together) the llamas are usually sent on treks in single sex groups. We had the company of the lads. Happily the only noise they made was a gentle happy humming as we ambled along through the gorgeous Eden Valley scenery. Llamas don’t spook easily either. As we walked back single file through a meadow several young pheasants flew up out of the grass. Apart from an inquisitive glance beforehand , the llamas didn’t bat an eyelid.

 

Our countryside trail trek lasted about an hour and a half and included refreshments at the end in the cafe. Situated at the side of the A66 the Llama Karma Kafe can get quite busy with passers by. We managed to get a seat outside the back where there is a mini menagerie of animals including a giant rabbit, a parrot and a couple of tiny cute marmoset.

The cafe itself is bright and quirky with a peruvian influence. There is also a gift shop so we were sure to buy some souvenirs of our trip. 🙂 We each got a certificate for participating too.

I would definitely recommend Lakeland Llama Treks as a fun experience for all the family, or as a birthday treat or even for a Hen Party. Our guides were friendly and informative and the llamas were incredibly sweet, inquisitive and and a little bit mischievous. Most of all, I think they liked us as much as we liked them. 🙂

The Countryside Llama Trek is £35 per person and includes an easy walking off road trail, beautiful scenery, interesting knowledgeable guides, refreshments at the kafe ( drinks and cakes) and a fun certificate. Suitable for all ages and walking abilities.

 

 

25 Before 45 ~ A Bucket List.

I quite forgot that at the beginning of the year I wrote myself a Bucket List !  It’s been sat in my bedside drawer for nearly six months now. Now I’ve rediscovered it, I thought I would put it up on the blog. This might help me get a wiggle on. 🙂

1.Learn to crochet. Discovered this isn’t my bag.

2.Find a keep Fit Regime I like.  I have enjoyed the #walk1000miles challenge and am still continuing. Hopefully 1500 miles this year and maybe 2000 in 2019.

3.Eat a Dutch Pancake in Amsterdam.

4. Photograph a Kingfisher. Got my photo on the river Nidd in Knaresborough. 🙂

5.Make an Honesty Box Meal.

6.Read To Kill A Mocking Bird. Bought the book in Fargo village in Coventry and loved both the book and the film.

7.Watch a Film outdoors. Saw Sightseers at Lowther Castle under the stars. Sightseers at Lowther Castle~ with Picnic Cinema.

8.See the Northern Lights.

9.Have a Vintage Make over.

10.Swim in a Lido.

11. Go on a proper picnic with a picnic hamper. Bought a hamper from a charity shop and enjoyed a picnic in Dunsop Bridge. Unfortunately Hugo took a chomp out of the cake!

12. Be Nine Stone!

13.Stay in a Bothy.

14. Photograph a Barn Owl in the wild.

15. Do a Rail Ale Trail.  The East Lancs Rail Ale Trail from Bury to Rawtenstall. All Aboard for a Rail Ale Trail Tour.

16. Take Part in a sponsored  Charity Event. Raised money for the East Lancs Hospice, whilst walking across Morecambe Bay.  The Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walk.

17. Have Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23.

18.  Enter Hugo in a Doggy Competition.  Done! 

19. Get Engaged!

20. Bathe  in  a Turkish  Baths.  The Turkish Baths in Harrogate, what a relaxing and fun experience. 🙂

21. Go trekking with llamas in the lakes.  Yes, loved this with family ~ Llama Trekking in the Lakes. 🙂

22. Experience a night out down Canal Street.  The rainbow village in Manchester, a top night out!

23. Do the Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walk With the Queen’s Official  Guide.  Done! See number 15. 

24. Visit the new Cat Cafe in Manchester.  My friend Lisa and I spent some quality time eating cake and stroking cute kitties.

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25. Cook a proper Sunday Roast Lunch ( I almost never cook!).

Come trekking with us.  Don’t forget the Picnic!!

So there you have it. I’ve actually managed three already this year, which is a good start. I’ve read  To Kill a Mockingbird and it was as good as everyone said, I went on a night out down Canal Street with some work mates ( Interesting!) and Wil and I thoroughly enjoyed  The East Lancs Rail Ale Trail Tour  from Bury to Rawtenstall. This gives me two and a half years to attempt the rest.Maybe I should book that Llama trek. 🙂

What’s on your Bucket list??