Sunday 12th July
As soon as I turn the key of our holiday place I feel the tranquility of our surroundings We’ve been coming here for years now and we’ve yet to get bored. Some years I've sat on my suitcase the midnight before setting off and cried with the sheer effort of having to empty the entire contents of our home into the back ye olde estate car. But as soon as you reach here it’s like instant balm on the raw nerve-endings of life. You feel cocooned and hidden – in these little villages nestling in the shadows of lofty hills, the newspaper headings seem part of a completely different world or at least you can pretend so for 7 days.
Monday 13th July
After a restless night, we awake to the rain and wander out late morning just as the sun is coming out. Firstly, we call at The Langdale Co-op in Chapel Stile where we find this wonderful sign outside its door.
Behind the humour is a serious message: it’s really important to support local shops, keep them going, don’t just bring everything in from your neighbourhood 24 hour aircraft hangar.
Catching the best part of the day we take a short but most satisfying walk from Elterwater village down to Skelwith Bridge, stopping to look across Elterwater (water!) itself to the magnificent Langdale Pikes with their characteristic shape. Whenever I approach The Lakes and see their enigmatic peaks then I know we’ve arrived.
Tuesday 14th July
A lazy morning and the teens are impossible to rouse out of what has quickly become their pit of a bedroom. Eventually, we start out for Keswick and arrive at George Fisher’s the definitive outdoor shop where after an hour’s explanation and demonstration and 2 very patient daughters I purchase a belated birthday present for Wonderhubby - a digital thingy that tells you the exact location of where you are on the planet to 10 decimal places. I suppose if you are ever lost on a mountain, 12 hours from civilization and have a life-threatening injury, you would be really glad that your wife had spent next month's food money on a boys’ toy. That is providing that you have been able to pick up a signal from a passing satellite and that your mobile phone could get a reception to inform anyone who’s interested exactly where you are.
Of course, we need to test this whiz bang piece of kit out, so after 2 hours drive and feeling rather green from all the windy roads, we arrive at the end of Wastwater, one of the remotest spots in The Lake District which just happens to be home to a pub with its own micro-brewery. First things first, we set off for a late afternoon walk, beautiful mellow sun after experiencing a downpour as we left Keswick. Shadows and light play on the hills as we wind our way ever upwards. Teen2 races on ahead with Wonderhubby, whereas Teen1 and I chug along in the rear and stop to watch what we later identify as a wheatear on a rock, issuing what we suspect is a territorial warning. Not having been in the best of health since last year, it has been a long time since I had undertaken such a strenuous walk and take my time.
Eventually we reach the top of Black Sail Pass and rest at a cairn looking out onto Haystacks. Although not as high as some peaks it is worth the climb as we gaze at the amazing panorama, looking down upon Ennerdale and across to Honister slate mine. Coming down of course is much quicker but also much harder on the big toes as they continually push against our boots. Down at the bottom we partake of well-earned refreshments at the local hostelry and guess who has to drive back!
Wednesday 15th July
We agree to meet my sister Em and her husband who is on holiday in the northern Lakes. We meet up at Great Dodd Wood Car Park and make our way up to the upper viewpoint for the Osprey Watch where the RSPB have set up several telescopes onto the nest and a webcam. We take turns to watch the adult pair and the 3 growing chicks in their treetop nest and consider it a real privilege to share this window into their world. We go back to Em’s caravan and have a hearty lunch and sit out in the sun and gorge ourselves on homemade scones with double cream, jam and strawberries. The blokes compare grid references and drink beer and guess who gets the car keys again!
Thursday 16th July
Em and hubby come down to our place for lunch with Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding for afters (made locally in The Lake District ) and ice-cream on the menu. Then it’s onto Ambleside to queue outside the cinema for the latest Harry Potter film, ‘The Half Blood Prince’. Despite being the 6th film, the momentum has never waned and we sit enthralled for over 2 hours. I think they’re going to have to be quick bringing the next one out though as it’s going to be difficult making Daniel Radcliffe et al look 17 for much longer.
Friday 17th July
Rained all day but we just stay local, Teen1 and I both have a facial with a head, neck and shoulder massage at a local salon (bliss!) whilst Wonderhubby and Teen2 go for a swim. Still torrential, we drive for a pre-booked and pre-paid session in Grizedale Forest at Go Ape - a high wire adventure though the trees. My anxiety goes into overdrive as I leave Teen1 in charge of Teen2, giving the instruction time again to listen carefully to the instructor and to check at every stage that their safety harness are properly attached. Still with a pit in my stomach, we leave the two girls and drive down to Hawkshead where we find an nice old pub ‘The Kings Arms’ and read for a couple of hours over drinks. My turn again to drive and we return to Grizedale Forest to find the girls just completing the course, both absolutely safe and having enjoyed themselves.
Teen 2 shows me how to put links into the blog this evening and then we watch ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’, which we all enjoy. It’s been one of my favorite films since I saw it at The Tyneside Cinema last September which included a question and answer session with the director Bharat Nalluri. One of the writers was Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) (more namedroppng here) whom I have also heard talk, fresh from the Oscars, at The Story Engine screenwriters conference in Darlington last February. I pick up a message on my phone that I have an interview next week for the DigitalCity Fellowship – that leaves just a day when I get back to prepare for the interview and get 10 minute presentation ready.
Saturday 18thJuly
It’s intended to be a morning walk but by the time we manage to persuade the Teens to get out of bed, we reached Grasmere at lunchtime where we park and set off for Helm Crag.
On the way, Em texts to say they have just watched a young osprey fly from the nest for the first time.
A short walk initially flat, it soon turns into a sharp uphill climb which leaves me straggling behind. We reach the ‘Lion and Lamb’ rock formation although there’s some debate as to which is ‘The Lion’ and whether it might also be rock a little further along the ridge also known as ‘The Howitzer’. I am trying to imagine Reginald Dixon sat astride and rising up from the moor a la Blackpool ballroom when it was pointed out that a ‘howitzer’ is actually an American gun and not an organ. Perhaps naming rock formations is like naming stars – it leaves a lot to imagination and depends whether you possess any spacial (sic) awareness.
In true Lakeland style, just as I am considering whether to get the sun cream out, a hailstorm appears out of nowhere and soaks us all through leaving my butties a little soggy. However, within 10 minutes, we’e sitting in the sun again and watching a perpendicular curtain of rain move across the other side of the valley.
We finish our week’s holiday with a meal out in a local restaurant and quite a few glasses of wine (no driving this time), a real blow out with the resolve to eat sensibly tomorrow – I am on holiday after all.
