Last year, we were a little anxious about escaping our winter. Our normal plan is to take some time out in a warmer part of the northern hemisphere. Summer in England is always a little bit of a gamble and even more so if you are planning to spend time in the Lake District.
One of our favourite English TV programs, Last of the Summer Wine has left us with a desire to amble through the English countryside. We’ll take a gamble to fulfil our dream of visiting the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. We are warned not to expect perfect weather. It rains a lot in the Lake District at any time of the year!
The Lake District is made up of a number of villages and towns around a series of lakes. The English and tourists alike flock to this area in the summer to enjoy a myriad of activities on land and water.
We are joining them! We plan a balance of sightseeing, outdoor activity and relaxation. The amount of time we spend on each will be determined by the weather!
It’s raining gently as we start our drive north over the rolling hills and lush green pastures. It clears as we get closer to our destination revealing quaint villages with window boxes and hanging pots filled with colourful flowering annuals. We are in our element, exactly how we pictured the English countryside.
We have decided to stay in the country town of Kendal. It’s the perfect town to stay in if you want to visit both the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales in one visit.
As a child, I grew up reading the Swallows and Amazons series of books by English author Arthur Ransome. Ransome’s stories are based on the outdoor activities and adventures of the children of two families around Lake Coniston. How exciting to be here having our own little adventure!
It is a beautiful sunny afternoon as we drive the winding lakeside roads to Lake Coniston after a spending the morning on Lake Windermere. Our intention is to hike up the “Old Man of Coniston”, the highest point in the area to take in the views.
We park in the pretty little Coniston village to start our walk. We have heard the walk is a little steep so are not surprised at the vertical roadside climb we are immediately confronted with. Reaching the top of the shady road, the terrain flattens out and we meander through country lanes, past pastures and fields lined with brambles and blackberry bushes. What a pretty walk!
We are surprised to reach another carpark. Obviously, this is the lookout. That was an easy hike. Nowhere near as long and nothing like our walk over the green countryside from Ambleside to Grassmere a couple of days ago. All these people have missed a lovely amble through along country roads by just driving their cars up to the lookout.
But no. A closer look at the sign tells us that this is the start of the walk to the summit lookout. We carry on upwards. Initially, we trek through greenery surrounded by rolling farmland with sheep before it slowly changes to a rough steep hillside covered in slate. The Old Man was the site of a number of quarries operating as early as the 1500’s and we see relics of past mining activity on our way up.
We stop at Low Water to take in the breathtaking view of Lake Coniston and surrounds. However, the track is popular and it has taken longer than we expected partially hindered by the number of people taking the same journey but also because we have walked up in our trainers instead of hiking boots. Other climbers tell us the summit is not far, however, the signage has not been accurate so we decide that it is time to turn back.
On the way down we pass other enthusiastic hikers making their way up. I’m not sure how some of them will deal with the slippery slate track, especially the young Japanese couple who we see at the beginning of the route up. The girl is wearing heels!
By the time we reach the village, it’s time for dinner. Time to sit back and enjoy a cold beer with a meal in one of the two village pubs and catch a bit of local banter. A perfect end to a summer day by a lake in the English countryside.
We’ll be back to conquer the summit!
