Lake District - Ambleside

For the past few days I’ve been staying in Windermere in the Lake District and on Saturday our first stop was the lake itself and then onto Ambleside.  We were staying at a four-star Bed and Breakfast in Bowness-on-Windermere.  The room we had was nice and had a large bathroom, and – even though I’m not a breakfast person – we ordered our breakfast the night before so it was brought to us when we were ready.  I opted for a fruit salad and boiled eggs which were lovely (because I can never cook them right at home!)

Ambleside boasts beautiful views of lake Windermere and is just a short walk (or drive) from where we were staying.  It was such a hot day when we got there and although we didn’t this time (I have before), I recommend going out onto the lake on a boat to get a better view of the hills.

Stewart Park

Stewart Park is a 120-acre park in Middlesbrough and there are llamas to visit there.  If unlike me you don’t like llamas, they have deers, goats and squirrels amongst other animals.  We took peanuts to feed to the squirrels, to entice them out for a photo or two, and it worked!  I love the picture I got of him holding the food in his ‘hands’ and the slightly blurred photo of the cute waterhen chick on the pond. A word of advice – do not feed they geese, they will surround you!

Mallyan Spout

It was raining at the weekend and we were outside at Mallyan Spout.  It’s the tallest waterfall on the North York Moors and made for a spectacular view even with the downpour.  We started our walk at the Mallyan Spout Hotel in Goathland, and made our way down to the river, where we followed the path before having to climb over some rocks.  There is an easier way down to the waterfall via some steps but they were on the other side of the water from where we had come from.  

Upon reaching the waterfall, we stopped to take photos in front of the water and looking up, before heading up the steps to continue the walk into Goathland which is just short of a mile from here.

Raby Castle

Last Sunday, we had a ride out to Raby Castle, a 14^th century castle near Staindrop in County Durham.  It was built sometime between 1367 and 1390 and is still a private home today. 

We arrived at midday and entry was £10 per car; we ate lunch that we’d brought in the car because we weren’t sure whether there was a café here – there is.  While we were eating, we could see a deer in the distance wandering around the castle wall.  Raby Castle has almost 200 acres of parkland and there were a number of deer roaming about.  We looked round the gardens first because it was supposed to rain.

I wasn’t allowed to take any photos inside the castle but it’s worth a look round. 

Falling Foss

Falling Foss is a large waterfall near Ruswarp.  We went to Falling Foss the other week but unfortunately, we couldn’t get to the bottom of the waterfall because they had a wedding party there, and the only other way down involved us risking our lives on a cliff edge.  So, I had to make do with seeing it from the path at the side rather than standing in front of it.

Rowing Boats in Ruswarp

On our way to Falling Foss we stopped at Ruswarp, a little village in North Yorkshire.  I’ve been on the rowing boats before several times when I was younger but haven’t been for quite a few years.  We were able to park on the road side right next to the River Esk and made our way over to the boats; the couple there helped us in to the rowing boat and I sat at the end with the ropes so that I could steer rather than attempt to row. 

We paid for an hour and I was surprised how far along the river we managed to get before we had to turn back; I suppose the faster you row the more of the countryside you get to see.  I was told when I was little that there was a whirlpool at the end and, funnily enough, we never ever got to it because I don’t think it actually exists!  The best bit about steering is that you’re looking the right way to see where you’re going; I guided us into some low hanging leaves whilst managing to keep myself out of the way!

We had a well-earned dinner at Ruswarp Riverside Café which is located right next to the pleasure boats; the food was nice and we were told about how the river had once frozen over many years ago.  There’s also a miniature railway next to the café.

Brimham Rocks

Brimham Rocks is run by the National Trust.  Entry is free but you need to pay £5 to park.  It’s basically what it says – rocks – a number of rock formations that you can climb up and the views over Nidderdale are amazing. 

After visiting Brimham Rocks, we went into Knaresborough for dinner, although there is a café there on site.  We ate dinner in a little café called Scarlett’s Vintage Tea Rooms, hidden away from the main town centre in a courtyard around the corner from Knaresborough Castle.  We sat upstairs and ordered our food; we had a nice view out of the window and they had a set of dominos on the table.  The food was lovely and arrived quickly even though they were busy.

We had planned on walking along the river after dinner but being a typical summer day it started to rain, and thunder, and lightning so we had to make a dash for the car instead.