Windermere and Wray Castle | Lake District

Autumn on Windermere 

After hiring a rowing boat on Windermere the year before, we decided to try something a little less strenuous this time and hired a motorboat instead.

It was a beautiful time of year to be out on the lake. The crowds had disappeared, and the trees were beginning to turn, adding splashes of autumn colour to the hillsides. From the water, we could see Wray Castle on the far shore, with the fells appearing and disappearing behind the clouds.

The hour we had on the boat went by far too quickly. It was lovely to see the landscape from the middle of the lake rather than from the shoreline for a change.

Afterwards, we drove over to Wray Castle. The castle itself was closed when we visited, but we could still explore the grounds before setting off on a walk to Blelham Tarn. We stopped beside the little tarn for dinner, and as we were there, a rainbow appeared over the hills.

We then followed the shoreline back towards Wray Castle, surrounded by the autumn colours.

Loughrigg Fell and Grasmere | Lake District

Autumn on Loughrigg Fell

I'd mostly visited the Lake District in summer before, so seeing it in autumn was something I was really looking forward to. The colours were beautiful, with the fells and trees covered in shades of orange, red and gold.

We started our walk in Ambleside and, after making our way through the town, soon found ourselves up in the fells. We headed towards Loughrigg Fell, climbing steadily until we reached the top.

It was quite misty when we got there, but the clouds didn't completely hide the views. We could still see several of the lakes below, including Elterwater and, my favourite, Grasmere.

After the climb, we stopped for dinner overlooking Grasmere. The photographs I took don't show just how beautiful the autumn colours were. From there, we made our way down towards Grasmere before following the shore of Rydal Water and stopping at Rydal Caves on the way back to Ambleside.

Gainford Spa

A Visit to Gainford

We visited the village of Gainford after heavy rain. The river Tees was running very high as we walked along beside it.

We walked towards the old spa, where a mineral spring has been used since Victorian times. The spring water has a distinctive sulphuric smell, and the little Victorian-style fountain is an interesting feature beside the river.

We also had a wander around the village, looking at the old houses and the village green.

Druid's Temple and Masham

Druid’s Temple and Masham

We spent a day exploring the countryside around Masham, starting with a walk from the little village of Fearby towards the Druid's Temple.

The temple looks ancient, but it's actually much more recent, having been built around 200 years ago. There are several other unusual stone features nearby, including a little cave and a stone tower.

The woodland around the temple also gave us some lovely views towards Leighton Reservoir. We could have spent longer exploring the different paths around the area, but we still had a few miles to walk returning to Fearby.

After the walk, we headed into Masham for a wander around the town. The old Georgian buildings surround the market square, and we also popped into the churchyard, where we spotted an old Anglo-Saxon stone cross.