Windermere and Wray Castle | Lake District

Having hired a rowing boat on Windermere last year, we decided to book a motor-powered boat instead this time. The boats are available to hire for an hour for £35, which we chose, or two for £58, although the time went so fast it’s probably worth booking a two-hour slot. From the lake, you can see Wray Castle on the far side and depending on how cloudy it is, you can see the surrounding fells. It was the perfect time of year to visit, the crowds were long gone, and the autumn colours of the trees were beautiful.

Afterwards, we drove to Wray Castle. The castle was closed, but you could still walk around the grounds. Wray Castle is a Victorian building built in 1840, so it’s relatively new for a castle. It was given to the National Trust in 1929 but has only recently opened up the house to the public. We walked from here to a tiny lake, Blelham Tarn. The walk can be found on the National Trust website. We stopped at the tarn for dinner and spotted a rainbow over the mountains before walking the mile and a half back along the shoreline.

Loughrigg Fell and Grasmere | Lake District

We headed to the Lake District, which I’d only really visited in summer before, and everywhere was beautiful with autumn colours. I found a walk to Loughrigg Fell that was described as 'one of the best autumn walks in the Lake District', and it didn’t disappoint. Loughrigg Fell is one of many hills in the Lake District and has an elevation of 335 metres.  

We started the walk in Ambleside, and after a few minutes navigating our way through the town, we were soon up in the fells. The walk, which is just over six miles in total, took us off the main track towards Loughrigg Fell, and after a steep ascent, we reached the top. There are several different routes to the top of the fell, so you shouldn’t be able to go wrong. 

Although it was quite misty at the top, you could see several lakes, including Elterwater and my favourite – Grasmere. We had dinner overlooking Grasmere Lake, and the photos I took don’t show just how beautiful the autumn colours really were.

We dropped down next to Grasmere, and the walk takes you back along the shore of Rydal Water, stopping off at Rydal Caves before returning to the start in Ambleside. 

Beningbrough Hall

Beningbrough Hall is the first National Trust property I’ve visited since they reopened after the first lockdown. You have to pre-book tickets and arrive at your designated time to avoid the place becoming too crowded. The café and house were still open at the time of writing but look likely to close in the next couple of weeks.

The hall is a large Georgian mansion near the village of Beningbrough in North Yorkshire and dates back to 1716. Here are a few of the photos I took whilst there, including some of a little kitten. Everyone else was walking past him – we were the only ones to spot him hiding in the leaves.

Gainford Spa

Gainford-on-Tees is a village in County Durham, near Darlington, that had its own spa in the 19^th century. The spa is a mineral spring on the banks of the river Tees. The water has a sulphuric smell and was thought to have healing powers in the Victorian era, making Gainford a popular tourist destination back then. The Victorian fountain was replaced with a replica in 2002 after the original was vandalised. You can access the spa from the roadside, where there are parking spaces, or walk a short distance from Gainford like we did.

Other things to see in the picturesque village include the Jacobean Hall, Georgian street houses, the village green with several conker trees,  and a stone cross to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897.

Druid's Temple and Masham

The Druid’s Temple is a small replica of Stonehenge in the village of Ilton near Masham in North Yorkshire. Although it looks like its ancient equivalent, it was only built 200 years ago, in 1820.  The walk we did was a 6-mile circular route starting just outside of Masham in the picturesque village of Fearby. Alternatively, the Temple is only a short drive away, and there is a car park at the end of the lane leading up to it. 

You follow the road through Fearby, past the village pub, until you reach a public footpath on your left. The route from here is well signposted, taking you through fields and woodland until you walk a while on the road. There are several different walks through the woodland surrounding the Temple, but since we had a few miles to walk back, we took the quickest route.

The Druid’s Temple does bear a resemblance to Stonehenge. There are other stones dotted about the place, too, including a cave and a ‘stone tower’ behind the temple. The woodland overlooks Leighton Reservoir and offers great views of the surrounding countryside. Leaving the Temple, we turned right at the lane and headed back to Fearby.

Known as the brewing capital of Yorkshire, Masham is home to both the Black Sheep and Theakston’s Brewery. You can park in the main square, where there is an honesty box for the car park, surrounded by old Georgian buildings. We also paid a quick visit to St Mary’s Church, where we saw an Anglo-Saxon stone cross in the churchyard. The cross is believed to date back to the 8^th century.