Buckle Yeat Guest House Hawkshead

After making arrangements by text last night my friend Steve (from Crewe this time - I know a lot of Steve's) caught a train to Penrith with his family to arrive around 8am to collect my car. Joanna brought me back to Appleby and that little task was sorted. Typical of me to be finishing off such a large task at the last minute but it all got sorted and that's the main thing.

It is now the time to be assembling my stuff into ...

... by the time we were ready to leave, the wind had picked up & the rain was coming down sideways. When we crossed the border we were all leaning the bikes at 45 degrees just to go in a straight line and trying to brace for the gale force gusts!

So by the time we reached Haywick the weather had deteriorated & group decision was made for safety reasons to not continue to Glasgow but instead ride down to Martyn's sisters house in Warcop, Westmorland.
Appleby, England, United Kingdom charliebears

... this so if you haven’t already downloaded Skype get it done girl!!! :o)
Mum made me a corking tea, Gammon baby!! Cheers for that Mum. I managed to eat it considering I’d lost my appetite, I couldn’t see that go to waste lol. An early evening visit to my Nan to see how she was (she’s smoking again…tut tut!!) but she’s doing good.
I had a few visitors over the course ...

Ingnoring most advice we did head off for our anniversary weekend to the Lake District. Cumbria had just experience record rainfall of 400+ mm of rain in 24 hours and amny parts of the area were severly flooded. We had a great run up on the M6 on Friday afternoon and settled into Elim House. In the moring we went down to see the lake which was now creeping ...

Travelled to Cumbria to see Mum and catch up with old friends - was originally going to leave all my kit here but realised that I needed more time to get used to the weight on the bike (and assess whether I might need to get panniers after all) so the trip has become largely a ...

... together now ready for when I pack later on this week. It's a bit strange as I don't feel like I'm going anywhere yet but I'm sure come this time next week I'll be thinking different! I've now got everything set out on our spare bed ready to pack in my bag, my last "to do "list is writen, I did a few bits of washing of things I want to take and I've still ...

... back to Hawkshead.

We had planned to stop in Ambleside on the way home to see the Roman ruin "Galava", which unfortunately turned out to be a muddy field with some ridges in. Most disappointing, and it started to rain again as we walked back to the car, leading to a damp drive home. On a positive note, we did get home in a record four hours, just in time for Eartha to watch Dr Who.

... than I already was.

Eventually, the two bedraggled travellers arrived in the pub cum hotel that nestles in the centre of Little Langdale. We ordered hot chocolate and literally wrang out our socks and trousers in the sink in the Ladies. Eartha called it wrinkling out, which was kind of how I felt - wet and wrinkly.

The last leg of the trek was back across fields and the charming Slater's bridge. This twisty, characterful bridge is made of ...

... cross-country, across a little footbridge, in the dark and stormy night). Mad fools.

The bedroom had 15 sleeping places, consisting of 5 triple bunks. There were 14 of us staying, so it was kind of cosy. Eartha and I chose top layer bunks where you hit your head on the ceiling if you sat up too fast. Eartha went to sleep and I cracked open a bottle of homemade and joined Vince by the fire.

... of the lake and I strolled around for 10 minutes or so. I assume that was Windermere, but I am not sure. I upload a few picture from there and if you know where it is, please tell me. Anyway, on our way back, we dropped by Lakeside Motor Museum. I was not interested antique cars exhibited in the museum, but John really was.