Craig Manor Hotel Windermere

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 ...

... 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 ...

Tow truck 2, turns up at 15:29 and we are off again for the next leg of the journey, Stirling Services to Lancaster Services. This journey takes around 4 hours and I have a nice chat with the driver, Jim all the way. We phone ahead and arrange the next tow truck to meet us at Lancaster at 19:15, guess what? Yes, it wasn't there and I am told it won't be there until 20:15 and it finally arrives at 20:30

The near-11 months that passed between when I shook my father's hand outside of JFK and when I greeted my parents at Heathrow represented the longest time span I'd gone without seeing them at least once. It seemed, though, that England was going to do everything in its power to prevent this inevitable meeting. The adventure that never should have been one started in Leeds the day before when I cut way too close catching the bus from Elle's dorm to the bus station. Of course ...

Lake District was the northernmost area we visited. That's probably why the Lake District is one of the best attractions of U.K. John told me the story of Beatrix Potter, the author of Peter Rabbit.
Actually, I don't remember which lake I visited, because John took me there. I still remember I took a boat to the opposite ...

... boating laws must be very lax in this country... we passed a bigger row boat with about a dozen men in it, not a life jacket in sight, and each one of them had a beer in their hand! Safety first? haha! Sorry I don't have much more to say - our train left at half 6, so it was a rather short stay, but still enjoyable. Next weekend Scotland, and then HOME! take care everyone, Cheryl