3rd August to the 7th August.
Nicole, Tim and the girls (and Dog) had booked a house in the Lakes for their birthdays. We decided we would like to go (even though Covid 19 was still very bad) and managed to book the place next door to the others.
Monday 3rd August
With the virus and the extra cleaning involved in getting the house ready, we could not be in until five. So we met up at Tarn Hows but we had no change for the parking machine and it would not accept my card for payment. We phoned the others (who were halfway around the lake) and Georgia payed for our parking from there, amazing.
Anyway we walked the opposite way around the lake until we met up with the others, then walked back to the carpark.
From there we drove to the pub where we had booked dinner, the Cuckoo Brow Inn, between Esthwaite Water and Lake Windermere. We had used it before but that was a few years back. The meals were very good and about half price, with the £10 off each deal for the Coronavirus. I even had a beer, a Fell, Crag Classic Northern Bitter, not bad. I had fish and chips for lunch, not sure what the others had but mine was lovely.
This was mine and Dot's first visit to any pub since the lockdown began and the set up in the pub was very different, with everyone separated.
Next we drove on to Hawkshead and had ice creams, the weather was wonderful (unfortunately this was not for the whole holliday), it was very busy there but nowhere near as busy as the rest of the lake district.
From there we drove on to Ambleside but it was so busy we just kept going and even though it was still early, made for our booked apartments.
Above in the back of our place, which is a lot bigger than it looks from the front and this was the side that got the sun. So after we unpacked we all sat out of our back of ours and had a drink. Later we went for a walk towards Lowther Castle, about a mile from our place but it was getting late by the time we got there. So we decided to go back there tomorrow.
Tuesday 4th August
Got a phone call from Nicole to say that they were walking to the pub with Syd for dinner and could we bring the girls in the car (it was a long way) later.
So later we picked the girls up and drove around to the pub, the George and Dragon in Clifton, quite a long way from our place. Again the meals had the £10 off each deal for the Coronavirus (this is why I was not doing all of the cooking this holiday), very cheap. I had the slow cooked beef, very nice and a couple of pints of Hawkshead Bitter.
Nicole, Tim and Syd, decided to walk back but we would drive back and then meet up with them at Lowther Castle. We waited for them to phone us, then set off to walk the way we went yesterday to the castle. We took a footpath through the trees and our first view of the castle was fantastic.
To walk around the outside was free, as was the use of toilets, cafe and shops. So after meeting up with the others Georgia and me took some more photos of the empty castle.
After a walk around the outside of the castle, taking lots of photos, it was getting cold by now so we walked back to the rooms.
Back there we went into Nicole's and watched a couple of films before bed.
Wednesday 5th August
Georgia and Emily's birthday today, it's hard to believe that they are seventeen. Anyway Emily and Tim got up early and drove to McDonalds to get breakfast for everyone. It was nice to get my breakfast made for me for a change.
We were supposed to be going to lake Ullswater, so that the girls could go out in their canoe, but the weather was not good at all. There were quite big waves on the lake so we just went to one of the pubs in Pooley Bridge for the birthday dinner.
Nicole had booked a table in the Pooley Bridge Inn, again there were restrictions for Covid 19 but less than the pub yesterday. The food was good but I did not feel really safe in there. Although I did have a pint of Robinsons, Wizard, not too bad at all.
On the way back from Pooley Bridge, we stopped of at Askham, took photos of the bridge and church but headed back without doing anything else.
We had to pass the Lowther Castle on the way back, so we parked up there and wandered into the courtyard. We got a seat outside in there and I had a cup of decaf tea, I think we all had something different.
Then it was back to Nicole's for a birthday tea and a cake for the twins.
Syd even joined in
Thursday 6th August
We got to go out and do what the girls wanted to do today. So by half ten, we were parked up on the side of lake Ullswater and blowing up the inflatable Canoe. The main car park was full, so we had driven on a bit and found a layby just a bit further on.
They soon got it all sorted and in the lake.
Then they were off, they promised not to go far, then paddled off to the other side of the lake.
When they came back we had our picnic, a selection of tuna, ham and cheese sandwiches. Well a couple of ham or cheese sandwiches for Georgia. We also had plenty of birthday cake left from yesterday.
After lunch the girls and Tim were back in the boat or just swimming about and trying to get Syd to join in. We had taken our pop up tent for the girls to get changed in and it worked very well.
Then it was back to our place for a BBQ.
So this was our last night away and we had arranged to have the BBQ out the back of our cottage. We had plenty of food some over cooked though and plenty of beers.
Friday 7th August
Nicole's birthday, but we had to be up and out of the place early, to give plenty of time for Covid 19 cleaning.
So we drove off to lake Ullswater for a walk around and maybe get our dinner there. We had a shortish walk down the lake and I got lots of flower photos.
After our walk we popped into the Crown Inn, it was still early though about half ten, so we only had a drink and I had a decaf tea again. I took photos of the replacement bridge from there, to me it looked like there were four people working on it, no wonder it is taking so long.
I did buy beer in the shop next door though and Nicole and Tim bought fancy glasses for gin.
We then drove back to Askham and parked outside the pub, although it did not open for another twenty minutes. So we drove up to Askham Hall and popped in to the gardens there for a pizza and for those not driving, a wine.
On the way back home we called into Lowther Castle again, Nicole and Dot bought a couple of throws that has been greatly reduced in the gift shop.
Then it was off home.
