Lovely long weekend in the Lake District

With the end of the first quarter of 2015 fast approaching we decided it was time for a change of scenery. Initially we were looking for a city break somewhere on mainland Europe however after getting frustrated with the lack of flights from our local airports we decided on a change of direction. We decided to look closer to home, like many people the tendancy when thinking about holidays is to look further afield. We chose the Lake District, a three hour drive from our home in the East Midlands.

Having finally left the M6 and started to follow the signs for The Lakes we stopped off at Kendal for lunch and a mission to track down some Kendal Mintcake. We had a lovely lunch in The Master's House Tea Rooms before wandering around this pretty town in pursuit of Mintcake which we found in a newsagents.

Kendal main street

Suitably re-charged after a hearty lunch, our next stop was Bowness and Windermere Marina Village, our home for the next three nights. The Marina Village consists of a collection of modern holiday cottages and apartments. Our cottage was great, tidy, comfortable warm and equipped with everything you needed to make you feel instantly at home. An extra bonus, the marina village is dog friendly, dogs are welcome which was one of our reasons for chosing it. If you're feeling peckish or in need of a beverage, the Boat House bar and restaurant is worth a visit too, dogs are welcomed in the bar area.

Lake Windermere

Alternatively the pretty town of Bowness is a short 15 - 20 minute walk away where you'll find an ample choice of bars and restaurants to choose from as well as some lovely shops, not forgetting the Beatrix Potter attraction. If you like good cofee, look out for a #4 on Lake Road where every cup of coffee is ground to order, the foods good too and dogs are made especially welcome.

Downtown Bowness

After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast back at #4 the next morning we set off for a drive around Lake Windermere with Ambleside our lunchtime destination. 

Lakeside walk

Fun in the sun

The scenary around the lake is stunning, the countryside beautiful, you have the feeling you're driving through a film set. We would our way round the lake to Ambleside where we parked up and set off to find somewhere for lunch. By chance we came across Stiles, perhaps I should say luck was with us as the food was delicious, the staff very friendly and like a lot of places in the Lake District dogs are made very welcome. 

Ambleside

Ambleside is a very picturesque town full of the stone architecture that typifies the style of building in the Lake District. There are plenty of nice shops to visit, especially those selling outward bound clothing and accessories as this area is a dream for hikers, fell walkers, climbers, cyclists and many more.

The following morning we decided a lazy day was what we neeed so we meandered into Bowness to catch a ferry on the Lake. We'd already decided that we owned the Lakes another visit so we chose a short 45 minute lake trip which cost £7 per person. 

Later in the day we drove up to Windermere, just over a mile from Bowness, the two merge into each other. To be honest after Bowness and Ambleside it was slightly disappointing and a very poor roast beef lunch in The Grey Walls hotel didn't help. Morale of that story is, stick away from roast beef if you have the slightest doubts about the restaurant.  

We had a fantastic few days in the Lake District and both agreed we want to return to try out some of the many walks and enjoy more of the unique countryside.