Half-Term

I would have posted last night, but I was so exhausted that I went to bed at 9pm. It was Lily's last primary school sports day, and I was on my feet for most of the day. I felt so proud though. She came second in the sprint, and took an easy first place in the skipping race. For some reason she is much faster with a rope than without :)

It feels like no time at all since the beginning of the week, and things will only get busier between now and the end of term. I am very aware that these coming weeks are going to require much spinning of plates, and I will definitely feel overwhelmed at times, but there is an end in sight. And that end will hopefully result in a relaxing summer break and some sunnier weather. At the moment, other than a couple of planned activities, I haven't given too much thought to holidays. I'm sure we will get away at some point, but we are incredibly fortunate to live in a very beautiful part of the world, and we do enjoy exploring it. 

Last week, it was our half-term and  we went along to a Herdwick Experience, at Yew Tree Farm, near Coniston. The Lake District is well know for it's delightful Herdies, mainly thanks to Beatrix Potter championing their conservation. As you might expect, they are a hardy breed,  and they usually steer well away from people up on the fells. But at this farm, they hold meet and greet sessions with their very friendly 'ambassador' flock. 

I had expected traffic to be busy, but it wasn't, which meant we arrived far too early for our session. So to pass the time we went for a short walk up to Tom Gill Falls, which lies part way between the farm and Tarn Hows. On returning to the farm, Mel, who was leading the session that day, introduced herself to us and we spent time learning about the farm, the breed, and how their wool is used, before the best part, which was walking to the fields to finally meet the sheep. They greeted us by the gate, which made it a struggle to get through, then after feeding them we sat down on the grass and waited for the sheep to come over to us. And it wasn't long before they did. Lily and I were joined by Pip, Maeve, Sue and Fudge. They were so gentle, and they all had their own distinct personalities. We spent over a hour there simply stroking the sheep and it was the most relaxed I've felt in ages. A really lovely afternoon.

On the Friday afternoon, we set off for somewhere I've been meaning to visit for a long time now, Skiddaw House. This is a small youth hostel, situated at the back of Skiddaw and not accessible by car. It doesn't have phone signal or internet connection and is completely off-grid, which is part of it's charm. We made the 5 mile walk from Keswick, past the lower slopes of Latrigg, around Lonscale Fell, and up the Glenderaterra Valley. It was overcast, but warm and we were looking forward to our mini- adventure. We arrived shortly before 5pm, which is when the hostel opens for the evening, although walkers can call in during the day and make use of their self service honesty cafe. We were greeted by Sue, the manager of the hostel, who booked us in and explained how everything worked. Although the hostel can sleep up to 21, along with another family and a small group of friends, there would only be 12 of us spending the night there.

Skiddaw House in the trees.

We had a twin room, overlooking Great Calva, with comfortable beds and extra blankets if required. There were shared bathroom facilities and plenty of hot water for showers, courtesy of solar panels. Downstairs was a large kitchen and dining area, and a lounge, both with wood burning stoves, and there was even a small shop selling food and drink. We were definitely back to basics, but it was clean and comfortable, and we had everything we needed. 

Dinner was sausages and pasta, and we spent a lovely evening chatting with the other guests and playing some of the games in the lounge. Lily enjoyed reading some of the old visitor books, which is something I also like to do whenever I visit somewhere new. It wasn't a cold evening, but our long walk and the warmth from the stove had us feeling sleepy, so we boiled the kettle for our hot water bottles and went up to bed.

I slept really well, but as usual, I was awake very early. Being very careful not to disturb anyone else, I crept downstairs, made myself a mug of coffee and sat on the small bench outside watching the sunrise. It was so peaceful and still, I could hear only the birds, and the rushing water of the River Caldew further along the valley. 

Then it wasn't long before Lily was awake, and we ate our breakfast, quietly packed up our rucksacks and set off back towards Keswick. It was a bright and sunny start to the day, which worked out rather well, as our trip was timed perfectly for a slight detour up Latrigg so that I could take a photograph. 

For anyone who hasn't been reading here long, every two years I take a photograph of Lily in the same spot, overlooking Keswick and Derwentwater. This started out as a happy accident, but is something I will try to continue. At least until she tells me not to :) Here is a link to the previous post all about it.

Then the following morning, I went for a walk with a friend, up Wansfell Pike. This is a small fell overlooking Ambleside, which has some amazing views. We might have stopped off at Force Cafe on the way back down, for coffee and cake. They were delicious. If anyone is visiting Ambleside, then I would definitely recommend it there. 

Then we walked back beneath the trees, alongside the waterfalls and down towards the lake again.

J. X