(Not) ambling around Ambleside

After a delicious breakfast overlooking the lake I hit the road. I had two soft targets for today: visit Ambleside and retrace the train trip between Windermere and Oxenholme for photographs. 

I walked to Bowness-on-Windermere as that's where the cruises leave. Ambleside is at the top of the lake whereas Bowness is midway down. I wasn't sure what to expect in Ambleside but I knew the landscape in the north was more mountainous. 

In Bowness, these boats were tied up near the piers for the cruises. 

The cruise takes about 25 min each way. 

Ambleside is a mile inland from the lake. On the way I spotted these sheep under the cover of the bushes. Not sure what they were taking cover from as it wasn't raining at the time.

Ambleside is pretty. Lots of buildings made from slate and some great views of the surrounding hills and mountains. 

This two room building over a stream was curious. 

I passed a small gallery with some lovely local paintings and prints. They had a series of prints which were a good size for my place so I bought a couple. 

Other than that I did anything BUT amble around Ambleside. I had it in my mind to get to part two of my day and I knew that was kind of dependent on catching the 1:05 boat back. So I kept up a rapid pace. In hindsight it might have been nicer to wander. 

Anyway, I made the boat in time. On the way back it started to spot with rain that became constant by the time we docked. Faced with the prospect of getting a little wet my resolution to continue on disappeared completely. After checking timetables I found a bus was due in a few minutes that would take me past the hotel. Bargain.  

So, even though it's only 3:00 I'm staying here in front of the fire in the bar. I've had some warming soup. Time to relax.

Further north (norf)

Today it was time to leave York and head to my final destination before returning to London then home. It had rained quite a lot overnight and was still drizzling in the morning. It would have been an inside kind of day anyway. 

I got to the station early and my train was in time. 

The first train was to Manchester. Then a change to Oxenholme Lake District. Finally a change to Windermere. The first train was relatively empty. The second was busier. The last train was packed. We passed a beautiful selection of countryside.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get shots of the last leg because I wasn't by a window. The landscape was distinctly different. Hopefully I can get some photos later.

Windermere was packed with people. Much busier than I'd expected. The taxi driver told me this is nothing compared to mid summer. My hotel is out of Windermere and nicely secluded. It reminds me of a hotel Emily and I stayed in in Ireland. I have a window with a fantastic view of the lake.

The hotel is a converted manor house.

After having a sandwich in the Drawing Room (take note Emily) I got my things together to start exploring. I walked to the nearest town Bowness-on-Windermere. It took just under 45min. It was getting late when I got there, already 4:00pm but they were still running lake cruises. The weather had improved greatly so I seized the opportunity to do a short one.

The light on the walk back to the hotel was perfect for taking some more pictures. 

Just enough time to freshen up and have dinner with the lake as backdrop. Sun very slowly fading. Occasional swan gliding by. Amazing food and wine. A lovely end to the day.

Part of my plan for coming here was to wind down. I'll probably do a little exploring tomorrow, but then I think some lazing around the hotel will be in order.