Interests

Lake District Goings On

April 11, 2012

Recent news from around the Lake District includes a story in the Westmorland Gazette that the National Park Authority is now looking forward to further plans for the future of its Brockhole visitor centre by the shore of Windermere. Much has been done over the past year or so but we can look forward to [...]

Ospreys and Mountain Bikes in the Lake District

April 3, 2012

Great news for the osprey watchers of the Lake District. BBC News Cumbria reports A female osprey has been spotted in Cumbria at the start of the nesting season. …. The unidentified female was spotted on a nest near Keswick on Friday but it is not known if she will remain. Ospreys fly south to Africa during [...]

Nature in the North – Smitten bitterns at Leighton Moss

March 30, 2012

Spring is sprung! And the RSPB at Leighton Moss report lovey-dovey bitterns. The other day Annabel Rushton wrote: Our very lucky Visitor Services Manager Jacqui was out for a stroll on the reserve yesterday evening and witnessed a rare treat at the bottom of the causeway. She was listening to our male bittern booming and suddenly he [...]

Always Carry Identification When Up In The Hills

March 29, 2012

I spotted this item today on the site of the Pennine Bridleway National Trail. It’s so important that I’m sure they won’t mind my copying it in full: Its something that makes sense to most of us but we probably don’t all do it – when using the Trail please remember to carry some form [...]

Beatrix Potter in the Lake District

March 2, 2012

Beatrix Potter is one of the names that quickly comes to many people’s minds when they think of the Lake District. However, unlike William and Dorothy Wordsworth, she was not native Cumbrian. She was a London-born lady who fell in love with the Lake District early in life during holidays there with her family in [...]

Ullswater and Patterdale in the English Lake District

February 29, 2012

This past weekend my wife and I took a short trip by Ullswater, mostly in the car. I wasn’t very energetic but wanted to be outside so we drove from Appleby to Glenridding and up into Patterdale as far as the Brotherswater Inn. It wasn’t an especially good February day weatherwise, but the Lake District [...]

Lake District History & Now: Axe Heads to SatNavs

February 21, 2012

Today’s title reflects just some of the eclectic content below, with ancient axe heads, charcoal burning, water-powered fulling mills, train crashes, a Roman helmet, today’s forests, map reading skills and even an international treaty. Last week I wrote about books on Lake District history and finished up with some thoughts on its future. Today I [...]

Lake District History and the Future

February 14, 2012

I was writing a piece on my “Lake District in Books” site when it occurred to me how much material I’d written there over recent months referring to the history of the region. This post is substantially a survey of things I’ve written there in the past, brought together for readers of the Around-England blog. [...]

Lake District Self-Catering Holidays

February 1, 2012

Loweswater – One of the less-visited lakes Many people today choose to look after themselves on holiday rather than stay in an hotel. There is an extensive supply of self-catering accommodation in Cumbria. Lake District cottages for rent are to be found throughout the region and provide excellent bases from which to go out and [...]

At the sign of the “Map and Compass”

January 11, 2012

Pub signs have provided a way of navigating through the streets for many a century. Instructions such as “Turn left at the Eagle and Child” or “Bear right at the Dog and Duck” have been commonplace. Yesterday I wrote on our Lake District in Books site a short piece about Ordnance Survey maps. The response [...]

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