[Updated from a 2008 post]
In addition to the lakes themselves there is a wide variety of things to do in the Lake District. There are places to visit ranging from the literary connections of Dove Cottage at Grasmere (home of the poet William Wordsworth) to the practicalities (although also with artistic potential) of the pencil and mining museums in Keswick. And don’t forget the National Park visitor centre at Brockhole.

The National Trust

has several properties in the region and if, either deliberately or due to hitting a bad patch of weather, you decide on a programme of indoor visits you could well benefit from joining the Trust rather than paying separately for each location. With your National Trust membership ticket you get free access to all its properties, which can be a considerable saving if you vist several – and remember, the membership lasts for a year so you’ll have access to properties in other parts of the country. If you live in England or Wales you may even be surprised at what’s available to visit almost on your own doorstep as well as in the Lake District.

The National Trust (which, incidentally, is not a government body; this is sometimes misunderstood because of its name) owns large areas of the countryside in the Lake District National Park. Apart from areas of water it owns many hill farms which are let out to tenant farmers who take good care of the landscape to protect it for future generations. It also owns houses and gardens of historic or other special interest. Here are just some of the National Trust properties you could visit while in Cumbria:

• Acorn Bank Garden and Watermill, Temple Sowerby, nr Penrith
• The Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead
• Sizergh Castle, nr Kendal
• Wordsworth House, Cockermouth (William Wordsworth’s birthplace)

This lunchtime my wife and I decided to make a detour on our way home from Penrith, and to visit Acorn Bank, the National Trust property in the Eden Valley near Temple Sowerby and Culgaith.

After a delicious soup and sandwich we strolled around the gardens and walked through the woods to the beautifully restored watermill. Needless to say, the camera was busy and in the future I may upload a longer and more detailed account of Acorn Bank. For now suffice it to say that apart from the mill the highlight for me is the herb garden.

The Acorn Bank herb garden claims to have the largest collection of medicinal herbs in the North of England. It certainly is an extensive collection. More at a later date, but for now here is one corner of that beautiful garden.

Today I’m adding a few more of my Appleby Horse Fair photos from last weekend. It was a very successful event this year. Click here for a report by the Lake District Messenger.

Notic above that the young foals are not tied. They simply follow the adults.  Sometimes, though, it looks as though one is asking “Where do I go next?”

Then there’s music on the street. And this year there was a great deal of TV attention.  Film crews were to be seen day after day.

Away from the horses, on Chapel Street, was an indoor exhibition of gypsy life and history very well put together. The banner here was supplemented by a large board listing the programme of activities to take place over several days.

The Market Hall was given over to stalls with gypsy wares of many types. This one, with its paintings and models of traditional caravans, was especially interesting.

And so, back to the river, where a good time was being had by all.

(The gypsy horse fair at Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, is held in June each year. It is the major annual visitor attraction in the Eden Valley, but there is so much more to see all year round in this beautiful part of Cumbria).

In my post earlier today I showed a general view of the River Eden at Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. The past few days have seen the annual gypsy horse fair, with crowds watching the traditional horse washing, racing and other events. Here now are some more detailed photos taken on Friday and Saturday.
(Even more Appleby Horse Fair photos.)

The Appleby Horse Fair is a centuries-old tradition, the buying and selling of horses being combined with competitive events, and nowadays a lot of welcome tourists. This year it is estimated that around 10,000 gypsies and other travellers from around Britain, and indeed from further afield in continental Europe, came together for the largest annual event of its type in Europe.

They arrived in everything from traditional brightly decorated horse-drawn gypsy caravans (taking days or even weeks over the journey) to upmarket modern vans pulled by top of the range BMWs. Add to them something around 30,000 weekend spectator visitors, and it will be appreciated that the small town of Appleby (normal population not much more than 3,000) was somewhat crowded. There has been trouble in the past, but this year it went off well, with sensitive policing in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, especially in Saturday’s sunshine.

Here is a selection of my photos of the River Eden horse washing and swimming. A week earlier, after several days of rain, it would not have been possible to have children down on the pebble area. It was deep under water. Water levels in the Eden and of feeder streams throughout the Eden Valley, as with other Cumbrian rivers in the nearby Lake District, can rise and fall very quickly. But for most of this year’s fair the weather was kind.

And the crowds look on, fascinated.

On moving from Nottinghamshire to the Eden Valley in Cumbria back in March we had great difficulty in getting a broadband connection. I’ll not waste time here moaning about the incompetence of internet service suppliers, or the almost unbelievable official neglect of rural areas with regard to digital access, but will now get on with adding more useful content to the site as well as checking that all our links still work.

I do know, for example, that during our “gap” period there have been changes at our hotel booking service, and this will require some serious work over the next few days to ensure that every link connects properly throughout our Around-England family of sites.

Meanwhile, here is a photo from my wander around Appleby during the gypsy fair weekend.

Horse Washing and Crowds at Appleby Fair

In a later item I’ll include some close-ups of horses and activities.

When, many years ago, I first saw Lowther Castle I was quite taken aback.  Driving near Askham, south of Penrith, on the Eastern side of the English Lake District, suddenly this amazing building appeared on the horizon.  Decades after its substantial destruction and exposure to the elements the massive skeleton stands impressive still.

Lowther Castle c1880

Over the course of its history Lowther has gone through many ups and downs.  It has suffered from fire, weather, and sometimes profligacy and neglect as human generations have come and gone.

The present structure stands on the site of earlier buildings, its construction relatively recent in historical terms. It was just over two hundred years ago, in 1806, that Sir Hugh Lowther the 5th Earl specified to his architect this residence of great splendour, and one has to say extravagance, that later generations eventually found uneconomic to sustain.

After glory days before World War I Lowther Castle began to decline, and its once internationally praised gardens began to suffer from inadequate care as costs spiralled.  After use by the army in World War II the castle’s contents were taken away in the 1940s and by the end of the 50s the roof had been removed to make the building safe.  Gradually Lowther Castle became a symbol of past glories.

Having said that, Lowther Park is not dead.  A wide variety of activities have continued to take place in the grounds, including the annual Lowther Horse Driving Trials and Country Fair.  Also, the Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre is based in the walled garden.

What is more, there are plans for the future of Lowther Castle.  One of the biggest restoration projects in the UK is currently underway. The first stages are expected to open to the public on Good Friday, 22nd April 2011 when part of the gardens will be open and people will be able to see something of the progress of the building work. It will, however, take years for the castle itself and its gardens to be brought back to anything approaching its previous splendour.   For more on the redevelopment of this historic building and its environs visit the website of the Lowther Castle & Gardens Project.

The above edited picture of Lowther Castle as it was in the past is taken from Morris’s Country Seats (1880) and shown here courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In several earlier posts I have referred to Beatrix Potter, her association with the Lake District and her home at Hill Top Farm which is now in the care of the National Trust. In an earlier post about the day last year on which my wife and I found both of the National Trust’s Beatrix Potter locations closed I blogged about their incomprehensible policy of of having both the house at Hill Top and the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead simultaneously closed every Friday.

However, not far away on the other side of Windermere, in Bowness, is The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction – open every day of the week, which especially for children who’ve been disappointed at Hill Top and Hawkshead is especially important on Fridays.

This Beatrix Potter attraction in Bowness-on-Windermere is the only one in the UK licensed by Peter Rabbit’s publishers. It is open almost all around the year, closing only on Christmas Day and for part of January. (Check their web site for the latest information on opening dates and times).

All 23 of the tales of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Squirrel Nutkin and the other animal friends are brought realistically to life indoors, even with the smells of the country farmyard.

In the “The Miss Potter Room” there is an introduction to the life of Beatrix Potter, both as Miss Potter and as Mrs Heelis with fascinating exhibits and films. You can also buy Peter Rabbit gifts and collectibles in the shop, and enjoy some good food in the Tailor of Gloucester tea room.

Special Beatrix Potter events are organised throughout the year, including Peter Rabbit Tea Parties (for which you are advised to book in advance).  As this item is posted in December 2009 the attraction’s website already has listed many events for 2010.

Winter visits to the Lake District are the subject of a 12-page beautifully illustrated feature article in the January issue of Country Walking magazine. The idea that Cumbria is a northern county to be visited only in the summer is well and truly demolished by its photographs. The Lake District is beautiful throughout all seasons of the year.

Most appropriately, given last month’s disastrous “once in a thousand years” rainfall and flooding of many areas of the Lake District (not only those prominently featured in the national news media), the article concludes with a reminder that it is still possible to donate to the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund and Fix the Fells.

For those who are not feeling up to energetic outdoor exploration during the winter months there are of course many indoor attractions and activities that are open all year round, mostly of a unique Lake District character unavailable anywhere else.  I referred to some in the Coniston area in a recent post on this site, and plan to add more along this line in the near future.

Finally for today, I see on the Ordnance Survey’s online-magazine blog a suggestion that hikers might expand their interests to take in rock climbing.

Lake District hikers may enjoy rock climbing

Ordnance Survey, 8 Dec 2009

Those on a hiking or camping holiday in the Lake District may wish to follow the advice of the Daily Mail and indulge in some rock climbing while they are there.

I do agree, but given that it’s now cold, wet and in high places icy, I hope that anyone taking up the suggestion will get good advice, watch the weather and the clock, go prepared and well-equipped, and not add to the mountain rescue statistics.

And then finally finally, don’t forget to subscribe to Country Walking magazine so as not to miss an issue. Click on the image below to subscribe.

As I started to write this item for our blog the newspapers, radio and TV, both local and national, were full of Lake District and wider Cumbrian stories.  More than a foot (>300 mm) of rain in little more than twentyfour hours had swollen rivers, formed lakes where previously there were none, and generally made the lives of many Cumbrian residents a misery.  Bridges had been destroyed, and it was just being reported that a policeman attempting to save others had been lost as the bridge on which he was standing was swept away.  Clearly this has been an exceptional weather event which is going to have massive human consequences. I trust that by the time this post is due to appear on the blog the big clean-up will be well under way.

It was, however, not water to this extent that was on my mind when I first thought of writing about things to do in and around Coniston in the winter.  Rather it was a simple response to the fact that things to do indoors take on an added significance in the colder months of the year.

For many decades one of the economic difficulties faced by the Lake District tourism industry was the shortness of the season.  Gradually this has been changing. Of course, the enthusiastic outdoor person may laugh at wimps who want to be inside in the warmth.  As someone who used to love the battle against an icy wind, and revel in pressing footsteps deep into mountain snow, I can empathise with that.

As the years have worn on, however, I’ve come to appreciate that pretending to be Hilary on Everest or Scott in the Antarctic is not the only way to enjoy the uplands in winter.  There are warmer occupations.  So what does the area immediately around Coniston have to offer the person who prefers to keep reasonably warm and dry?

The Ruskin Museum

In Coniston village itself there is the Ruskin Museum.  This should not be confused with Brantwood, which was John Ruskin’s home on the opposite bank of the lake from 1871 until his death in 1900, and which I’ll mention in a later paragraph. The museum is in the village itself and although it includes a considerable amount of Ruskin-related material it also covers a far wider range of local interests including the Coniston Coppermines in “Coppermines Valley” up the slopes of Coniston Old Man above the village.

Originally established by the writer and philosopher W. G. Collingwood in 1901 it has been extended substantially down the years.  It has informative displays on the local (now defunct) copper mining and slate industries as well as many local crafts. Most recently the part of the museum devoted to Donald Campbell and his waterspeed records has been greatly expanded.  Sometime in 2010 it is planned to bring the restored Bluebird to a permanent display here.

Brantwood

What John Ruskin would have thought of careering up and down the Coniston lake at 250-300 miles per hour we’ll never know, but certainly he considered the view across the water to Coniston Old Man from his study window to be more than outstanding.  I guess that under today’s planning regimes he would not have been permitted to develop the old cottage into the house as it now is, but thankfully he lived before the age of such restraints and we can now visit Brantwood to enjoy exhibits of the art and philosophy of this highly influential artist, writer and social reformer of the mid/late-nineteenth century.

To quote the Brantwood web site, its displays and activities “reflect the wealth of cultural associations associated with Ruskin’s legacy – from the Pre Raphaelites and Arts and Crafts Movement to the founding of the National Trust and the Welfare State.”  Over the years I’ve paid many highly enjoyable visits to Brantwood, and particularly recall an exhibition describing the influence of Ruskin’s thinking on Ghandi.

Brantwood, however, is not only concerned with the past.  It has a lively programme of contemporary style events.  For example, the Severn Studio has an exhibition under the title “Space and Place” showing the recent work of five south Cumbrian textile artists.

Oh, and there’s also some good food to be enjoyed!  As the house doesn’t open until 11:00 am you might want to enjoy the Ruskin Museum in Coniston village in the morning and then go on to Brantwood for lunch before touring the house in the afternoon.

Places Nearby

The above two places can easily occupy a relaxed winter’s day before the darkness falls and one retreats to a warm Coniston area hotel or guest house. A second day might involve a trip to nearby Hawkshead with its Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter connections. Or, a little further away, how about the Laurel and Hardy museum in Ulverston?

Take Care in the Winter Outdoors

Finally, if you decide that it’s the outdoors for you, then please make sure that you’re properly equipped, check the weather forecast and the daylight times … and don’t take risks on the fells.  The rescue services have enough on their plates without having you as another of their statistics.

Check Winter Opening Hours

One important point about visiting anywhere in the Lake District during the winter months (or for that matter any tourist destination around the whole of the UK outside of the big cities) is:  Check the winter opening hours.  Not only are daily times usually shorter than in the summer, but some venues may be closed totally for several weeks, especially in late-December and January. Check the relevant websites carefully before travelling far:

Brantwood – home of John Ruskin

The Ruskin Museum in Coniston village

The Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead

“What is there for an eleven year old in the Lake District?” I heard that question a few days ago, and it set me thinking.

Firstly, I suppose one has to challenge the idea that there is such a thing as a standard model of eleven year old.  Of course not.  There are girls and boys, energetic, sporting, artistic, studious, inquisitive, imaginative, gregarious, solitary, pessimistic, optimistic,  quiet, talkative, … ,  all the variety of characteristics that will carry through into variety of adults.

Some will want to make their own enjoyment in walking, clambering up hillsides, mountain biking, swimming, rowing, and other active pursuits.  There are organised activity centres for the energetic outdoors.

The enthusiastic young photographer or painter will find no shortage of subjects to challenge their artistic abilities. Some may be interested in historical things. How about a visit to “ancient” Rheged near Penrith or the Museum of Lakeland Life in Kendal?  Did you know that pencils came from the Lake District? There’s even a pencil museum in Keswick for both the historically and the artistically inclined.

Old railways?  The Lake District has two.  There’s the “full size” version with steam trains running on the old, and now restored, branch line from Haverthwaite to Lakeside near the foot of Windermere.  Then there’s the “Ravenglass railway” that climbs up into the mountains from Ravenglass on the west coast, a great afternoon out for both children and adults.

Do you want to know how a nuclear power station works?  Just up the road from the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is Sellafield with its excellent visitor centre (although at the time of writing this it was undergoing maintenance work; check their web site for details).

Interested in wildlife and nature?  How about the osprey viewing point by Bassenthwaite?  Or the freshwater aquarium at Lakeside? And talking of animals, for the imaginative among us, whether children or not, there are three Beatrix Potter attractions in the central lakes area.

Then again, the young poet might be fascinated by a visit to William Wordsworth’s cottage at Grasmere, or the recreation of eighteenth century life at his birthplace in Cockermouth.

This is just a start.  On our Lakes web site we include several lists of things to do and places to go around the main centres.  Check out also the range of National Trust locations in the Lakes. And whatever you do, don’t miss the national park visitor centre at Brockhole.

As for adults, so also for children, in addition to simply appreciating the beauty of the place there is no lack of things to do in the Lake District.