Just back from a lovely few days up in the Lakes. Drove up on Monday morning, slight bit of traffic on the M6, very slow around the Blackburn junction. Stopped at Lancaster services for a coffee stop, what a dump that is! Went up to Keswick as the weather was on the unpredictable side, we were planning on going to Buttermere, but the rain stopped play, the weather forecast for Tuesday was much better so decided to change plans. A wander around Keswick, a few shops and a bite to eat, then off to the hotel in Grasmere. Lovely drive along the side of one of many lakes, difficult to see some of the scenery as the cloud was really low and the drizzle had set in. The A591 was very dramatic, lots of "oooh, look at that" moments. Stopped to take a quick pic and noticed an old AA box, looks like it had been renovated recently. The hills looked stunning with the clouds sitting atop them, rolling down into the valleys. The hotel was lovely, spent an hour in the spa to unwind, then to the restaurant for a gorgeous meal (and a few glasses of Rioja....). Finished the evening with a cheeky cocktail.... After a stunning breakfast we set off to Buttermere. The maps app (Google/Apple/BMW) said the the Honiston Pass road, the B5289, was closed. So the route took us back up to Keswick, off at Braithwaite and up/over Scar Craggs and down to the village. Unbelievably challenging road! As we reached the summit, the cloud cover was all but total, mist/fog and rain, there was water and mud all over the road, 25% inclines with 90-120 degree turns. All single track. For possibly the only time (apart from the odd launch out of a junction or two....) since owning the car I was immensely glad of the xDrive. I could actually feel the front axle kicking in to take some of the load. After what felt like hours, but was actually only 25 mins, we arrived at the car-park in Buttermere. Parked up, said a small prayer, then went for a lovely coffee and flap jack at the Croft House Farm Cafe. Donned the walking boots and then set off around the lake. What a stunning walk that is, the cloud changed almost every time I looked up, changing the scenery and view. A gentle 4.2 miles around the lake, wonderful. Finished up at Sykes Farm Cafe, gorgeous pie and a cuppa. Back to the car and then back to Grasmere. What I had noticed was that the supposedly closed road was well and truly open! So we headed back that way. Still some very dramatic scenery, some sweeping curves all the way up to the slate museum, and then down to the other side. After a relax and change we walked into Grasmere for some food. Again, a genuinely lovely meal Lewis' Bistro. This morning, after some lovely pancakes for breakfast, we went to Ambleside, Mrs W wanted a new winter coat, and previous visits had shown there were many, many shops to choose from. I did a bit of research on the car parking as the last visit there was not a great one in terms of the town car park. This time I drove slightly out of the main centre to the Miller Bridge Town car park. Generous spaces, loads of free spots, happy days. There is a camper van section, £20 per night on hardstanding, access to toilets/water etc. Worth a look @Spuffington if you haven't used that one before. There were a few rather expensive looking vans on there! After a wallet emptying shop, apparently I'd agreed to buy the coat, we headed back to the car and off home. The M6 was ok, 10/15 min delay outside Stoke as the motorway had been closed both ways for some recovery work. The car has been amazing, totally unflappable in all weathers. I had the "anti-speeding and anti-rapid acceleration" device fitted, Mrs W, so the car was in Eco-Pro for most of it, lots of cruise control. By the time I pulled up on the drive, the car was showing a very generous mpg readout: A much needed few days away to unwind, back to work tomorrow, well, after a flu-jab and a trip to Sytners for a "while you wait"oil service. A few more photos:
Thanks for the write up. In my opinion, there are few better places to unwind and enjoy a bit of a “reset”. Glad you enjoyed yourself. That car is quite incredible. Who’d have thought that it was possible to yield that kind of fuel economy with the performance you have on tap. Hats off to you also for showing so much restraint. Thanks for the tip on the Motorhome spots. It’s a shame more places don’t offer this since it solves so much of the tension around Motorhomes being parked inappropriately at the same time as putting money in the pockets of local businesses. I know Im not alone when I say I invariably eat out or have a drink (coffee or something harder) when I’m staying in a town. I might have to sneak in one last trip away in the camper van before it sells!
Agree, a quite magical place in many respects. Going back up there after Xmas, I’ve booked the hotel I stayed at in early March this year. Both sons are coming with me, making it a dad and lads few days away. Really looking forward to that.
Great write up, thanks for sharing. If you don't mind me asking which hotel in Grasmere did you stay? Been thinking of doing a lake district trip but not got round to doing something. The hotel sounds ideal.
We stayed at the Daffodil Hotel in Grasmere, approx five min walk outside of the village. Lovely location. Worth checking the price on other website before going direct to them. I had a special price from Booking.com, then phoned the hotel directly, they matched the price.
Excellent write up! That lovely mixture of car info, travel info, and gastronomic info - all wrapped up with a bit of social comment. Very reminiscent of the articles in Car magazine of old, written by the much missed George Bishop.
