Been to the Lake district today.

lovely place .great scenery .great pub grub.p.s when do the lights start in sunny blackpool

Last time I went to the Lake District it belted down, kind of added to the experience to be honest.

Lights usually start about the first week in Sept I think but not sure as locals tend to avoid it.

Am lucky enough to get free use of a cottage for 1 week twice a year in the Lakes. We stay in a lovely little village about 5 miles from windemere on the edge of ulswater. My favourite weeks of the year, some great places to eat and plenty to do in Keswick, Windemere, Ambleside, ect.

Done plenty of fell runs/walks on some of the peaks and the views on a clear day are simply stunning. If anyone's having a trip up and is a bit of a golfer i would recommend playing Keswick or Windemere golf clubs-beautifull panoramic views. Could quite easily live up there.

Is that patterdale Jimmy?  or glenridding.  Patterdale is lovely, if rich I'd love to spend a week in the patterdale hotel.

yeah patterdale UTI, never come across a more beautifull village. Waking up on a sunny morning looking out to the mountains, sounds sad but there's just something about it. Easy access to Helvelyn, Place fell, High street from where we stay-look forward to the lakes more than my abroad holiday!

The patterdale hotel is nice mate yeah (pricey from what ive seen of the rooms tho), had some nice meals and good nights outside there just wasting the night away with a few beers. U a regular visitor UTI?

Think the coast to coast route takes you past the cottage i stay in mate to be honest, or so the father in law tells me-its a stand alone cottage near the farm at Patterdale about 500 yards from the Patterdale hotel. Believe ive been to Angle Tarn, did a scramble straight up a waterfall from the bottom all the way up, seem to remember some people camping out there at the time, very peacefull and serene place.

Think the pub your referring to is the Yellow Lion (might be White Lion), big white building anyway! Never eaten in there though. Oh to be there now.

Well, i wish it was my cottage! Family friend of the gf owns it and are kind enough to let us have it for nothing for a few weeks a year. Still feel very lucky to have those times though.

Always seems quite to me Patterdale but thats probably because im a city man 50 weeks a year.  Respect for completing the coast to coast, more than once by the sounds of it.

There were raised voices in Ambleside over a parking issue

Me and the Mrs lived in blackpool at the time, took the mini stuffed with two quilts, took the Staffie and kipped two nights in the open air in a forest. Great times.

My old man was born there and his family still live there today. We now live in Sydney, Australia. Took my wife there during our european honeymoon 5 years ago and we have been back twice since as she also fell in love with the place.

Fifteen years ago when my dad passed away in Australia we took his ashes back to Lake District and scattered them on Loughrigg, which is a lovely hill overlooking Lake Windermere in Ambelside. 
Funny story, his mother owned the only aged care home in Ambelside many many moons ago, and after 20 odd years of operation, the authorities came in one day and realised she didnt have a license to operate the place, she took it to court, and she ended up in the high court in London.
She rocked up to the court dressed in a nuns habit and uniform, and when the charges where discussed in court and the lawyer talked about the work she did for the area, he dismissed all charges...  and didnt ask her if she was infact a nun. True story. She became a local legend back then.

Rockmonkey
Threads like these only serve to remind (& irritate) me that we don't charge enuff (ie nowt) to allow outsiders into the Chosen Land

Not with you there mate, are you suggesting people should be charged for visiting the Lakes?

well i see your thinking mate, definetly not a place we want to get overcrowded. On the other hand, doesnt the area need the money tourism brings in.

Your right that there are some right idiots taking climbs/walks on that they arent experienced enough to do. But for every idiot is a person who has the misfortune to break an ankle on the top of Blencathra and needs the MR to get down.

Oddly having parents and inlaws who have lived their 20/30 yrs i'm totally blase about the gaff,used to love camping there as a kid and sailing/rowing canoeing on Coniston(without doubt my finest memories as a child)Always rememebr the Campbell mile markers sadly long gone on the Brantwood side of the lake.

Gets a bit hideous in the main villages in summer and Windermere, Coniston,Ambleside can get log jammed on a nice day with hordes of day trip walkers and weekenders talking in ridicoulsly loud voices in the bars and outside about their "climb" or whatever,nobody wants to hear you shouting your heads of after 2 pints of real ale you bearded fecktards.

And the food some of the main pubs get away with serving to tourists is an abberation it really is cheap muck,and they all think their eating the most wonderful meal in historynot to so say theres not of course some quality gaffs to eat in as there most definitely is.
The locals are inverted snobs of the highest degree though(pleasant enough mind you) but talking about NIMBY in extremis.


Avoid Windermere at ALL COSTS if in summer.

Talking in a loud voice about climbing Helvelyn as if you've just conquered K2 without oxygen does NOT endear you to people or let them think you are Chris Bonnington,but simply highlights the fact you may well have a very small pen1s.

lol - typically topical [;)]

slartybartfast
Live in Langdale - cycle commute 90 miles/week. Happy days! Looking forward to the traffic clearing a little in September

got any spare rooms for invading cockneys, slarty ? [smiley:crazy]

Got a houseful of my own little barstewards, Jack.

That's why I love going to work!  

Planning to cycle the Fred Whitton next month:
.
http://www.fredwhittonchallenge.org.uk/routemap.php

:D

Yeah, fitter than ever since I started cycle-commuting last year.

The Fred's an awesome route. Been doing a bit of training, as well as the usual commuting. Last month I cycled Langdale to Boot (Eskdale) and back. Two 1 in 4's and four 1 in 3's (Wrynose-Hardknott and back)in under 30 miles. Well pleased that I didn't have to stop on any of the ascents. Just wanted to check I could do them fresh. Will be a different matter on "the Fred" when you hit Wrynose at 96 miles in.

I've got a video of me racing down the Kirkstone Pass in a car.

I let all cars go at the top until there was a two minute gap before I started. I was quarter of a mile from the facking bottom when a tw@t pulled out in front of me from a farm side road. I forgot the camera was on and called him all the coonts under the sun.

My kids have never seen the film with the sound on.