We arrived in the Lake District at nightfall after a 5-hour drive from Cambridgeshire. The scenery on the drive got more and more dramatic the further north we travelled and as we left the flatlands behind and climbed up into the rolling hills, moorlands and dales of Yorkshire it was like going back in time to a much older version of England.
Little did we know that we would be virtually cut off from the world wide web.
We passed along the highest motorway in England. The M62 is 1,221 feet (372 metres) above sea level and your ears pop as you summit.
As we entered the mountainous region of Cumbria the day was getting long and the scenery got a lot more interesting as mountains began to appear all around us.
As we arrived after dark I didn’t really see the outside of the 16th century house that we would be staying in and my first view of the place was the next morning when I opened the curtains to see this view below.
Room with a view
To me it looked stunning but the photo really doesn’t capture the feeling of waking up in a 500-year-old house.
There was not a straight or horizontal line anywhere in the house. The rooms were odd shapes like the kitchen was triangular. And the masses of low wooden beams holding the place together made for some interesting photos. It has what realtors or estate agents would call ‘rustic charm’.
Wonky doors
The house was indeed very charming and had all the modern conveniences like electricity, hot and cold water and central heating. The rooms were large enough and the facilities were good.
This is my first time in an air b&b and it was pretty good. It's amazing what you can find on air b&b. My son found this 16th century place. The steep stairs were good practice for the upcoming mountain walks.
Steep Stairs
It was a great place for a short visit but I wouldn’t like to live here full time, which is nice to know as I had hankered after a period property for a long time.
It is always a good idea to actually check something out before you buy anything and this trip has cured me of the idea of living in an ancient property.
I know you cannot judge every period property based on one property but I think the upkeep would be very expensive not to mention the snowfall in this region. Where you could be cut off for days.
Showers in the Lake District are common
The Lake district is stunningly beautiful and I took over 500 photos and will be sharing them with you in the upcoming posts. We went to see the Beatrix Potter exhibition at Wray Castle where she holidayed as a child.
The castle was pretty impressive but the landscapes were out of this world. I did a short timelapse video which I'll show you later.
I had no idea how popular this part of England is. With 18 million visitors a year it is one of the most visited places in England.
Luckily, we went in autumn and it wasn’t jam packed and we got to see a lot of beautiful things in a relatively short time. I can just imagine this place in the summer. It must be something to behold.
Finally a photo that I have high hopes for in post processing. It is of a steamer on the lake and with a bit of luck and processing I can make it look Turneresque maybe?
Steam launch on Lake Coniston
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!steemitworldmap 54.1628029 lat -3.1216568 long Weint Ln, Great Urswick, Ulverston, England d3scr
That has to be the oldest Airbnb I have ever seen. Kudos to the owners for putting in the work to make it work.
Gorgeous shot of the steamer on the lake. You have a nice foundation to work with in processing.
It was a pretty little place and just how I imagined the Lake District. Those stone walls in the first photo are all over the region and it made me think about the amount of work generations of people have put into making this landscape. I agree kudos to the owner to get the place back in regular use.
Great post. So charming, I think I would love to visit there.
Some people opt for these remote places to get away from the emfs.
I am with you visit only, not live. That is unless I was hiding out.
@molometer welcome home.
Haha hiding out from who I wonder? It is a beautiful part of the country and it is very remote. Who are the 'emfs'? :-) @rebeccabe
EMF
An electromagnetic field (also EMF or EM field) is a physical field produced by electrically charged objects
O I get it now haha! Keep your tin foil hat on :-)
lol
EMFs are real, it is science. haha!
Terrific little travelogue. Sounds like an wonderful getaway. I couldn’t do it because I can’t get up and down stairs well any longer. But, it seems like just the kind of place I’ve always wanted to visit.
Let me tell you about those stairs. You would have to be a mountain goat to get up and down there regularly. I had to shimmy sideways as the steps were so high lol
I’d never be able to navigate them in that case.
That sure does have charm! I heard you say the internet was not too good up there. I have to say I would not enjoy life as much without the internet! I love those old stone walls outside your window.
The internet was a complete washout. It was all I could do to upvote and that was not often. I had a better connection back in the days of the 52k modem lol
It is a lovely place but it's really back in the stone age in so many ways. lol
Glad you are back and reconnected with the world! That one is probably not listed in the handicap accessible section, right? It does look charming! I can't wait to see all the photos, especially if that last one is a teaser!
Handicap accessible?...it wasn't really accessible for anyone. There was a giant skip of building rubble in the driveway. They really didn't think it out before renting it out lol
The last photo above got me all fired up and I hope I can pull it out to show what I saw. It was truly magical. All misty and atmospheric.
Ha! In many of our travels we used VRBO ( vacation rental by owner) even when the units were listed as handicap accessible, Jim would usually call and ask all the proper questions. Are there steps? No, no steps. And when we would arrive there wouldn't be any steps only about three 4 in tall unlevel places that we had to pass over to get to the door. Two different times Jim had to disassemble the bed and put the mattress down on the floor because the beds were so high that they required steps to get up into them. One place had such a narrow bathroom door that I couldn't get into it. But often hotels were just as bad they would have handicap rooms that were on the 2nd or the 4th floor and assured us that they had an elevator and Jim would say what happens if the elevator isn't working- oh then you would have to use the stairs. Most places seem to think that if they put up a grab bar in the shower they can call it handicap accessible, even if there is a 6-inch step to get up into the shower.
I think that photo is stunning just the way it is. I will be looking forward to see what you do with it.
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It's astonishing what you find on your travels.
They really don't get it do they?
I guess until it happens to you or someone close to you, it's not something you even think about
When the kids were little; getting anywhere with a buggy was a nightmare. Many people were/are anti children too.
I know what you mean. Until they are in need themselves They don't think about it.
Ha! In many of our travels we used VRBO ( vacation rental by owner) even when the units were listed as handicap accessible, Jim would usually call and ask all the proper questions. Are there steps? No, no steps. And when we would arrive there wouldn't be any steps only about three 4 in tall unlevel places that we had to pass over to get to the door. Two different times Jim had to disassemble the bed and put the mattress down on the floor because the beds were so high that they required steps to get up into them. One place had such a narrow bathroom door that I couldn't get into it. But often hotels were just as bad they would have handicap rooms that were on the 2nd or the 4th floor and assured us that they had an elevator and Jim would say what happens if the elevator isn't working- oh then you would have to use the stairs. Most places seem to think that if they put up a grab bar in the shower they can call it handicap accessible, even if there is a 6-inch step to get up into the shower.
I think that photo is stunning just the way it is. I will be looking forward to see what you do with it.
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Looking forward in seeing some of those 500 photos. Love those nature scenes. :-)
It was a brilliant trip and the scenery was spectacular. Just hope the photos do it justice. :-)
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in the first photo on the building across the street is a green door...to no where? made me laugh. It also has gotten me to thinking I need to go find my photos of this area that my 17-yr-old self took in 1976!!!
Yep correct. Most of these houses had those doors to nowhere.
Pretty dangerous when you are half asleep looking for the loo! haha