Reset search
The Lake District 2021The Lake District 2021
Edit route
A 15-day adventure by Alan Read more
  • Alan Chapman

List of countries

  • England England
Categories
None
  • 490miles traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight-kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 18footprints
  • 15days
  • 51photos
  • 0likes
FollowCalendarShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Waterloo

    October 13, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I left Matt in the flat at noon and, following the AA Route Planner, went up to the Euston Road to join the Westway and A4. I took an hour to reach the start of the M40. Continuing on the M42 and the M6 Toll Road, which was quieter, I stopped at services for a break, to have a snack, and to fill up with petrol in case the shortages made it difficult to find petrol further north. I started from London with enough to reach Manchester but not the Lake District.
    I continued on the M6, M56, M60, A56 to reach Talbot Road and the Hilton Garden Inn at 17.30, my room overlooking Old Trafford cricket ground. I dined at the hotel.
    After a sunny start, the weather became cloudier in the Midlands with occasional showers, and there was drizzle in Manchester, typical Old Trafford weather.
    Mileage: 212.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Old Trafford Football Stadium

    October 14, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    It was a five minute walk from the hotel to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. The tour of the stadium started at 11.00 and included the stands, the Directors' box, the home team's changing room, the teams' tunnel and dugouts, and the corridors under the stands. After looking around the Museum, I had a fish and chip lunch in the cafe. The total cost was £25.Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Old Trafford Cricket Ground

    October 14, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Back at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, I was escorted by one of the hotel's staff into the Ground in front of the old pavilion. That was as far as I got because Lancashire CCC don't offer tours of the ground like Lords.
    My bedroom overlooking the ground had a balcony with table and chairs and would be a great spot to watch a match. I'd watched the groundsmen watering and sanding the outfield.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Manchester

    October 14, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After some assistance, I bought a Metrolink Zone 1 and 2 day ticket at Old Trafford station, and travelled a few stops to St Peter's Square in the centre of Manchester.
    I went to the Central Library and saw the beautiful round Reading Room and the well-stocked Music Library. I also went into the Cathedral and Art Gallery and walked the streets, avoiding being knocked down by a Metro tram.
    After a good 3-course pre-theatre Italian meal, I went to the Bridgewater Hall to hear the Halle Orchestra conducted by Delyana Lazorova making her debut as Assistant Conductor in a concert consisting of a piece by the African-American, Florence Price, Barber's Violin Concerto with James Ehnes as soloist, and the New World Symphony by Dvorak. The hall was only half-full.
    I took the Metrolink back to Old Trafford which was a few stops short of the terminus at Altrincham.
    The weather was dry, cloudy and autumnal.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Seatoller

    October 15, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    On a beautiful sunny day, I left the hotel at Old Trafford at 10.00 and drove the short distance to Altrincham on the A56.
    8 Stamford Street where my ancestors, the Ernills, live in the late 19th century, had been redevoloped. However, 14 Kingsway was still the 19th century building. where Samuel Ernill had opened a butcher's in about 1880 with the family, including my grandmother, living above. It was an empty unit now. I spoke to two gentlemen who knew George Ernill who had died in recent years after closing the business, not having a son to take on the business. They said that he hadn't maintained the property or provided proper heating. His daughter and grandchildren live nearby in Downham.
    Driving back down the A56, I travelled on the M60 and M61 before joining the M6. I stopped at the Teebay Services near Jct 39 for lunch; a homemade steak pie and vegetables. The Services had appeared on a TV programme about Lake District businesses and the encouragement of local suppliers. The farm shop was very busy.
    I continued on to the next junction, joining the A66 to Keswick which was also very busy. A B road went the 8 miles down Borrowdale to Seatoller where Glaramara House was situated. I arrived there at 15.00, having been delayed a few minutes by a herd of sheep being brought down the road.
    My single room, although with a double bed, looked out at the fell behind the hotel. Two fell ponies were in the field.
    The briefing for the Explore group was at 18.00. There were 12 in the group; two Fionas, Elizabeth, Sarah, Paula, Louise, Jennifer, Rebecca, Sven, Jeremy, Robert and myself. The leaders, Glaramara staff, were Tom and Dwayne. The group were there for 6 nights and 5 days.
    Dinner was at the hotel, the first of many good meals.
    Mileage: 138.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    High Spy and Cat Bells

    October 16, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    After a good breakfast, we set out at 9.00 for a steep walk up the fell behind the hotel, passing disused slate mine tunnels, to reach High Spy at 650 metres by lunchtime. After a break for the packed lunch provided by the hotel and facing Castle Crag (290m), we continued across Maiden Moor before descending to the base of Cat Bells. Having walked to the top to get a great view of Derwentwater, with Keswick and Bassenthwaite in the distance, we descended and continued down a steep path to the shore of Derwentwater and then along to a cafe at Lingholm for tea and cake. The walk was about 14 kms. A minibus took us back to the hotel.
    The weather was dry and cloudy with mist drifting around the peak at lunchtime, followed by a glimpse of the sun in the afternoon.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Buttermere

    October 17, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    On a wet morning, we were taken by minbus over the Honister Pass to a car-park at one end of Buttermere. We split into two groups with the group I joined walking halfway round the lake. When we were due to start climbing uphill to High Crag and Haystacks which were clouded in mist with no prospect of a view from the top, I decided that this wasn't going to be much fun in the rain, so I left the group and walked back around the lake to the hamlet of Buttermere.
    Having missed the bus to Seatoller by 10 minutes with the next arriving in just under two hours, I stayed in a cafe to dry off and have some lunch before catching the bus to Seatoller which went over the Honister Pass.
    The rest of the afternoon was spent in the hotel.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Honister Slate Mine

    October 18, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    The forecast was of more rain so I didn't join the group planning to walk up at Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England at 978 metres. Only four of them went up, the rest completing a lower-level walk.
    I drove with Elizabeth to the Honister Slate Mine, the only working slate mine in England, at the top of the Honister Pass which has inclines up and down of 25%. We enjoyed a very informative tour of the mine workings, and I bought my only souvenir of the holiday, a lying-down sheep made of green slate. It would remind me of the slate, which lined many paths, the sheep, and the fact that they lie down in the rain.
    It was still drizzling in the afternoon so I stayed in the hotel reading the papers and starting a Charles Cummings spy thriller.
    I went out for a walk for an hour to the nearby hamlet of Seathwaite and back.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Cockermouth

    October 19, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    It started as another wet day so, rather than walking, I drove to Cockermouth via the Honister Pass and Buttermere to visit William Wordsworth's childhood home by using my National Trust membership for the first time. The house was laid out as it would have been in the late 18th century. In a shelter in the garden, his poems were being read on a recording.
    After walking down Main Street to see the marks on buildings showing how high the floods in 2009 or 2015 had reached, I decided to drive to the coast because the sun had come out. However, shortly after leaving Cockermouth, the weather closed in and, by the time I reached St Bee's Head, I had the headlights on due to the sea fog. The blustery, drizzly conditions meant that it wasn't a day for the National Trust cliff walk to Whitehaven. So I had a soup and a roll at the beach-front cafe.
    I returned to Seatoller via Whitehaven and Keswick, and spent the afternoon in the hotel.
    Mileage: 79.    Read more

  • Alan ChapmanTravelerThe Lake District 2021

    Greenup Edge and Grasmere

    October 20, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    This was the last day with the group and, fortunately, it started off dry and bright so I decided to walk.
    We were driven the short distance to Stonethwaite to start the walk to the top of Greenup Edge (620m) which was like a saddle. The first part of the walk was on the Cumbria Way and the Coast-to-Coast Path.There were a number of streams and bogs to cross. The last section before lunch was quite steep walking up a stone staircase. Once at the top, it got very windy with light rain. but the weather improved in the afternoon as we descended.
    The group split in two with some going higher and walking along a ridge before descending, and crossing Grasmere Common into Grasmere. The rest of us walked down the valley (Easedale?), reaching Grasmere by about 15.00. The walk was 13 kms long.
    Grasmere was quite busy whereas we saw few others on the walk. We had coffees, teas and cakes in a good cafe and art gallery.
    Once back at Seatoller, we said goodbye to Tom and Dwayne.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice