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England 2025
  • Stephen and Debbie

England 2025

Our sightseeing tour of England, including time in Liverpool, Manchester, London and the Cotswolds, but the highlight will be 4 weeks touring through the Lakes District. Read more
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  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Piel Island

    May 16 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    At Piel Island. We caught the 'ferry' across and walked around the island which has a pub and the ruins of a 13th century castle used by the monks from Furness Abbey to collect tolls on shipping.

    The pub had a BBQ for lunch and was a good spot for food and a drink.Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Forest How Lodge - Eskdale

    May 16 in England ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    From Furness Abbey we headed into the fells and our accommodation at Forest How Lodge at Eskdale. Here we hope to see some red squirrels as they have a resident population. Fingers crossed.

    Dinner was at the Bower House Inn, a 20 min walk through the countryside. It was packed and had great food.Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Eskdale

    May 17 in England ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    A very scenic day today in the Eskdale Valley. After our morning walk (see earlier post) we headed to Dalegarth where we walked along the River Esk to St Catherine's Church. Then we hopped on the narrow gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale railway and travelled 40 mins to Ravenglass, then returned to Dalegarth.

    Back there we walked to the village of Boot which was really pretty and a typical village in this area. Another walk along the River Esk to Gill Force (waterfall) ended the day. On the way back to Forest How we watched the train travel under the nearby railway bridge.

    Dinner was at the King George IV, where we saw the last part of the FA Cup Final, along with some loud young pommies who had obviously had a pretty big afternoon.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Ravenglass & Muncaster

    May 18 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We drove to Ravenglass and saw the ruins of an old Roman bathhouse which dates back 2000 years ago.

    Next it was Muncaster Castle, home of the Lords of Muncaster, the Pennington and Ramsden families, since the 13th century. The castle has extensive gardens and also a Birds of Prey show with owls, eagles, falcons and vultures. It was excellent.

    Dinner was back at the Bower House Inn, after a walk through the country lanes and dry stone walls. It is estimated there are 180,000 miles of dry stone walls in the UK - incredible. It was Sunday night so of course another roast was the obvious choice. The walk home saw a good sunset.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Forest How - Eskdale

    May 18 in England ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    England 2025 - Day 19

    Another great day today. It started as we waited for the local 'squirrel sniper' to try and eradicate a grey squirrrel who had infiltrated the territory of the local red squirrels. Greys are an introduced feral species and infect the reds with the deadly squirrel pox. The sniper did his job and the grey was no more. We were then taken down to check the 'drey' (nest) of the red squirrel 'Hilary' who has recently had babies and we were lucky enough to see her and her 4 babies in the trees. Very special.Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Western Coast & Solway Firth

    May 19 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    England 2025 - Day 20

    Moving day today, as after the excitement of the breakfast squirrel visit, we made our way from Forest How and Eskdale to Keswick, where we will spend the next 6 nights.

    First stop was in Egremont, at the ruins of Egremont Castle, once the home of the Lords of Egremont since way back in the 12th century.

    Then it was off to St Bees Head on the western coast and the Irish Sea. It is at the southern tip of the Solway Firth. Further along the Solway Firth is St Bees Lighthouse and foghorn station, in the middle of a limousin cattle farm and high on the cliffs. It has been there since the late 1700's. From here you can see the Isle of Man in the distance.

    Here there is a colony of Black Guillemots, the only breeding colony for them in the UK. They nest high on the cliffs where they are safe from predators. They are the northern hemisphere equivalent of the penguin and there are about 5,000 on St Bees Head. A Guillemot lays a single egg which is conical; one theory is that this stops it rolling off the ledge. After hatching,
    both parents feed the chick for 3 weeks until it fledges and jumps into the sea. A real sink or swim moment! The male then continues to feed it until it's able to fly.

    From here we went further up the Solway Firth to Maryport and its Roman Museum. It was once a Roman fort and part of Hadrians Wall. The museum is in an old military battery.

    We also had a quick stop to have a look at Lake Bassenthwaite on our way to Keswick.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Keswick

    May 19 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    A sunny morning in Keswick as we walked along the shores of Derwentwater and enjoyed looking up at Catbells and Castlecrag. It is a spectacular setting.

    We also went to the Derwent pencil factory museum which was surprisingly interesting. Pencils have been made here since the 1700's due to nearby graphite mines. Anybody our age would remember Derwent, Lakeland or Cumberland pencils - they were all made at the factory here.

    A 2 minute walk from our accommodation found us at the Wainwright pub and here we had a relaxing afternoon and dinner with some local ales.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Derwentwater

    May 21 in England ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    A very scenic and relaxing day on Derwentwater today. It started with a cruise on the Keswick launch to Ashness, where we escaped the bus load of American tourists who had got on with us at Keswick. We walked up the hill to Ashness Bridge, an old packhorse bridge (i.e room for a horse with a pack on each side) to cross. There are views from here across to Skiddaw, another iconic Lakes District mountain.

    From here it was back down to catch the launch to Hawes End, beneath Catbells, where we walked to Lingholm Estate and had lunch. Our climb of Catbells was aborted due to 3 members of the party pulling the pin, so I just looked on with envy at everyone else climbing it.

    Lingholm was where Beatrix Potter spent a lot of holidays as a child and the house and its surrounds provided inspiration for some of her books and characters, especially Squirrel Nutkin. The walled garden was part of the inspiration for Mr McGregors garden.

    Back at Keswick the Pack Horse Inn provided a well earned refreshment. Tonight is a rest night - snacks and local Cumbrian cheese and biscuits with a bottle of good Aussie red.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Ullswater

    May 22 in England ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    The sunny weather continues which gave us a sensational day on Ullswater. After driving to Glenridding, we boarded the Ullswater steamer, MY Raven, which has been steaming tourists up and down the lake since 1889.

    The weather was perfect and the scenery even better. We also had numerous flyovers by jets from the RAF which added to the spectacle. Our journey was a 2 hour round the lake cruise and was made even better by there hardly being anybody on the boat. For most of it we were the only ones on the top deck. The skipper was in a talkative mood and offered a look in his cabin and for the last third of the return cruise yours truly was the skipper. Under his instruction I managed to avoid the shoreline, islands and other vessels. Surprisingly we made it back to the Glenridding jetty. Great fun.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Aira Force & Castlerigg

    May 22 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    After a walk around Glenridding we headed to Aira Force waterfalls which looked pretty good despite the lack of water flowing over them.

    On our return to Keswick we stopped at the Castlerigg stone circle, believed to be around 5000 years old.

    A pub free night tonight - pizza instead.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Buttermere

    May 23 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Today we spent a terrific day at Buttermere - simplystunning. We caught the bus from Keswick, thereby avoiding driving the windy, narrow roads and the shortage of parking at Buttermere.

    The bus took us through the Borrowdale Valley and up and over Honister Pass, easily one of the most spectacular drives we have done. The photos give no idea at all of how steep the road is or amazing the surrounding mountains are.

    At Buttermere we walked around the lake, a leisurely 8km walk, with a break for a picnic lunch. It is one of the prettiest places you could imagine.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Keswick

    May 24 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    The sunny and cloudless skies disappeared today and normal English weather for the Lakes returned. But we had a quiet day planned and it didn't interfere, so all was good.

    We checked out St. Johns Church which is opposite our accommodation - not surprisingly it is on the highest part of Keswick overlooking the town.

    Then we went to the Keswick markets (ho hum) which were not exactly overwhelming. Luckily we had an exciting afternoon planned - a guided tour of the Keswick Brewery which included a tasting session. Three of us chose this option, one decided to shop instead. The brewery tour was really good, as was the tasting session.

    This weekend is a bank holiday long weekend and Keswick is packed. We went to 3 pubs for dinner and none had room, but the fourth did - lucky for us. The Golden Lion had terrific meals and was a good, albeit lucky, choice.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Grasmere

    May 25 in England ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    The short drive from Keswick to Grasmere saw us get here nice and early, beating some of the bank holiday crowds. It was extremely busy later on and the village was packed with daytrippers and hikers. At one stage there were about 100 people in the queue to get into Sarah Nelsons gingerbread shop, for which Grasmere is famous.

    The weather was a mixture today, but the bursts of rain and showers did not interfere with our sightseeing.

    Our brief stop in Grasmere two years ago inspired our return and this whole time we have spent in the Lakes. The poet William Wordsworth who lived here for 14 years called it "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found" and it is hard to argue with that.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Grasmere & Easedale Tarn

    May 26 in England ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    Today was a cloudy one with rain pretty much all day. But we are Aussies and we are tough so it takes more than rain to interfere with our sightseeing. Besides it didn't seem to stop the pommies who were out in force on the bank holiday.

    After a nice breakfast and some retail therapy for the girls with budgets well and truly blown, three of us headed off for a walk with a vague plan as to where to go.

    10.66kms later we returned home soaked, wet and cold. A missed turn left us having to continue on up to Easedale Tarn then turn around and come back down on the return path. But it was worth it. We saw some spectacular scenery and the walk is regarded as one of the great walks in the Lakes District which is why there were so many people doing it. So it was a good mistake. Easedale Beck flows from the tarn and into Sourmilk Gill (waterfall) and following this up to and from the tarn provided some special moments.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Grasmere - Dove Cottage

    May 27 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    The rain continued in Grasmere this morning but we ignored it. Before we left the village we went to the gingerbread shop as it opened and there were no queues so we were able to get our supplies. Then it was off to Dove Cottage and the Wordsworth Museum. William Wordsworth lived in Dove Cottage in the clearly 1800's for 8 years and it is set up as it was when he lived there. The museum about his life was also interesting.Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Rydal & Ambleside

    May 27 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    After leaving Grasmere we headed to Rydal, where we went to Rydal Mount, where Wordsworth lived in his final years. The house is still owned by the Wordsworth family.

    Next to it is Rydal Hall, which has Rydal Beck (creek) running through it and also Rydal Falls. Pretty spectacular. The dismal weather required a coffee and scone stop at the Rydal Hall tea rooms.

    We then headed towards Ambleside for a two night stay at the Lakeside Inn. Along the way we had a look and short walk around Rydal Water and St Marys Church.

    The Lakeside Inn is right beside Lake Windermere and the hotel restaurant had venison on the menu. Choosing it was a no-brainer and it was sensational. As we arrived the sun came out so hopefully it hangs around.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Ambleside

    May 28 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    The weather cleared today and we had a really good time exploring Ambleside and Lake Windermere.

    We caught a cruise to Wray Castle, which looks like a medieval castle but was actually built in the 1840's by wealthy Liverpool industrialists. It is owned by the National Trust and is currently being refurbished in preparation for becoming a museum to display the National Trusts Beatrix Potter collection, so we could only walk around the grounds, but we had a very informative guided tour telling us the history of the castle.

    We then returned to Ambleside and walked into town along the shores of the lake and the banks of the River Rothay. Along the way we visited the site of a Roman fort which was once a key part of the Roman settlement in Britain and also Hadrians Wall.

    Dinner was once again at the Lakeside Inn and my choice was a repeat serve of the venison.

    Our time in the Lakes is coming to an end. Tomorrow we head to Kendal and then back to London on Friday. The month hee has gone very quickly.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Levens Hall

    May 29 in England ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    It rained most of today but luckily eased off or stopped for most of the time we were outside.

    We left Ambleside and made our way to Kendal for our last night in the Lakes.

    The first stop was at Levens Hall, the home of the Bagot family and their ancestors for over 800 years. The family married into the Duke of Wellington's family after one of them served with him at the Battle of Waterloo and there are items on display in the house that belonged to the Duke and also Napoleon. It has an estate of 9500 acres and the manor house is dominated by the world's oldest topiary gardens.Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Sizergh Castle

    May 29 in England ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Next stop before Kendal was Sizergh Castle. It is a medieval manor and home to 26 generations of the Strickland family. The original parts of the building date back to the 14th century. Through marriage the branch of the family living their now are the Hornyold-Stricklands. Yes that is not a typo and is actually their name! The current family gave the estate and castle to the National Trust as it was the only way to ensure its survival, but still live in a wing of the building.Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    London's Museums

    May 31 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Our first day back in London was a busy one.

    It began with the Imperial War Museum which tells the story of the two world wars incredibly well. It is a sombre place, even more so in the Holocaust section, where fittingly, no photos are allowed.

    We then headed over town to the British Museum, which was absolutely packed. We had booked one of the museums tours, 'Around the World in 90 Minutes' and were glad we did. It took us to the highlights and then we went ourselves to the Egypt section.

    From here we walked around Covent Garden which was also packed. Dinner was at the Lamb & Flag and then we went to see the 30,095th performance of The Mousetrap. We didn't pick whodunnit and we won't be sharing who did, as is the custom.

    Finally at 10:30pm we were back at our hotel!!    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    London

    June 1 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today was even busier than yesterday - we walked around parts of London we hadn't been to before and clocked up just over 16kms, plus a few bus and train trips.

    First up was the changing of the guard, along with thousands of others. But we had been told the best way to see it was on a walking tour and it was good advice as we saw heaps more. We met our tour guide at Piccadilly Circus and to get there we walked down Regent Street, where we looked enviously into the shop windows. We also visited the most famous rooftop concert venue in the world - no. 3 Savile Row - where The Beatles played their final concert in January 1969.

    After the changing of the guard it was off to the Royal Mews to see the royal coaches. They give a whole new meaning to 'bling'.

    We then walked to Kensington Palace and toured through the rooms where Queen Victoria lived as a child.

    Finally we walked through parts of Chelsea and Kensington, where there is some of the most expensive real estate in London. Consequently, it is home to the rich and famous. We saw Jimmy Page's famous Tower House, David Beckham's London home and (one of) Elton Johns homes.

    Hungry and thirsty we walked into the Pride of Paddington for the Sunday roast and well earned drinks.    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    Brighton & the Seven Sisters

    June 2 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today we joined a small group bus tour heading south from London down to Brighton, on the English Channel.

    Once there we went to the Royal Pavilion, built by George IV from 1787. It is grandiose and made him deservedly unpopular due to its excesses and the costs it incurred. But what a spectacle it is.

    Then we walked along the famous Brighton Palace Pier, built in 1899. It is 525m long and has amusements and rides and seagulls that are experts in relieving visitors of their lunches. They especially love ice cream. We were too smart for them though.

    From Brighton we headed to the South Downs National Park to see the Seven Sisters. These are the chalk cliffs that form part of the Sussex Heritage Coast, between Seaford and Eastbourne. It is slowly being nibbled away by the elements. It’s estimated that between 30-40cm of the coastal edge crumbles away each year.

    They were spectacular and our visit to the Brighton was a great one.

    Back in London we had dinner at the Sawyers Arms (and more well deserved drinks).    Read more

  • Stephen and DebbieEngland 2025Traveler

    London

    June 3 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Staying in Paddington and adjacent to Paddington Station, meant that there was one shop at the station that one of us had to visit. After finishing there, we walked the short distance to Little Venice, where we caught the London Waterbus narrowboat along the Regents Canal to Camden Market. The canal runs through prestigious and ultra-expensive suburbs and also London Zoo. But it's a shame such a historic and iconic place has been allowed to become dominated by graffiti, rubbish, homeless people and neglect. Pretty ironic considering the squillion dollar homes that line much of it and the high profile celebrities and upper class who own these, e.g. the owner of Chelsea FC, Ronnie Wood, Madonna, the American Embassy.

    Camden Market where the canal ends was a disappointment. It's just like Paddy's Market.

    From here we walked to Primrose Hill, where for a moment we were, (except for those in buildings), the highest people in London, as it is the highest point. It is in Regents Park and we walked through here and spent some time at Queen Marys Rose Garden. She was King Charles great grandmother and the gardens were started in 1935. They were well worth seeing.

    Next stop was Madam Tussauds. We were sceptical, but it is an iconic part of London so thought we better go this time. It was corny, but we had lots of fun there!

    Around the corner was the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Again we were sceptical, but it was also really good. At 221B Baker Street, it recreates the world of the famous detective.

    We were back at our hotel at 3.30, a very early finish for us. Dinner was at the Dickens, another pub which delivered yummy meals and ales.    Read more

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