Day 28 Cruise on Coniston river

With no plans for this morning, we had a leisurely breakfast in the conservatory with the sun out and the doors open...pretending it was warmer than 16 degrees!!!
I had a lovely walk through Grasmere, down the laneways and into the different shops. Many outdoor adventure shops, cafes, tea shops and trinket type places. Not a snow globe in sight for Sarah!!
1230pm we left for Coniston and our river cruise. Another lovely drive through narrow and windy roads. After parking in the Coniston tourist centre we walked for about 15mins to the pier. We had booked the Steam yacht gondola full cruise which is run by the National Trust and went for 1hr 45mins. The Coniston river is 5 miles long and half a mile wide. We heard how the Gondola has a long history and association with Coniston in the Victorian era and about her rescue and rebuild 40 years ago. The engine room was open to view and we could watch the engineer. We also heard about Donald Campbell and his pursuit of the world water speed record as well as the legacy of John Ruskin's work and his life at Brantwood. It was a very peaceful cruise with more beautiful countryside and lots of watersports to watch.
A quick drink, home and out for dinner at Jumble Room, a small and intimate restaurant with amazing food. Peter and I had Swedish meatballs that were exquisite. The lamb stew arrived and smelled divine and my forkful verified that. My chicken melted in my mouth and the vegies with the hommus were incredible. Janet's cheesecake and raspberry swirl ice cream was also 'to die for'!! Needless to say, we waddled home happy and sat outside reading and 'doing penguin' until 930pm when the light started to fade. Each weekend the paragliders come to Grasmere for competition. They were practising tonight.Read more