Started off early Monday morning and had a good drive up the M6 and managed to get all the way to Ambleside without any hickups but then on the road down to hawkshead we met a coach coming the other way and suffice to say, two into one do not go but with a bit of umming, ahr’ing and a bit of team spirit we backed up the traffics behind the coach and reversed it into a side road. So with dad’s nerves totally shattered we pulled in to hawkshead at about half one on Monday afternoon.
We then set up and found the Yardys, old neighbours who moved down to Kent a few years ago. The aftenoon was then spent in the stream behind the site, time mainly spent building a pretty big dam across it and in the end it held a hell of a lot of water, let a lot through it mind but even so what do you expect from a dam made of stones. With the dam complete I set about taking pictures of it with my camera and I do have to say they are quite good. In the end we had to destroy the dam so that we did t flood any campsites upstream but it would have been funny if we did.
We then bbq’ed in the evening and had a wonderful tea and then after, with a few logs on the BBQ and lit into a good fire, toasted marsh mallows for the remainder of the evening. To round off the day I got a few good shots of the moon rising over grizedale forest and got a lovely seven and half minute exposure of the stars.
Woke up Tuesday morning to glorious sunshine and after breakfast went for a walk up latterbarrow, which by the time we got to the top was quite windy but nice and cooling. Then after the walk back down had lunch and then went up to rydal water. Once there my mad sister then swam out to the rocky island in the middle along with lewis and Alexander. I was quite happy taking pictures of mad people swimming or of the ducks nearby. We then drove back and had tea and then spent most of the evening playing ring of fire and talking in the tent.
Wednesday we departed hawkshead in a drive that dad was not looking forward to but in the end we got to the site at conniston without any major hickups such as a coach in the way.
Unhitched and setup we all walked down to coniston along the lake footpath and had a bit of food to push us on to the BBQ when we got back to the caravan. I do have to say that the steak pie that I had was very nice and the chips weren’t bad either. The butchers in coniston does lovely sausages and so we stopped in there on the way back to the caravan we also picked up some bacon chops in garlic butter as well.
Back at the van we showered and set about bbq’ing the food which was all very nice except the bacon was very salty which was a bit disappointing as they looked very nice.
We headed up to Keswick on Thursday morning to go to George fisher to get some boots for my D of E in the autumn. I have to say that they are very good. The boots they sell are more in the premium side but the service they offer is next to nothing and they sell them with a garantee that if they aren’t right then they will refund some of the money. I would definitely recommend them.
Back in Coniston, we walked down to the village again and hired a rowing boat for me, mum and dad while my sister paddled around on a kayak, I blistered my hands rowing though.
Overall it was a good holiday and I will post some of the pictures up to flickr and facebook tomorrow if I get round to it.