Our last day in the Lakes District

We woke up to a fine day and decided to start our last day in Troutbeck with a wander through Holehird Gardens, a short drive from our hotel. These beautiful gardens belong to the Lakeland Horticultural Society and have a great variety of specimen trees, rock and heather gardens, a walled garden and a woodland walk - all that as well as superb views of the fells (mountains) in the distance. We spent a most enjoyable hour there and took lots of photos.

Holehird Gardens - heather beds

From there we drove to Skelwith Bridge and on to Elterwater, searching for Loughrigg Tarn which was the start of a walk Ian found on 'The Walking Englishman' website. Although we probably didn't find that tarn, we did do a great little walk from Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge beside a fast-flowing stream which widened into a tarn (lake), with a great view of the Langdale Pike mountains in the distance. It was a very popular walk and we greeted lots of other walkers as we passed each other.

Langdale Pikes and Elterwater

After a picnic lunch, we drove back to Troutbeck to visit the National Trust property of Townend. For over 400 years Townend was home to the Browne family who were well to do farmers. The last George Browne (most of the males were called George!) died in 1914 and the house is virtually the same now as it was then, including a lot of fine oak furniture which he carved. Beatrix Potter, after visiting his daughter there, described him as 'the intolerable George Browne' - apparently she did not appreciate all the carved furniture! One of the highlights was George's library which is now treasured as a collection which is just as it was left in 1914 with many books which can no longer be found elsewhere.

Townend

Dinner tonight was at the Drunken Duck restaurant, on the road to Hawkshead, a restaurant which Ian found on the web and booked before we left home. It didn't start well since they had the booking for 6.30pm and we turned up at 7.30pm but that was soon sorted out. The meal was one of the best we have ever had - delicious flavours, beautifully presented, manageable size serves, friendly service. A lovely way to end our stay in the Lake District.