Walking in the rain

Our morning began with a drive to Brockhole for the Troutbeck Valley walk and, although it was raining steadily, we didn't let that stop us! For three hours we followed public bridleways, footpaths and lanes; climbed over stiles; walked through mud or over rocks; and negotiated a variety of different farm gates as we made our way from Brockhole to Troutbeck Village then down to the banks of Lake Windermere and back to Brockhole. 

Lake Windermere through the mist

Well, I have to confess we did manage to go astray on the last leg and ended up at Waterhead which added a few extra miles onto the walk but by then the rain had stopped and we enjoyed the extra views over the water!

By two o'clock we were at Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts house at Bowness-on-Windermere, where we enjoyed a late lunch in the tearooms. The house was beautiful with handcrafted decoration everywhere -  timber-panelling in the main hall, stained glass windows, brass door handles, wall hangings in the dining room, a plaster frieze in the White Drawing Room and many more delightful touches.

Blackwell main hall

After driving back to our hotel, we decided to walk down the road to the Jesus Church and graveyard. We found a walking path through the fields opposite and, despite encounters with sheep and cows, enjoyed the walk and exploring the graveyard. Then back to our hotel to dry out our wet clothes and have a picnic tea in our room.

A close encounter with some cows

Jesus Church Troutbeck