The Things We Did, and the Things I Hope We Do In the Future

This is a summary of the main hikes that we did.

Here are some of the other interesting places we went on this trip:

• Galava Roman Fort Ruins, Ambleside
• Rydal Cave, Rydal
• Saturday Market, Keswick
• Langdale Boulders (prehistoric Rock Art), Copt How
• Mediobogdum Roman Fort Ruins, Hardknott
• Furness Abbey Ruins, Barrow-in-Furness
• Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick

Here are some other interesting places we didn’t get to see:

• Hadrian’s Wall, Newcastle
• Swinside Stone Circle, Millom
• Birkrigg Stone Circle, Ulverston
• Moor Divok & The Cockpit Stone Circle, Penrith
• Long Meg & Her Daughters Stone Circle, Penrith
• Mayburgh Henge, Penrith
• King Arthur’s Round Table, Penrith
• Glassonby Stone Circle, Penrith
• Norber Erratics, Settle
• Stanley Ghyll Waterfall, Beckfoot
• 14 more lakes, and at least 50 tarns, waterfalls, and infinity pools, some with paddleboarding
• 211 more Wainwrights, each with at least a dozen trails
• Hundreds of pubs & tea rooms
• Thousands of interesting people to meet

Here are some other interesting things we’d like to do in the future:

• Keswick Jazz & Blues Festival, Keswick, TBD
• Keswick Mountain Festival, Keswick, May
• Ireby Festival, Ireby, May
• Ulverston International Music Festival, Ulverston, June
• Boot Beer Festival, Eskdale, June
• Lakes Charity Classic Vehicle Show, Grasmere, June
• Light the Lakes, various, June
• Cockermouth Live, Cockermouth, July
• Aspatria Music Festival, Aspatria, late July
• Kendal Calling, Penrith, July/August
• The Lake District Folk Weekend, Kendal, August
• Wannasee Festival, Penrith, late August
• Solfest, Aspatria, late August
• Holker Chilli Fest, Cark-in-Cartmel, September
• Kendal Mountain Festival, Kendal, November
• The World’s Biggest Liar Competition, Stanton Bridge, November (TBC)
• Ulverston Dickensian Christmas Festival, Ulverston, November

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How We Did Things, and How We Should Do Things in the Future

Getting There:

We tried to time our vacation to maximize the chance of good weather and small crowds.  We chose June 1-14, 2023.  In Cumbria County, the weather during that period was stunning, and the kids were in school until mid-July.  In 2023, they will go back to school on September 6th.

Regarding how to get there, on Thursday, June 1st, we flew Aer Lingus overnight from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Dublin, Ireland (DUB), where we had (what was supposed to be) a brief layover.  The morning we landed, we had an Aer Lingus connection to Manchester, UK (MAN).  The total price for 2 Economy round-trip tickets was $3,024.04.  From what I can tell, the cheapest and most foolproof way to get close to the Lake District from DC is to do exactly what we did, fly Aer Lingus from IAD to DUB on a Thursday.  Aer Lingus currently has 2 flights per day on Thursdays (3 on some other days), so I would book the earliest one, just to preserve the possibility of getting on the later one if the earlier one is cancelled.  United and Lufthansa also have flights from IAD to DUB, but only 1 flight per day, and they seem to be consistently more expensive.  United and Lufthansa also have flights from IAD to Edinburgh (EDI), which provides reasonable train access to the Lake District via Penrith or Oxenholme, but those flights are also fewer and more expensive.  Also, flying through DUB provides the additional benefit of being able to clear U.S. Customs in DUB before your return flight, which makes your return home a little nicer.

There are also flights available directly from DUB to Newcastle (NCL), which provides great access to Hadrian’s Wall.  But Manchester (MAN) provides better access to the Lake District, because from Manchester you can either take a train to Oxenholme to reach the lower Lake District by bus, or continue on to Penrith to reach the upper Lake District by bus.  From Newcastle, it appears that the train will only get you to Carlisle directly.  So from there you would need another connection down to Penrith or Oxenholme.

Unfortunately, we didn’t give ourselves enough time for flight delays to Dublin, to make our connection to Manchester.  So due to delays in leaving IAD, we missed it.  Then, there were a number of problems with our rebooked flight to Manchester that delayed that flight for hours (but at least there were multiple flights occurring that day).  With those delays, we didn’t end up getting to Arnside until the evening of our arrival in the UK.  So, the lesson is, make sure you have at least a 2 hour layover at DUB to protect for delays for your first flight.

From Oxenholme (near Kendal), I believe bus routes are available to Windermere, then Ambleside, then Grasmere, Hawkshead, or Coniston.  From Penrith, I believe bus routes are available to Glenridding, then on to Windermere, or Keswick, then on to Buttermere.  I’m sure this does great disservice to many other possible destinations and routes, but these appear to be good places to plant yourself for a week or more of adventure without having to either live-of-the-land or eat out every night.

Note that I’ve also looked into taking the ferry from Dublin to anywhere near the Lake District, but it appears that there aren’t any really convenient dockings, so this option just seems like it would take longer than you would want if you really want to get to hiking.

Staying There:

We stayed at several places in and around the Lake District on this trip.  The hotels were nice, but next time we’ll probably stick with homestays.  The Pavement Cottage was arranged through Lakeland Retreats.

Food can get pretty expensive, especially if you’re sampling the spirits before, … during, … and after.  In the future, we would make sure that we have the ability to cook and make snacks for the trail.  But actually, the choices are rather limited, so unless we want to try to survive on Ritz Crackers and Cheeze Whiz, we may need to plan grocery runs into our arrival or hiking-return bus trips.  As of today (according to Google), here are the main grocery stores in the area:

Also, if you plan to eat out, book nicer restaurants at least that afternoon.  If you’re eating at the bar, save me a seat.  Here are some of the places where we ate.

Of course, while you’re there, you’ll need some way to get around.  Luckily, buses and trains are not only cheap, but they’re convenient.  If you’re looking to catch a bus, this is probably the most useful website.  If you’re looking for a taxi or mini-bus for hire, this is probably the most useful website.  This summer (until October 2023) you can ride the major bus lines for 2 pounds to just about anywhere.  Unfortunately, that is ending.  But the local governments are actively pursuing alternatives to provide transportation services and reduce vehicle congestion (including by possibly prohibiting tourist vehicles next summer).  Here is a recent article on the subject.  Again, just get your walking shoes out.

Hiking There:

Hiking in the Lake District is so much different than hiking in the “mountains” of the eastern U.S., because there are so few trees!  This means that most all of the time there will be a stunning vista in every direction that will stretch for miles.  But this also means that you should bring sunscreen, good sunglasses, and a good sun hat.  It also means that you should hike to higher elevations when the weather is clear.  Otherwise, the clouds on top may prevent you from seeing your hand in front of your face.

When the weather is not so nice, hike the lakeshores.  When wet, the rocks can be slippery, so you might want to wear boots.

When you’re hiking, stick to the existing paths to prevent unnecessary erosion.  But if the path is already eroded up to a dangerous edge, scramble up or down to avoid it instead.  Note that Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) are all-volunteer, and they are dispatched by the Police.  The Police phone number is +44 845 330 0247.  Also, these hikes will take you away from civilization for hours.  So, come prepared with anything you may need (water!).

Also, know where you’re going.  This is a little challenging due to the fact that there are so many trails in this area!  So, get a good trail app with topographic maps, and learn how to use it.  The app I used on this trip was Gaia GPS.  In the end, I was happy with it, although every once-in-a-while it started misbehaving, so I shut it down, and in some cases rebooted my phone to clear the cache.  That seemed to get it working again without spurious tracking.  The main information that I wanted to see from my app was how steep the trail was going to be, and not just how steep it was on the actual path, but also how steep it was on either side of the path.  You’ve got to have topographic elevation lines for this.

For the more challenging hikes, in order to know where I was and what was coming at all times, I mounted my iPhone on a chest harness.  It worked out great, because my iPhone was mounted magnetically (but it was also tethered) so I could retrieve it easily to take photos, and it was attached using a ball joint that I could adjust to any position, so I could see it hands-free at any time.  And if I wanted to, I could slide the whole assembly right off and use it as a short selfie stick.  Here were the components:

Hiking in the Lake District can be challenging, but the health benefits and memories are tremendous!

Living There:

Ask me in 2 years, when I retire.