10 Jan Time to disconnect
One of my joys in the B&B is gardening. I just love it – and hope that all the money and time spent in the garden is worth it in terms of seeing happy guests eating breakfast in the garden and the joy I get...
10 Jan The Lakes feeds the soul
“Guests – be careful not to talk to them too much: you never know what they will want next – more tea, more toast, more advice on the best walks! We are supposed to know everything about the Lake District!” I was disheartened with this...
10 Jan Helvellyn: Every cloud has a silver lining
Our son was born with talipes (club feet). He had five long years of treatment – too young to complain too much about restricted mobility, about endless trips to the hospital, about having to sleep with his feet confined together in something not dissimilar to...
10 Jan Blencathra: up in the clouds
Blencathra is one of the mighty fells of the Lake District – holding its own next to Skiddaw. It is a high one at nearly 3000ft. It was one of our first Wainwrights when we took the slow, steady route up from the Field Studies...
10 Jan Skiddaw: “Too high and totally undeveloped”
From our favourite B&B room (Room 6) we often gaze out at the constantly changing scene of Skiddaw – with Blencathra and Latrigg peeking into the frame. Now we look up and remember the fantastic walks we have had up there, and recall the impressive...
24 Jul Ullock Pike – getting acquainted with another Wainwright neighbour
We followed Wainwright's advice of approaching Skiddaw by its NW ridge, but only managed to get to the top Ullock Pike (692 metres/2270 feet) having set off a bit too late in the day. The views over Bassenthwaite Lake, Derwent Water and our home in Portinscale were simply fabulous. Having...
24 Jul A quick trip up to Bonnie Scotland
It was one of the days when we needed a drive after working flat-out on preparing the guest house for our first visitors. We have always loved Scotland – Caroline formerly lived in Stirling and both of us have had many holidays there - although...
17 Jun Bagging Wainwrights with the children
So which of the Wainwrights are good for children, some of our prospective guests have asked us. Well, Catbells is a must for all ages. We have only been here a few weeks now and have been up four times - we love it. You can see...
09 May Beautiful garden at High Moss, Portinscale
High Moss is a magnificent Arts and Crafts era house in Portinscale, near Keswick. Built in 1901 for John Stanwell Birkett by the builder Thomas Hodgson, it is an architectural masterpiece designed by William Henry Ward. Built on the side of a steeply sloping hill the house is packed...
07 May Trip to Hadrian’s Wall
Our first trip to Hadrian’s Wall at Bowness-on-Solway was not entirely what we expected – there was no wall as such! Most of the remains have been incorporated into various other buildings over the years, but there is a beautiful mosaic in the shelter that marks the beginning...
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