Windermere Lake Cruise

Aloha Everyone,

Windermere, 10.5 miles long, is England’s largest lake, located in the heart of the Lake District. Today J.J. and I went to the pier in Bowness Bay, about 1 1/2 mile walk from our Bed & Breakfast, and caught a boat that took us to Ambleside and back. The 75 minutes journey gave us an ample time to relax and take photographs of the scenery.

We learned that only Bassenthwaite Lake is officially a lake. All the others are 'meres' or 'waters' including Windermere. Here is an astonishing fact: In November 2009, with heavy rainfalls, Windermere rose 157cm. Over the week, that translates into an extra 35,700,000,000 liters and 22,100,000,000 liters was added in just 36 hours!

We see so many guest cottages and Bed & Breakfast establishments. In many cases, including where we are staying, there may be only 5 rooms to rent out. Population within the boundary of the National Park is 41,000 (Source: 2011 census). About 67.7% of the homes are owner occupied. The rest are rental. Holiday or second homes makes up 15%. (Source: Corporate Information Unit at Cumbria County Council)

J.J. used Bookings.com to search and he found our accommodation in Windermere. With everyone using the internet, even small establishments can compete against well known hotels with large budgets for marketing and advertising.

Aloha -- Cathi

The Lake District

Aloha Everyone,

The Lake District, also known as Lakeland, is located in the county of Cumbria in the Northwest part of England. The area is popular for weekenders and vacationers as a holiday destination.

The Lake District National Park was established in 1951 and covers an area of approximately 912 square miles. It is the most visited national park in the United Kingdom with 15.8 million annual visitors.

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Lake District combines natural beauty and a well developed tourism infrastructure.

The town of Windermere is charming and picturesque. Delightful stores and restaurants line High Street (Main Street).

J.J. and I decided to get an all day bus tickets which allowed us to enjoy the views of lakes, mountain peaks, storybook-like villages and farmlands. Farm boundaries are clearly marked with stacked stone walls.

Our bus drove by buildings associated with William Wordsworth and Bowness-on-Windermere. “The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction” has displays on the children’s writer life. Peter Rabbit dolls are sold everywhere.

It is significantly cooler in Lakeland as all the land within the National Park is higher than 3,000 feet above sea level.

The highlight of the day was seeing the Castlerigg Stone Circle. J.J. spotted the road sign with an arrow pointing north to the stone circle. He asked the bus driver to stop and the two of us hopped off the bus and we started to walk in the direction where the bus driver pointed.

We asked 3 different groups who were walking down the hill. Each gave us encouraging but inaccurate estimates varying from 10 to 30 minutes. The location was 2 miles up a hill. This is one of 1,309 stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany. Built around 3,000 BC, Castlerigg Stone Circle is said to be even older than Stonehenge.

Aloha -- Cathi

Castlebank Hotel, a B&B Treasure

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I have stayed in at least a couple of dozen B&B's in Europe. Castlebank Hotel* is definitely among the best of the best.

(*Not to be confused with Castle Hotel located within the walled city.)

The owners, Henrik and Jo have been running their B&B for 15 years. Youthful, warm and enthusiastic, Henrik’s outgoing personality makes every guest feel special and welcome. Originally from Portugal, his love of humanity comes through in every little gesture. A self-taught photographer, many of Henrik’s work decorate the walls of the hotel.

Henrik and Jo have a 10 years old daughter and we were told that this is the last week of school before the summer break. Thus Jo was busy with their daughter and we saw very little of her. This morning, Jo kindly joined Henrik for a photograph before she took their daughter to school.

Compared to guests in regular hotels, those who stay in B&B tend to be much more outgoing and curious about the world we live in. We met Viv and Brian one morning during breakfast.   

What a joy to make their acquaintance while we enjoyed a delicious and hearty Welsh breakfast!

Viv, a gracious lady, was curious about J.J. and my lifestyle and we in turn learned about her interesting life experiences. It was truly a chance encounter as the two of them live in a town about 1 1/2 hours drive.

Today the 2 of us took three train rides that lasted nearly 5 hours to Windermere, in the Lake District in northwest England. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and we will have many interesting experiences to share in the coming days.

Aloha -- Cathi

Wales and Welsh

Aloha Everyone,

Wales is called Cymru in Welsh. Both Welsh & English are official languages. As with many bilingual people, they switch in mid sentence causing some confusion on top of the heavy Welsh accent.

Wales was ruled by England. It was officially incorporated by the 'Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542' or 'Act of Union'. England, Scotland and Wales are collectively known as the United Kingdom. Locals are very sensitive about being called English.

Welsh is a Celtic based language. It is spoken by over 20% of the population of about 3.3 million people. It is a difficult language. Here are a couple of translation tablets we saw in Conwy.

Restaurants in Conwy close early leaving us with only a few selections. First night we had Italian and second night, Indian cuisine. We finally had a Welsh cuisine of roast lamb at Watson’s Bistro recommended by Henrik, the owner of Castlebank Hotel. The restaurant opens on Wednesday to Friday and Sunday at 5:30 pm. We were fortunate to get a seating without reservations as after the restaurant was open for less than 1/2 hour, the entire place was fully booked and they were declining diners. The traditional Welsh lamb was absolutely delicious!

Aloha -- Cathi