The Lakes District

When we arrived in The Lakes District yesterday, the weather was fine and sunny, if a little cool, so we made the most of it and went for a drive around Lake Windemere and through some of the other picturesque little towns in the area. The lake looked gorgeous in the soft afternoon light.




Windemere itself is a lovely little town in the centre of the famous Lakes District, and we are staying in the cutest little stone cottage that was built in about 1860. It has been extensively renovated but still has some of it’s original features including rough hewn beams in some of the ceilings and over the fireplace. Obviously the first thing we did was go out and buy some firewood so we could have a fire in the evening.


Yew Tree Cottage is right in the centre of town so we are able to walk to the shops and restaurants. Last night we had dinner in a little Greek restaurant, and tonight we visited Sizergh Castle, which is a National Trust property that was lived in by the same family for over 800 years. It’s  a spectacular property and it’s hard to imagine a family living in one house for that long.


The Trust is holding a winter festival at Sizergh Castle and the castle itself, as well as the grounds, are decorated with Christmas magic. There is a lovely walk through the gardens where there is a beautiful light and sound show.




It rained steadily all the time we were there, which was a shame because I think it would have been even more magical on a fine evening. We also availed ourselves of the festive Christmas dinner that was on the menu, unfortunately not in the spectacular dining room, before heading home in the rain to our cosy cottage and warm fire.

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