Ennerdale Water, The Lake District

Rob, Brock and I went to Ennerdale Water in the Lake District today. There is a path right around it, and we walked for about an hour, starting in an anti-clockwise direction from the carpark.

We had lunch in Cockermouth afterwards, in The Lanes Cafe. An enjoyable jacket potato with cheese, beans and side salad with peppermint tea to drink, for me; scrambled eggs, toast and chips with coffee for Rob, and two takeaway cakes, came to a very reasonable £15. On the downside, the staff were not particularly friendly and they forgot one item that we had ordered. On the whole, since it is dog-friendly, I would go back if we had Brock with us.

Portinscale Walk, Cumbria

Rob, Brock and I did a walk from Portinscale near Keswick in the Lake District. We headed from outside The Chalet Tearooms towards Ullock and then along the Newlands Beck until we got to the bridge, where we retraced our steps. You can go on up to the pub and back along the road to Portinscale, but we preferred to walk by the water on such a hot day.

 Heading along a country lane just beyond Ullock; distant mountain views

  

Hawthorn bushes just coming into blossom

 

 

Brock takes a quick rest on a bench overlooking Newlands Beck

 A sheep farm

 

This is the point at which we turned round - sheep guarding a bridge!

 Rob's photo of water in the Newlands Beck - very David Hockney

 Here I am standing in the Newlands Beck - not much water in it

We ate lunch afterwards at The Chalet Tearooms. They allow dogs inside and out. Since it was a hot day and there was a space on the shaded verandah, we sat there. The building is nice, with large windows and lots of wood. The menu has breakfast items until 11 am, lunches such as soup, sandwiches, salads etc. There are cakes and scones for morning and afternoon coffees/teas.

We both had jacket potatoes with cheese and beans, plus coffees, a mineral water and an apple juice. The bill came to £21.50. There was lots of food on the plate - pretty good - the beans could have been hotter. The salads included two items containing gluten, which I had forgotten to ask them to leave off my plate. There was a strange mixture of little gems and roasted squash with a bitter/sour/hot flavour. The lettuce had gone brown from the heat, and neither of us liked the taste. There was beetroot cous cous, half a pointed pepper stuffed with another type of grain and the usual lettuce, cucumber and tomato. The coffees were very good. I would eat there again as it is convenient for the walk.

A Walk in Coombe Woods, Armathwaite, Cumbria

Rob, Brock and I had a lovely walk in the woodlands and countryside around the village of Armathwaite in Cumbria today.

The walk is 3.7 miles long and there are some slight uphill climbs, but I would class it as easy going. Click here for a version of the walk.

[Please click on the photos to see a larger version.]

 Towering honeysuckle plant in Coombe Woods

 A view of farmland from the lane in the second stage of the walk

 A patchwork of fields with Bramble flowers in the foreground

Ploughman's lunch at the Fox and Pheasant, back in Armathwaite

The walk was most enjoyable on this warm day. Lunch at the pub was excellent, with a friendly landlord, ice cold lagers and plenty of food. Brock was given a bowl of cold water.

A photo of Brock taken in June: he's had a haircut since then!