On Lake Windemere

The Met Office advised a sunrise at 4:48 a.m. We waited until midday for this event to occur!

Despite the terrible weather we made it a bateau day. We joined the MV Swan for a lake tour from Bowness, south to Lakeside, returning to Bowness, onto Ambleside before returning to Bowness, a distance of 21 miles in 2 hours. The enclosed vessel offered protection from the squalling conditions, allowing us to enjoy a comfortable journey & an appreciation of Lake Windemere's features. The lake measures ten and a half miles in length, one mile in width & at a depth of 220 feet, it is Britain's largest lake.

This afternoon we hired an electric cabin cruiser & bobbed our way around Lake Windemere. Restrictions prohibited us from taking the craft within 50 feet of the shoreline, hence, we weren't able to explore as we would have liked.

Today's parking options offered an all day £6 pay & display with a £2 refund on presentation of the parking ticket when purchasing a lake cruise ticket. The logic of this exercise I found puzzling. According to the cruise ticket vendor, we should have left a parking ticket purchased on another day on the dash, because the inspectors don't scrutinize individual tickets, and presented the just purchased ticket for the refund! An interesting offer I'm still trying to fathom.

Our four day visit to the Lakes District has been relaxing. Just what we needed to recover from the hectic schedule we had been maintaining. The Hare & Hound at Bowland Bridge has been our refuge away from the busy tourist route. While the weather hasn't been kind to us, we have enjoyed all the region has to offer. We leave wondering about the area's hidden beauty. The Lakes District was beautiful, but I'm sure we didn't see it at it's best. Perhaps reason to return another day.

Tomorrow we leave for Scotland. I wonder if it will be the high road or the low road?