Travel: Cumbria & The Lake District

If you follow me on Twitter you’ll be aware that my boyfriend and I have just come back from our holiday in Cumbria. 40 minutes away from the heart of the lakes, our cottage had a view to die for and a fantastic time was had by the both of us. Of course, I took tons of photos of the places we visited and the stunning scenery we saw on our travels which I’ve been dying to write about and share with you are so here’s what we got up to in Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria.

The Cottage

After a long and tedious 4 and a half hour drive we finally arrived at Solway Cottage in the small village of Bowness-on-Solway. We booked through Sykes Cottages – and I was so impressed with everything; how easy they made the whole process but most of all how utterly beautiful the cottage & location was. I couldn’t get enough of the stunning view. It was also a pleasant surprise to be welcomed with complimentary wine and chocolate from the owners!

Days Out

There is just so much to do in the Lake District I would have been lost without the hundreds of leaflets that were left by the owners to help us choose what to do and where to go during our holiday. On Saturday, we headed out to the Lake District Wildlife Park – not quite a zoo but plenty of animals in fantastic sized enclosures. I adore animals and zoo’s so this was a must for me!

Our next point of call was a boat ride around one of the smaller lakes; Derwentwater with the Keswick Launch company. The cruise starts from the Keswick Boat Landings and can stop at 7 different points around the lake. We decided to do the entire 50 minute trip around the lake and saw the beautiful sites from different points of view. The day we went it happened to be gale force winds so the water was extremely choppy and we got a little a lot drenched! But this only made the experience more fun!

The next day consisted of a lot of driving; around lakes, through quaint little towns and up mountain roads to see more of the amazing scenery. We also managed to fit in a BBQ on our balcony, despite the cold and wind!

On Tuesday, we made our way to The Gincase; a farm park with a tea room and shop full of gorgeous handmade gifts and home wear. The animals were great, I saw the biggest horse I have ever seen in my life and was allowed to feed most of the animals in the park. Although the baby goats stole my heart completely. The shop was beautiful too, so much gorgeous stuff in brilliant displays.

Our final full day we made the long drive into Ambleside and Lake Windermere. Despite the drive, the day was gorgeous, the sun was out (finally!) and we had lunch sitting along the pier looking out on the boats. We had a wander around, got an ice cream and went into one of the souvenir shops which was crammed with gorgeous nick-nacks and the guy behind the counter was playing a ukulele!

Whilst we were already out, we drove to Haverthwaite Train Station and although we didn’t do a train ride, we spent a good hour mooching around and had a look in their engine station which was open to the public. I don’t know an awful lot about trains (Ok, I don’t know anything) but I did find it interested seeing these ginormous, old steam engines.

Our last night there and we were met with a gorgeous sunset. I had the most amazing time and in a week we only scratched the surface of what there is to see and do. I’d love to go back and experience more of what this stunning place has to offer.

I hope you enjoyed my post about The Lake District! Have you ever been? If so, what did you think? Where have been some of your best holidays? Let me know, I’d love to hear your thoughts!