Family Trip to the Lake District

21st - 22nd April, Lake District with the Family

Travelling up early on Easter Monday meant that the roads were quiet & the journey was smooth. It took us a little over two hours to reach the cottage near Lakeside, where we would stay the night.

Lakeside & Newby Bridge are areas that we would not normally travel to when going to the Lakes, however, we were pleasantly surprised. The area is easy to get to, away from the hordes of tourists usually found in the Lakes on a bank holiday weekend, has pleasant scenery and lots to do.

We started with a gentle stroll up to High Dam. This, as the name suggests, is not a natural tarn but is nevertheless an attractive piece of water with pleasant areas around the shore to pause and enjoy the scenery and birdlife. There is a small car park which is reasonably priced, £2:80 for four hours, at the time of writing. From here, there is a well maintained path up to the lake; at the steeper parts there are variations, allowing you to take a more meandering and gentle route up, or down. It is about half a mile through woodland up to the first dam, 'Low Dam'; just passed this is High Dam. You can than walk right around the lake on a well maintained path, with duckboards over potentially boggy areas.

Don't be tempted to stop for your picnic too soon. There are some lovely areas around the lake, ideal for sitting and relaxing for a while. Some have tree routes, others rocks, forming natural seats to keep you off the ground. One even has a rope swing, which was tried out by nearly all members of our party, (ranging in age from 10 - 70!). On hotter days I imagine there would be people taking a dip in the cool waters, then warming up & drying off on the sheltered beaches.



Picnic at High Dam, the Lake District

The walk back down can be varied by taking the alternate path; it is a little rough in places but it should manageable by all but the very elderly or infirm. Although there are no real views from High Dam, it is a pleasant, short walk and an ideal spot for a picnic, particularly for young children. It is a low-cost day out and you get to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

If staying in the area; other outings might include a steamer on the Lake, a trip to Near Sawrey to see the area Beatrix Potter was brought up and perhaps lunch in one of the many cafes or pubs in Hawkshead. We had a walk around the Bobbin Mill; unusually it is somewhere where you can park; walk around the outside, gaining lots of information from the displays and go to the toilet; for free! It is much more interesting than I thought and took up another three quarters of an hour or so. You can pay to go in and have a guided tour.

We also took my Mum and Step-Dad over the Wrynose & Hardknott Passes for a real Lake District experience! A trip to Ravenglass and back to Eskdale on the steam railway made a day out of it. A beautiful trip with a range of different carriage types to suit your needs and the weather. It is worth having a snack at one of the stations at either end of the line, where the food comes in plentiful portions and is really reasonably priced.




Eskdale Ravenglass Railway

A good couple of days, even though it was nothing like our usual trips to the Lakes.