The Lakes

[The Culture Bunker]

Yeah, i was there about 15 years ago. I could see they'd made an effort with the harbour, and it was decent. But all paths away from there led to Desolation.

Apart from the one to my mam and dad's house, obviously.

I was up there back in June and was saddened walking down the main street as it was almost deserted - not even due to Covid that much, as it's been such for years. For all the issues I have with growing up there (rampant homophobic, for starters, and an acceptance of bullying - "toughen up, lad", that kind of thing) it's still the place I was born in, and it's been neglected by governments for as long as anyone alive can remember, left to rot and the people to lash out on whoever they can. I'm sure the same can be said for Workington and Maryport: at least towns like Keswick and Penrith can rely on the tourist cash.

[Emma Raducanu]

For an easy (flat) yet lovely walk, Elterwater village to (Skelith Bridge) Chester's by the river is perfect. You'll walk along by a stream, through some woods and by waterfalls and then arrive at Chester's, which is a superb vegetarian cafe. You can then walk back to Elterwater and stop at the pub and get smashed.

Grasmere is a pretty decent base for taking in hundreds of walks, probably the most popular being through Rydal to the caves. Some lovely tea rooms there but also Mathilde's; a Scandinavian inspired cafe inside a gallery, which has always been good but recently changed chef so who knows..

Little Langdale is so beautiful it could have you waving a union jack and singing the national anthem. A few drinks in the Three Shires Inn then a walk round the surrounding area is everything that's great about the lakes in microcosm.

Avoid Bowness and Ambleside this time of year like the plague.

[Mr_Simnock]

I like to go to wild Ennerdale when I can although it's a bit of a trek to get there, nice to have a walk somewhere where they are trying to restore a natural landscape as much as possible, you don't feel like your in the lakes at all when your there. I like to go to Dungeon Ghyll as well, there is a great walk up to a tarn starting from there. Another plus from Grasmere from me, have enjoyed holidays in the past at this place, enjoyed watching badgers in the garden at night run round and round.

[Smeraldina Rima]

If you pass it (or go to get mint cake as Tony Tony Tony suggested) then Kendal Castle is nice. Took a picture on my phone in the evening because it was purple:



Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere journals (1800-1803) are an excellent companion for some parts of The Lakes although she mentions Coniston only when other people come from or go there and when looking from a distance at the Old Man of Coniston on a night walk in December:

"We walked after tea by moonlight to look at Langdale covered with snow, the Pikes not grand, but the Old Man very expressive. Cold and slippery, but exceedingly pleasant."

and Coniston Fells again in the Spring:

[the science eel]

I'm from Whitehaven and can say there's not really much there to keep you entertained for any length of time. Sadly, the town has been slowly dying on it's arse for decades. Michael Moon's bookstore is somehow still going, so there's that, and you can admire the grid road design that (we like to perhaps falsely boast) was what gave the idea of the people planning out New York.

The harbour is nice and if the weather is suitable, the walk between there and St Bees up on the cliff tops is great, but takes a few hours.

I'm from Whitehaven too, and I love the harbour and I do like the town, even though, yes - it's been dying for years. There's enough residual charm left to detain you for a couple of days, tho'. Nice new restaurant there now too. And decent fish and chips from Frasers.

Oh, and the Gaiety Cinema is open again! Only shows blockbuster shit but it's pretty much the same interior as it had in the 30s. I love to go because of that.


My flat:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/50069653?adults=1&check_in=2021-09-15&check_out=2021-09-19&translate_ugc=false&federated_search_id=ece3736b-7c37-4b5c-9f8f-c6820df41c25&source_impression_id=p3_1628103253_iArfnRG1bV0uM6iq&guests=1

[Cuntbeaks]

Would highly recommend a visit to Wast Water with its incredible scree slopes. Took shrooms and sat in a sandy cove looking over at them many years ago.

What a day.

[Cloud]

Mm Barrow isn't so bad nowadays tbf, it used to be a lot more grim. But it's still not all that exciting and I don't know why someone visiting the Lakes would go that far past Ulverston unless I guess it was on that Carlisle to Barrow train ride.  If you did end up there, the nicer areas are the park (not far from the station) and the dock museum which connects onto a nice channelside walk

Some good shouts in here definitely. If you end up in the Langdale area definitely check out Blea Tarn as a semi-hidden beauty spot.

Gillam's Tearoom is a delight

+1 with bias as I used to work with the owner :). Also, crossover with the vegan thread there as his shop has various vegan supplies.

[The Culture Bunker]

I'm from Whitehaven too, and I love the harbour and I do like the town, even though, yes - it's been dying for years. There's enough residual charm left to detain you for a couple of days, tho'. Nice new restaurant there now too. And decent fish and chips from Frasers.

Oh, and the Gaiety Cinema is open again! Only shows blockbuster shit but it's pretty much the same interior as it had in the 30s. I love to go because of that.

It's telling that I instantly recognised the building your flat is in, because there is plenty of those bits of history around to make it interesting enough. What restaurant are you referring to?

I do remember going to the Gaiety a lot when I was young - the big cottaging scandal there was the source of much schoolyard amusement, but it was sad when it closed down. I think it actually reopened a few years ago, as I remember my parents telling me they'd seen some flick there.

[the science eel]

It's telling that I instantly recognised the building your flat is in, because there is plenty of those bits of history around to make it interesting enough. What restaurant are you referring to?

It's called The Peddler, and it only opened a few weeks ago. I haven't been myself, but I've heard good things. It's where the old bus station was:

https://the-peddler.co.uk/

I do remember going to the Gaiety a lot when I was young - the big cottaging scandal there was the source of much schoolyard amusement, but it was sad when it closed down. I think it actually reopened a few years ago, as I remember my parents telling me they'd seen some flick there.

I think it opened in 2015 after being closed for around 14 years. And it's just opened again after being closed due to the pandemic. I've seen a few decent things over the last few years (Ladybird, Quadrophenia, Withnail and I) but they're the exceptions - they're not films that are bringing much money in. And now Workington's (very good) multiplex has closed down altogether, there isn't much in the way of cinemas in the whole county outside of Carlisle and (I think) Keswick and possibly Kendal. Oh, and Ulverston, of course. Is Ulverston actually in Cumbria?

[The Culture Bunker]

Is Ulverston actually in Cumbria?

Yeah, though was (like Barrow) historically part of Lancashire. Oddballs like my Dad refuse to consider anyone not from what was the old county of Cumberland as "proper Cumbrians".

[Cloud]

If you go by certain types of historical boundary, Ulverston is in Lancashire, but the administrative county is Cumbria, that's what you write on letters and see on the vast majority of maps and anyone under the age of around 45 says it's in Cumbria.  Some of the older folk who get all patriotic about roses and stuff get really irate if you say it's in Cumbria though :)

[Mr_Simnock]

There are quite a few interesting ancient sites around the Lakes, I've been to the Castlerigg Circle, quite nice views and pleasant atmosphere there.

[Icehaven]

Oh I forgot Castlerigg, yep definitely worth a visit.

[homesickalien]

Silecroft is a good long pebbly beach

[The Culture Bunker]

I'm sure there used to be some kind of Christian youth centre at Castlerigg that schools used to pack kids off to for a few days - I know I turned down the chance without hesitation - so I've always found the place a bit sinister, somehow.

[the science eel]

I'm sure there used to be some kind of Christian youth centre at Castlerigg that schools used to pack kids off to for a few days - I know I turned down the chance without hesitation - so I've always found the place a bit sinister, somehow.

Yeah, St. Benedict's sent us off there for a week a couple of times. It wasn't really sinister - I just remember playing arcade games (a LOT!) and having round-table discussions where some hippy-ish teacher would encourage us to say nice things about the person sitting next to us. And evening discos, I think.

[Huxleys Babkins]

If you're based in Coniston, get yourself up the Old Man (RIP H.S. Art). The view from the top is absolutely stunning.

[The Culture Bunker]

Yeah, St. Benedict's sent us off there for a week a couple of times. It wasn't really sinister - I just remember playing arcade games (a LOT!) and having round-table discussions where some hippy-ish teacher would encourage us to say nice things about the person sitting next to us. And evening discos, I think.

Heh, so we both went to/survived the same school. I'm not actually Catholic, but we lived across the road and I was too idle to want to walk down to Whitehaven School every day. Certainly made me feel a bit old when I saw that they'd knocked the place down and build a new one in it's place. 

My memory of the Castlerigg stuff was all the dickheads signed up to a few days out of school (so I had a little bit of peace) then complaining when they got back of how bored they were.

[the science eel]

Heh, so we both went to/survived the same school. I'm not actually Catholic, but we lived across the road and I was too idle to want to walk down to Whitehaven School every day. Certainly made me feel a bit old when I saw that they'd knocked the place down and build a new one in it's place. 

So you're a Red Lonning lad!

I think we might have talked about some of this stuff before, but....yeah, was strange to see the old place gone. I didn't realise how rough it was until I talked to people later. I mean it doesn't compare to some tales I've heard of inner-city London, say, in the 70s but I remember kids getting into actual fights with teachers, people getting up on the roof as some sort of 'protest', boozy sessions in lower-sixth. Actually lower-sixth was one of the best times of my life. Poor Gerard Richardson...

[The Culture Bunker]

So you're a Red Lonning lad!

I think we might have talked about some of this stuff before, but....yeah, was strange to see the old place gone. I didn't realise how rough it was until I talked to people later. I mean it doesn't compare to some tales I've heard of inner-city London, say, in the 70s but I remember kids getting into actual fights with teachers, people getting up on the roof as some sort of 'protest', boozy sessions in lower-sixth. Actually lower-sixth was one of the best times of my life. Poor Gerard Richardson...

Just off Red Lonning - we moved from Cleator in '85 to a new build estate (where the old folks still are now).

My main school/violence memories are the semi-regular invasions from lads from Whitehaven School that ended in pitched battles on the playing fields. I was well away from all this, natch (because I'm soft as shit), but certainly plenty of lads enjoyed the chance for a bit of a scrap. Same with the amateur rugby scene - my kid brother played for Hensingham from U7 level to U18 and the fighting on the touchline between families was worse than anything on the pitch.

All very removed from the more tranquil Lakes that people more generally associate Cumbria with!

[the science eel]

Yeah, the contrast between the west coast of Cumbria and the Lakes is pretty stark.

[Head Gardener]

My fave part of The Lakes is the Loweswater/Lorton Valley, there are Crummock, Buttermere & Loweswater lakes, great climbing, Mellbreak, Whiteside, Low Fell & Grassmoor.
All my family and I were born there (though mum is from Whitehaven) so I visited at least twice a year after I moved down south, it's a place forever in my heart.

[Das Reboot]

That's a little harsh - Sellafield is a bit blotto on the landscape to say the least, but the rest of the train ride from there South to Lancaster is pretty nice, Barrow excepted.

Fair fucks I guess. I lived in Barra for five years, that's probably tainted my view somewhat. Though Furness Abbey is worth a visit if you're in the area.

Re: Langdales, Blea Tarn and Three Shires Inn. Yes, truly beautiful. Can be coupled with a short walk up Side Pike; one of those diminutive fells with plenty of character that offer wonderous views. See also: Castle Crag near Keswick.

+1 with bias as I used to work with the owner :). Also, crossover with the vegan thread there as his shop has various vegan supplies.

I really like how the first time you go there that it's not until you look at the menu that you realise it's a veggie/vegan establishment.

Yeah, the contrast between the west coast of Cumbria and the Lakes is pretty stark.

And the less said about Uppies and Downies the better...

[sevendaughters]

loads of good suggestions here. pretty hard to have a bad day if the weather is good and you're not a numpty. i personally would go and swim in Crummock Water if the weather is nice (down near Buttermere) and go to a less busy place like Cockermouth for a bite.

i think the Cumbrian coast is very romantic and lovely but Whitehaven is a bit sad. maybe try Maryport and walk north.

[Dex Sawash]

Could try to meet up with a moderately large cod

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Yeah, though was (like Barrow) historically part of Lancashire. Oddballs like my Dad refuse to consider anyone not from what was the old county of Cumberland as "proper Cumbrians".

There's also the Wrynose Pass, where you can stand, legs akimbo, and experience the thrill of straddling the point where three traditional counties meet - Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, and see a stone marking the approximate meeting point.

[the science eel]

loads of good suggestions here. pretty hard to have a bad day if the weather is good and you're not a numpty. i personally would go and swim in Crummock Water if the weather is nice (down near Buttermere) and go to a less busy place like Cockermouth for a bite.

i think the Cumbrian coast is very romantic and lovely but Whitehaven is a bit sad. maybe try Maryport and walk north.

WHAT?!? Whitehaven is the jewel on the west Cumbrian coast! Workington and certainly Maryport are much sadder

[the science eel]

stop dissing Whitehaven or I'll find where you all live and dump in your back gardens

[sevendaughters]

actually did mix Workington and Whitehaven up there, apologies

[the science eel]

no worries