• Reading time:3 mins read
  • Post category:Trips

On the Road Again

Regular readers will be well aware that the Lake District is one of my favourite places. And not just because there’s a goodly selection of hills to walk up. No. I genuinely love it. So it was time to make my annual pilgrimmage.

This was the “back half” of the two-week holiday I booked earlier in the year but then ducked out due to likely expense. So I ended up with the first week in Krakow and then came to the Lake District for this week.

Travelling

Unsurprisingly I took the car up. This allowed me to make a couple of stops on the way up for a parkrun and a geocaching event. Plus, you know, it’s a fairly convenient way to get around.

Wherever I Lay my Hat

I booked cottage in the middle of Keswick. I booked quite late so options were a bit limited. It was essentially a one-bedroom house, with a single bedroom and bathroom upstairs and a combination lounge and kitchen downstairs. Part of a terraced block.

Upsides

The upside was that it was very central in Keswick, making evening meals a doddle as plenty of restaurants were in comfortable waddling distance. Also, the size was good for me alone. The bedroom was a good size and the bathroom had both a shower and a bath (not that I used the bath). The under-stairs cupboard had a washing machine and I discovered on the second day that one of the cupboards was a dishwasher.

Downsides

The downside was the part on the confirmation whcih said limited on-site parking and if you don’t get a space the accomodation office will tell you where to park. That statement had a little side note saying (or if your car doesn’t fit down the access road). I didn’t like the sound of that, so as I’d arrived a bit before I walked up the road for a shufty. And a bit of measuring with the span of my arms.

At what I thought was the narrowest point, the access road was half an arm length wider than my car. Given it was a 20 yard drive between two full-height buildings, and there were projecting roadsigns, downpipes and concrete steps, plus a fire exit staircase directly at the inward end, I decided I’d rather save my paintwork. So I parked down the road in the long stay car park all week. Not a problem apart from the cost.

Another downside was that the soft furnishing were of dubious quality. The matress was a little hard for my liking, and the settee was both soft and low, meaning that after a day’s walking I found it really quite difficult to get back up again.

Individual Posts

So here are the individual posts for the trip, ordered from start to finish.

Trentham Gardens
2026 Cheshire Cumbria Lake District 2026 Staffordshire

Trentham Gardens