I hadn't been to the Lake District since our semi-eventful father and son trip as a young lad. So, with a few weeks at our disposal over Summer 2024, I took the opportunity to head back there for a traditional family road trip and four-night stay. I looked up a few places and didn't really have any location in mind, so booked ourselves a couple of rooms at a Guesthouse in the village of Littletown in the Newlands Valley, fairly close to Keswick. This proved to be absolutely delightful and the whole trip has left me with some really happy memories. 

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Having said that, the trip itself almost didn't happen as our car rental proved to be a bit of a nightmare. I've never liked car rental - just too many invariables and I always get stressed in the run up to picking up the car. I'll try to keep it short, but I'd rented from Enterprise earlier in the Summer and all was very smooth, but this time was from Budget and I sure won't be using them again. Ultimately, I couldn't get a car as they performed a 'soft credit check' on me and as I don't live in the UK, there was no record of me at my home address (the one on my UK driving license). Despite my protestations, they wouldn't budge and I ended up next door at Sixt who sorted us out with a great car and were able to bypass the credit check as I could prove I was flying back in a couple of weeks. Needless to say, I will be extra careful next time to avoid these complications.

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So we were on our way a little later than planned, but on the road at around 11am. The drive should have taken us around four hours, but the M6 came to a complete standstill around Junction 32 and we lost a good hour or so. It was a surreal experience though, as everyone got out of their cars and chatted amongst themselves and there was even an impromptu game of volleyball on the opposite carriageway which was totally devoid of cars. But we eventually made it to the Lake District by late afternoon and duly checked into our Guesthouse at the base of Catbells, a popular and oft-trodden peak. 

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Catbells was actually first on our list of places to see, as it contained a memorial plaque to my 1st cousin three-times removed, Thomas Arthur Leonard and I'll use Wikipedia's words to describe him. He was a British social reformer and pioneer in developing organised outdoor holidays for working people through the Co-operative Holidays Association and the Holiday Fellowship and also helped to establish the Youth Hostels Association and the Ramblers' Association. We knew that the aforementioned plaque was on Catbells but we rather naively assumed it would be easy to find. As it was, we now know that we were approaching it from the wrong side and although we had a lovely evening walk, the plaque would have to wait for another day. 

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Day two, and our first full day, saw the biggest walk of the trip and one that we wanted to get done early in the trip - before hiking fatigue set in. Our plan was to walk around the whole of our nearest lake, Derwentwater and we drove to Keswick and found a side street to park the car. Keswick was pretty busy with summer tourists but we worked our way through the old streets to the lake and the start of our 16km walk. The walk itself was delightful - we took our time, soaked in the views and the regular rest stops ensured that everyone came through without too much tiredness. There were so many amazing views but one that stands out was the one at Ruskin's Point which he described as being one of the three most beautiful in Europe. It really was idyllic and we wish we could have spent longer there - it was a pretty popular spot so lingering was not really an option. We came through the day well and all in all, a great start to the trip.

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After the previous day's long walk, day three had to be a little easier, so we headed to Buttermere for a shorter walk around its lake. It was another lovely walk and with a little energy left in the tank after lunch, we added an extra walk up into the hills which gave us another great viewpoint over Buttermere. We made it back to the Guesthouse a little earlier then the previous day so Phoebe and I decided to venture up Catbells again to see if we could locate the plaque. We approached from the other direction this time and after a around thirty minutes of scouring the lower reaches of the summit, we finally found it - fairly well-hidden in an expanse of rocks. It was great to finally see it and one of two boxes ticked - there is another plaque in Wales that I will have to do another time.

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Our final day's walk needed to be even easier as there was definitely some fatigue setting in. So we chose the old Keswick to Threlkeld Railway line which is now a lovely walking path. Before that though, we passed by the Castlerigg Stone Circle which was certainly interesting, though it was a grey and damp day so not the best weather in which to see it. Back to the walking trail though and aside from being an easy route, this was a great choice as it as allowed us all to stay together. We inevitably split into two groups - fast and slow - but this trail kept us closer together. Brunch was at a nice tea shop in Threlkeld before walking back the same way. In the late afternoon, with a little extra time, Phoebe and I walked to the old Littletown Church and then along the base of the Newlands Valley which was a delightful walk. The valley features lovely old farmhouses and almost no modern buildings and I love to imagine life as it used to be on such walks. 

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After the original mess with the rental car, we ended up with one less day on the rental, so this meant a very early start on our last day - on the road by 6am in order to get the car back by 11am. It was just about light as we set off and although we lost out on a more leisurely day, the roads were quiet as we worked our way back down the M6. We even managed to stop off for breakfast too - just at a service station, but as I don't do them too often these days, they always seem to taste good. A decent coffee for the rest of the journey helped too and after an uneventful drive, we got the car back with an hour to spare.

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Looking back, I pretty much fell in love with the Lake District during this trip and it's somewhere that I am going to have to visit more often. Living away from the UK, I haven't seen much of it's natural beauty save for a little bit of Snowdonia on my trips to Anglesey, so this was a very pleasant surprise. The Lakes speak for themselves of course, but the hills seemed to be more rolling so from the top of Catbells for example, you can see for so many miles around - it really was a sight to behold. I guess it was about 40 years between my two trips to the Lake District, so I cannot leave it so long before the next one.

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