A weekend in Cumbria

Regular readers (which currently constitutes a commitment of reading one post every 3-4 months) will know of my penchant for the English countryside. My recent foray was up to Cumbria, around the Lakes district, in North England. We stayed at a lovely pub that had a cute little map of where all their produce came from, so I decided to steal their idea and make a little map for you, plotting our discoveries in this beautiful area of the world. Enjoy!

Lancaster is just 2.5 hours on the train from Euston, London - you can be there by 10am Saturday morning! We could have just as easily caught the train further north, towards Penrith, but I'm glad we didn't. We were able to walk through the charming town and its Saturday market in order to get to Avis car rental. Plus, we had such a gorgeous drive north.

Sillfield Farm Shop is really a butcher (albeit one stocking amazing rare breed pork), but it's worth plugging it into your GPS from Lancaster for the beautiful drive. Be sure to leave the M6 at the A590, then take a left at Nook. The quintessential, pretty country drive!

Nearby is Sizergh Castle, and the wonderful Low Sizergh Barn Farm Shop next door - we first visited when we went to Yorkshire last year.

A little to the West in Crosthwaite is a lovely pub, The Punchbowl (which also has rooms to stay in), serving really great food. We positively stuffed ourselves on a ploughman's lunch and fish and chips. The setting is magical and the food delicious. A recommendation from English countryside bible "Room at the Inn".

Another recommendation from "Room at the Inn" for good food and rooms is the Sun Inn at Kirkby Lonsdale. We didn't make it here, but it's on the list, as it seems a lovely village to explore.

Ambleside & Keswick - all the villages around the Lakes are filled with rambling enthusiasts and outdoorsey type shops selling special waterproof pants and high tech walking shoes. If you can bare the feeling of slothfulness from mingling amongst these energetic types, villages like Ambleside and Keswick are well worth a wander.

In Ambleside we found some cute shops and had a damn good sausage roll at the Giggling Goose Cafe. Down the hill, at Waterhead there are the remains of a 2nd Century Roman fort on the bank of Windermere lake.

The drive to Keswick is incredibly pretty and it is on the shore of Derwent Water. Make sure you walk down to the water's edge for a lovely view.

To the west of Ambleside there is a pub, the Drunken Duck. We didn't make it here, but it's recommended by our "Room at the Inn" book so I'm certain the food and accommodation are first class.


We spent two nights at the George & Dragon in Clifton (from our trusty book of course!), about 10 minutes south of Penrith. We loved staying here - the staff were incredibly friendly, our room was both luxurious and cosy, and the food was excellent. The George & Dragon prides itself on using local produce, either from its own estate or nearby farms. In every room and in the menu is this little map, telling you where it's all from. We ended up eating dinner here both nights because it was good, and it's so nice to only have to walk up a flight of stairs after dinner (the ramblers would no doubt disagree). My advice is to stick to meat dishes, as we couldn't rave enough about the free range sirloin and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, rare breed pork sausages, black pudding and venison burger. The only disappointment was when I stupidly ordered a vegetarian starter! Desserts were good and staff even let us take some petit fours up to our room.

The other reason the George and Dragon was a great choice was its location. We spent a day of easy driving exploring Clifton Hall, Mayburgh Henge, Brougham Castle and Brougham Hall. Nearby is also Dalemain house.

Acorn Bank garden and watermill is lovely on a sunny autumn's afternoon. Exploring the herb garden, orchard of different apple varieties and wilderness around the mill helps work up an appetite for tea and cake - and luckily there is an excellent tea room with baked yumminess made by a local lady, who has won awards for her cakes. Having tried the date slice and Victoria sponge, I can see why.

Our plan for the day had been to have lunch at Wetheriggs Country Pottery, where the "Room at the Inn" said there was a cafe selling "home-made, organic goodies". Unfortunately this place is now an animal rescue centre, with a little shop. We were therefore disappointed but hungry, and so decided to risk the basic cafe / canteen. To its credit the cafe sticks to what it knows, and it certainly knows steak pies (slow cooked beef with a crisp pastry lid) and bacon baps (toasted bread roll, slathered in butter, filled with crispy bacon). We devoured both between us and left pleasantly surprised. Plus, you can hardly complain when lunch costs you £7.

I just love this area - it's so easy to get away from London and there are so many roads winding through breath-taking countryside. We'll be back for sure - next time we may even join the ramblers! (subject to acquiring special boots and brightly coloured water proof jackets of course).

Check out the post I wrote last year on our week long trip to Yorkshire.