Eight days of pure bliss in the Lake District and Northumberland

In July, when the heat and humidity settle in Charleston, our only thoughts are of getting out of town and going someplace with some elevation and cooler temperatures. In looking for a place to go in July, I am drawn to the words of the Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott, who described the Lake District in the north of England as “So wondrous wild, the whole might seem the scenery of a fairy dream.” That sounds like my idea of a place to go to escape the summer heat in Charleston.

The Windermere train station is served by trains from both London and Manchester. From there we head to our lodging on Ullswater Lake, which is considered the most beautiful lake in the Lake District. For the next three days you have two decisions to make. First, you must decide if you want to kayak, paddleboard, walk, take the ferry around the lake, or just relax with a drink in your hand in the garden taking in the beautiful setting. Second, you must wade through an English menu and understand why no one has ever bought a cookbook of English recipes. The food is wonderful English fare!

After spending three days in Ullswater, we drive 47 miles north to the Walltown Crags, which sits between Birdoswald Roman Fort and Housesteads Roman Fort and is one of the best preserved sections of Hadrian’s Wall, the northern extent of the Roman Empire. After a day walking and exploring the ruins, we will probably stay in the small village of Once Brewed.

After a day in Northumberland, we head back to the Lake District and spend three days in the small town of Keswick. Your only decisions are whether you want to rent a bike and go biking on the Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail or do any of the numerous walks in the area, ranging from gentle to spectacularly wild.

On day eight, we take you back to the train station and the end of “the fairy dream” in the Lake District.

More details to follow.