This time last week I was on my way home from one of the best weekends I've ever had. It was also one of the busiest ever and went by in a flash.
Growing up my Nan has always told me how much she wanted to visit the Lake District but has just never got the chance. After spending the final year of my degree studying the climate change at Windermere during the Younger Dryas-Holocene boundary it seemed strange that I had never set foot in the place I had dedicated a year of my life to researching.
After finally finishing my degree in June I moved back home with my family and the subject of the Lake District came up and we decided bollocks to it, lets just go. But with 3 sisters, limited holiday and my Nans busy schedule to work around I was struggling to find a time where we could all go.
So we just went for the weekend which seems insane when you consider its a 6 hour drive away from where we live in Wiltshire but we decided it would be better to go for a short amount of time then never go at all.
Last Friday I took a halfday from work (because what is life without feeling like you're bunking off from school early), we loaded up the car and off we went. It took us more than NINE hours to get there (cheers for that M6) and I was in some sort of driving coma when I finally fell out of the car.
It was all worth it though when I finally got a look at where we were staying at The Brown Horse Inn in Winster which is a mile from Windermere in the gorgeous Winster Valley.
This was a step up from my normal Travelodge standards for sure! Each of our three rooms were stunning and the height of luxury. The staff were so friendly and waiting for us to arrive after our long journey. We all collapsed into the wonderful soft beds ready for a busy day ahead.
The following morning we discovered the incredible view out of our bedrooms of early morning mist across the valley, promising a warm sunny day and the absolute best part of The Brown Horse- the food. After surviving Friday on service station snacks and sweets that full English was the stuff of dreams.
Our Saturday consisted of exploring the Lake Districts insane roads and soaking up the incredible views. We took a train ride on the Ravenglass & Eskdale railway while pretending we were on the Hogwarts Express. After lunch we drove back to Bowness-on-Windermere for our first look at the lake we had driven hundreds of miles to visit.
We wandered round the shops for a bit, then booked a lake cruise around the islands in magical golden sunlight. It was surreal to actually be there after seeing so many pictures of the place and reading so much about it.
After such a busy day we all headed back to The Brown Horse for our evening dinner reservation where I had the best burger of my life. I'm still dreaming about it now.
The following day started grey and we headed out to explore Grasmere spending most of our time distracted by all the pretty shops selling unique (and expensive) things before having a last piece of tea and cake in a riverside teashop.
Thankfully our drive back went smoothly and we didn't hit any traffic. All I can say it I'm still thinking about the trip constantly and cannot wait to book a return visit!
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