Oh, the Lake District. I had high expectations and you lived up to them all.
When we booked this roadtrip, I knew I wanted to fit in at least two national parks (Liam doesn't care for nature much but wants to make me happy, and he doesn't have anything actively against nature, either), and the Lake District seemed an obvious choice. We had no real idea where in the Lake District we wanted to go; I just said that I wanted to stay in a pub. "A quaint pub! Like in a film! You know, plaid and fireplaces and armchairs! You know?". Liam smiled and nodded (he thinks my anglophilia is cute). So we found a pub in a village and booked a room there and hoped for the best.
We ended up at the Red Lion Inn in Hawkshead, and it was perfect.
I mean!
Just look at it!
Before dinner we went for a short walk around the village. Spoiler alert: The village is also ridiculously cute.
We found a church on a hill
We took pictures of each other
And then we had to turn back into the village, as we had booked a table at the pub.
Fish and chips for Liam - obviously!
After dinner Liam got a glass of rum at the bar to take back to the room. The pub owner said "... and coke?", and when Liam said no, the bartender reacted with "proper fella!". Both Liam and I found it hilarious. :)
Breakfast! Another hilarious cultural encounter:
Waitress: What would you like?
Kristin: Umm ... what is there?
Waitress: Breakfast.
Breakfast it is, then. :)
(What she actually wanted to know - for other non-British people - was how I wanted my eggs, and what kind of bread I wanted.)
After breakfast we packed up and went for another little walk through the village.
This photo accurately depicts Liam's relationship with jam, chutney and marmalade. We had so many jars in our suitcases on the way back! Liam goes through them almost as quickly as he goes through smörgåsgurka.
A whole shelf of beer just from Lake District breweries in the local tourist shop. :)
And then we decided it was time to move on.
I had found a short walk I wanted to take, up Orrest Head from Windermere. Liam happily waited in the car. :)
This was the view from the top. Easily worth it for such an easy and pleasant walk!
I can't wait to come back to the Lake District at another time and go for a longer hike, or many.
And after I'd sat admiring the view for a little while, I walked back down again
and we drove on, looking for coffee for Liam.
We found a coffee shop in Staveley and Liam found a friend.
And I found more cute houses.
I had these views from the car for a lot of the day as we made our way north. Can't complain, can I?
