Well that was fun. I will admit to writing this from the safety of a cosy tippee, the morning after the day that went, partly as I was so knackered last night I couldn't even think of words, and partly because I couldn't afford the danger of taking my phone out for any length of time and it getting soaked....it was wet....real wet ....a trend that is set to continue it seems!

After a lovely meandering train ride (the bit between Oxenholme and Kendal is particularly nice), and me telling nostalgic stories of Burneside to a partly listening Nick (Subway Surfers is a pretty impressive distraction), we arrived in Windermere and promptly donned full waterproofs. For a moment I considered tackling Orrest Head (a 1 hr uphill jaunt immediately from the station) but given the low hanging cloud (you would see precisely nowt), we head down into Bowness via the shops.... Gift shops to be precise....if there's one thing about Nick...he loves a gift shop!...and Windermere has a ton of them. Even when not buying, he was in his element, looking at all of the crap on offer...a pursuit I'll never understand, but he was in his happy place and it was lovely to see. We come away with a crap rubix cube and an even crappier squidgy shaped as a Capybara?,Hamster?, Rabbit?, ?..the debate has continued throughout the day....the latest, we think it's a 'Hamland Cowybara'. 

After, trotting down to Bowness, we stop off for lunch at the Boaters Bar....well, we absolutely had to. This gem of a pub has wonderful views of the marina, a decent selection of Northern Monkey craft beer, excellent pizza and importantly a fantastic selection of pub games!...and Nick couldn't wait to test out how much he has improved at 'Hook & Ring' (a simple but addictive game where you have to ...well ....get the hook on the ring?.... Or more precisely swing a Caribbina so that it neatly catches on a coat peg). After, gobbling down a ham n pineapple pizza, fully loaded nachos and half a pint of popcorn stout 🤤 (me...not the lad) Nick proved his worth and basically out did me (5/2)...a fact he is more than happy about (see below). He also thrashed me at Shuffleboard...it seems a theme of your kids getting older is they start getting better at stuff than you😂.

After lunch we continue our travels. A short walk down to Ferry Nab. This is a great little corner of Windermere where on a sunny day, the little beaches become hollows for sunbathing & picnicing and staring out across to the south perspective of the lake. Alas this is not that sunny day so after a short bout of stone skimming (a skill that Nick has also surpassed me in), we walk around to the cable Ferry. This short hop across the lake is a couple of quid for foot passengers, runs pretty much continuously, most of the time and provides a 10 min taste of guided boat travel across the lake without the expense or time consumption of going on a full boat trip....it's also quite cool learning about the crossings history (over 500 yrs old).

As we get to the other side, I offer Nick the option to get the 'Mountain bus' to Hawkshead (his pack is getting heavy and the rain has been relentless)...an offer, I immediately retract as I learn from the boatman that this amazing bus service has been cancelled (such a shame ...I hope they bring it back someday). Alas, it looks like we are walking. I hesitate to tell Nick the distance we have to walk (I promise to tell him at the end...in the full knowledge, it will be the longest distance he has walked to date!!!😊)...and we set off. The walk follows the west shore of Windermere and is really lovely. It starts at Claife Viewing Station (wonderful views of South Lake) and ends at Wray Castle (wonderful views of North Lake)... And we see precisely none of said views 😂...the low lying fog makes it impossible to see further than a few metres but there is something calming and sort of magical about the lake in this mist and despite the weather (or maybe because of it) we end up having a very relaxing and different kind of walk than one that was expected. The adversity and challenge of the walk, gives us both a different appreciation of it, a quiet sense of accomplishment that is harnessed in the more 'plodding' moments of life....no big statements, or joyful expressions of success....just get ya head down, plod on, embrace the conditions...'Kiss the Rain'.

Arriving at Hawkshead, we head straight to the hostel (any further site seeing will have to wait)...we are both ready for tea and bed. We 'check in' to our cosy tippee, get the chiminee on, have a quick snack and hang our clothes up (they will at least start off dry tomorrow). We are both asleep within minutes....lulled by the thunderous patter of rain on canvas...foreshadowing the adventure to come tomorrow!😊🌩️