Saturday, 18 June 2011

ABC Tour – Catching the Steamer and Climbing a Hill

WEDNESDAY 15 JUNE

We had a really relaxing, touristy day today.

After a yummy breakfast we caught an Ullswater Steamer.  These are beautiful old boats that ply the waters of this gorgeous lake.  Firstly, we caught the “Lady Wakefield” from Pooley Bridge to Howtown, halfway down the lake. 

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Here we had to change boats to “Raven”.  She has been working on Ullswater since 1889. 

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The weather wasn’t the best this morning, being showery, but it was rather atmospheric over the lake and looking up into the hills.

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“Raven” took us to Glenridding at the south of Ullswater, which is about twelve miles long, where we went for a stroll up the valley behind the village.

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It was so pretty.

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We only walked a very short way compared to most people on the boat, but we really enjoyed it.

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After lunch we boarded “Lady of the Lake” for the return trip.  She was launched in 1877 and is believed to be the oldest working passenger vessel in the world.  She is also a very elegant old lady.

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The weather cleared up this afternoon and we even had a few brief intervals of sunshine.

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I saw my first heather on the side of a hill.

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Once we returned to Pooley Bridge we went for a short walk around Dunmallara Hill, which was a Roman signal hill.

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It was really pretty, once again.

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Mick found a walking stick, so looked the part.

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The farmers were working hard cutting hay.

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After an event like that, we felt no guilt whatsoever when we sat down to a decadent afternoon tea beside the river.

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The only problem was that we then went over the road from our B & B  for dinner.

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We ate there both nights and the food was delicious. Huge meals, but with lots of  veges. I did feel a little bit of guilt after that.

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A great way to finish off the day.

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