ALL POINTS NORTH(ERLY) – THE u3a TOUR OF THE ENGLISH LAKES
Dateline: Monday 12th June 2023.
And off we go!! This was my first holiday trip since joining u3a and I was a little dubious as to how I would find it, being on my own. But I needn’t have worried as the whole experience was interesting and thoroughly enjoyable.
I have never visited the English Lake District and an organised trip such as this is the perfect introduction. Hand over your luggage to the coach driver and it arrives outside your hotel room, as if by magic.
And the hotel could not have been a better choice: The Newby Bridge at the foot of Lake Windermere: in Newby Bridge. Beautiful comfy room, a choice of menu for breakfast and for dinner and a pool and gym, if you felt so inclined to indulge.
So, after the coach ride there, which was air conditioned and very relaxing, I came to the next potential conflict: where to sit for a meal and who would join me. But I needn’t have worried as I was soon welcomed by a female member: also on her own as myself. A chat developed and all was well as I enjoyed my first meal.
Since this was June and the sun still up, I spent the remainder of my first evening exploring the local environs, until with tiredness setting in I made my way back to the Land of Nod.
After a relaxing breakfast each morning our coach took us to places of interest, always with plenty of time to look around: trips to Wordsworth’s Dove cottage, Ruskin Museum, Ravenglass and Eskdale Preserved Steam Railway for a ride, to mention but a few. Keswick meant an opportunity for shopping, where I purchased a print of a painting of Derwent Water as a souvenir. One day was free to do whatever you fancied: I walked to the next village and visited the Lakes Aquarium.
This holiday had been a good opportunity to meet other members of Bicester u3a, especially as we were encouraged to rotate tables at mealtimes. I personally met three ladies (they know who they are) who enlivened my evenings. Apparently a glass of good wine helps the conversation along.
The Lake District has something for everyone: interesting places to visit, plenty of hiking routes and, of course, water sports: and we had the good fortune for our visit of lots of warm sunshine. So a big thank you to our leader Audrey Luff who organised the whole shebang!
Michael Wyatt
Here are some pictures from the trip
These are witness that we had a wonderful time combined with warm and sunny weather.
On the way to the Lake District, we stopped at Moseley Old Hall, North of Wolverhampton, originally built in the beginning of the 17th century. It is famous that Charles II (not the first!) was hiding there following the defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
We stayed at the Newby Bridge Hotel.
Hotel Back Garden This strange building at the back of our hotel was the bridal suite. We met the current occupants: a newlywed couple from Manchester, second marriage, with 12 grandchildren attending the wedding... (Tania Duby) In the foreground is the patio where we spent our evenings socializing...
On Tuesday we visited Grasmere on Lake Windermere. There I discovered a new public toilet: You cannot spend a penny without a contactless card. (Tomy Duby)
The next stop was Keswick. We visited the unique Derwent Pencil Museum. For me it was a trip down memory lane: Many years ago I used H3 pencils, ruler and a compass to prepare technical drawings...
Wednesday was Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway and the Muncaster Castle. The picture shows the locomotive being serviced at the Eskadale terminal: all moving parts require regular oiling by an old fashioned lubricating can (no WD40!). The gauge is 15" or 381 mm. The train is operated by three engineers: two in the front and one at the rear.
On Wednesday afternoon we visited Muncaster Castle. (picture: Tania Duby).
On Wednesday afternoon we visited Muncaster Castle. Image on the left shows a hall in the castle. On the right is the library. (Both pictures by Pam Newall)
Thursday in Whitehaven, the old port on the Cumbrian coast.
Beacon Museum in Whitehaven. A good museum showing the history of Whitehaven, an important port in the trade with West Indies in the 18th century. One floor shows the history of the nuclear site in Sellafield, which is located four miles to the South. (Tomy Duby)
Friday was a free day.
Friday was a free day. Some of us took a cruise on Lake Windermere.(Tania Duby)
Saturday in Coniston. It rained before lunch but then the it stopped.
Steam Yacht Gondola took us on a trip round Coniston Water. It is a rebuilt Victorian steam-powered yacht.(David Jones)
A well-deserved rest after the cruise on Coniston Water. (verbal consent, Tania Duby)
On the way home (that was on Saturday) we stopped at Little Morton Hall.
A group photo. Please note that the sky is no longer completely blue. But by then we did not care... (David Jones)