Bank Holiday Weekend. Last minute Friday plans: we set off to the north of England towards the most breathtakingly beautiful Lake district. With no apparent plan in mind- the locals told us by phone that no definite plans like canoe hire could be made as ALL depended on the almighty weather. "What's the weather like right now?" I asked shyly on the Friday morning? "Oh! its not too bad. A bit chilly, but at least its not raining." In London the temperature was promising to rise to at least 20C as we were heading to a region with very potential rainfall and something closer to 13 degrees Centigrade. Discouraging! but the heart told us this was our destination so we quickly packed ourselves into some mighty rucksacks and bags, with the belly, Kolya, pushchair etc in hand we set off!
Would you like to reserve seats? the ticket website suggested...oh why bother!? (again, big mistake!! ALWAYS! reserve seats when you travel long distance on British trains, as it turns out everyone apart from us knew about this trick, so we were jammed into the small space where usually a wheelchair would stand in coach D)
Some three hours later we arrived in Penrith- a sudden contrast of castle ruins alongside a MacDonalds sign greeted us. We crammed into a cab and I tried to explain to the driver that we needed to get to a hotel with no apparent address, just the name of the village was available as navigation on their website. Oh! I know just the place. Oh good! (I'm glad everyone knows each other!)
Lake Ullswater. Its the second largest lake in the district but far less commercialized and quiet as the locals later told us. Its some 8.5/9 miles in length and only about a mile and a half in width. But what strikes you the most(!) is the air. I thought my lungs would explode from oxygen. Kolya fell asleep in the car.
Our room turned out to be a 2x2 shoebox with a tiny skylight in the ceiling but we didn't mind as our plan was to camp for the rest of the trip. We had just bought our green tent and were curious to try it out.
Next morning it was raining. In fact, it started to rain in the night. So, Sasha went up to explore the potential campsite. Me, Kolya and the belly trotted along behind him with a backdrop of mountain-hills all around us. Outside it didn't matter that it was raining. It was just surreal and quiet. The campsite was amazing. Clean, quiet with cows mooing and a farm. Soon we were setting up our little camp. Kolya liked the idea of setting up a tent. He later started calling it наш маленький домик (our small house). We were mostly in the way of Sasha's skillful techniques, but it was a great bonding experience. That day it rained till 11am. For the next 2 days it would rain till 11am. The only setback was the inevitable mega early rising time at approximately 5.30am.
The old lady at the farm told us: "Once it starts to rain, sometimes it just forgets to stop raining out here." I liked that idea. The land of the rain. "If it didn't rain so much there would be no lakes". All these notions tied in so well with the land. People had grown to accept the weather as it comes and to make the best of it. When the rains stopped you would see people high up in the mountains, surrounded by this freedom and sheep and the smells of something that is so real.
Kolya had a real grow burst out there in the small hours of the mornings that we would spend in the tent. His mind somehow expanded with all that little physical space available to him. This is where we read the books about his little brother and ever since he has had this great fascination with him. He drew amazing pictures and 'wrote' letters.
On this trip was the first time that he ran out into a field and brought me flowers. Листочки для тебя! (Leaves (he calls flowers 'leaves' in russian) for you! That was so beautiful and simple.
The old lady at the farm told us: "Once it starts to rain, sometimes it just forgets to stop raining out here." I liked that idea. The land of the rain. "If it didn't rain so much there would be no lakes". All these notions tied in so well with the land. People had grown to accept the weather as it comes and to make the best of it. When the rains stopped you would see people high up in the mountains, surrounded by this freedom and sheep and the smells of something that is so real.
We did lots of things on our trip there, we rented a row boat and went rowing- Kolya loved it so much he fell asleep quietly. Just before we stumbled upon a farm fair and bought ourselves 6 oat cookies for 50 p and Kolya insisted to carry the little bag and to eat the cookies on the boat. All went to plan.
The next day we borrowed a motor boat. That was also very fun, especially for me as I sat in the sun and did nothing. )) Kolya and Sasha steered but after a while got bored so we returned after some 30/40 minutes back to the shore. We threw stones in the lake. We did alot of that on this trip. Kolya would find the biggest and we would find the flattest. Kolya's goal was to make the biggest splash and ours to see whose stone jumped the most above the still of the water. Sasha won I have to sadly admit. Obviously Kolya had little competition so he also came first on his venture.
We walked alot! We walked up the mountain trails alongside the funny looking sheep with super long tails. We visited little villages with amazing views and most incredible little houses and lots more sheep who talk to you as you approach. We walked in the woods and alongside fast flowing rivers. We found another campsite with amazing views and vowed to return. We made great big bubbles in the middle of great fields and drank clear waters from local springs.
It was magical and we didn't want to come back.
 |
