The Lakes

Window at Beatrix Potter's farm Hilltop

Arrived in Keswick in the North of the Lake District by bus today (beautiful trip through the top end of the Lakeland fells)...Keswick reminds me very much of Shimla (funny that) without the Indians and shabbyness of course....and it is FULL of tourists (I have to keep reminding myself I am one also)...and every second shop seems to be a camping/outdoor shop and every other a cafe and/or gifty shop!

Have just spent ages driving the tourist information centre ladies mad with my public transport needs(they are substantial.)... I will (fingers crossed) manage to re-visit my childhood reading by touring Lake Coniston (Arthur Ransome) and Beatrix Potter's Hilltop Farm and feed my topiary fetish at Levens Hall....whilst heavily subsidising the Lakes bus services!

Topiary at Levens Hall

Will try to insert photos tomorrow...as this is the first internet shop I have found to enable me to do so

Kathxo

PS Back in London today hence the photos via Ben's computer (14/8/10)

Still in the North

Still in Newcastle and having the darndest trouble hiring an automatic car so will have to modify my plans and bus it to The Lakes and give Yorkshire a miss.

Yesterday went with Michelle and her mum to the Workingman's Club in Wallsend and played bingo (yes I really did do this) and then into town for a pub lunch (a Sunday ritual) and the a walk round the Quayside (the trendy part)...new art galleries and performace space....great to see this sort of stuff happening in the North which traditionally draws the short straw.

Off to Alnwick Castle today and will leave here in the morning tomorrow probably to Keswick...I am getting to know the inside of buses quite well (sigh).

The news on the election does not bode well for our future...hope those swinging voters come to their senses by polling day .

Kathxo

The North

This is Hadrian's Wall

Internet access is not so easy up here so this is the first chance I have had to do an entry on the blog since leaving London.
I am in Newcastle-upon-Tyne library so photos will have to wait and as Michelle is waiting for me it will be brief.
It is great up here despite the weather (wet and cold....yes it is summer) and the people are just great.
Hadrian's Wall was AMAZING although I had set a huge task evey day so the Hadrian's Wall bus came in very handy to minimize the daily trudging. The scenery across Northumbria and Cumbria was breathtaking....more later as my time is up on the computer.
Kath