Holehird Gardens: Lake District UK

When Susanne and I received our tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show we were also given a year’s membership of the Royal Horticultural Society which included information about, and free or reduced entry into, amazing gardens all over the UK.

Discovering that Holehird Gardens was nearby, we had to take a look and as you will see from our photos, it was well worth the visit.

Stone walls surround the first, enclosed section of the garden which is managed by a group of enthusiastic volunteers. The day was warm but with rain forecast, we included umbrellas in our back packs.  I love the way they have used the stone as a feature in the plantings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colours and textures are combined in a way that makes me want to paint these images, but as I’m not an artist, these photos have to satisfy that desire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lake Windermere Cruise: 2016

Lake Windermere

The whole of the Lake District in England is noted for its beauty – blue water lakes, mountains, gardens, elegant architecture and lots of rain to make the countryside green.

Ambleside, our chosen town, is at the northern end of Lake Windermere, a perfect place for boarding one of the ferries that carry tourists around this idyllic waterway.

 

Leaving Ambleside

After our long drive the previous day, we were in no hurry to venture out, so it was after 1pm when we boarded our boat and headed for Bowness.

 

 

 

 

We were extremely lucky to have picked a fine day.  Everywhere we looked, people were enjoying themselves on yachts, motor boats, small rowing boats or just playing around in the water. The bird life was having fun too.

 

 

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Lake District: Ambleside

Haven Cottage, Ambleside

It’s so long since I posted anything and too long since I promised to write about our visit to the beautiful Lake District in the UK in 2016. Well, here we are. It was about 5 pm by the time we arrived and the parking area was full, but our hosts were charming, very helpful and immediately made us feel welcome. He carried our cases up to the third floor, then parked the car for us while she did a great job of darkening the windows for me, (I cannot sleep with light) climbing up on a chair and pinning a length of dark material over the curtains. Nothing was too much trouble.

I wish I had photos of our accommodation, right across the top floor, with a separate sitting room and ensuite, plus a big bath in the bedroom. Romantic for a couple, but useful for two sisters for hanging out our washing, and Susanne did luxuriate in it one evening, after a hectic day of driving. I’m sure you can find Haven Cottage Ambleside for yourself on Google – we thoroughly recommend them.

Slate roofs and stone walls; the view from our bedroom window.

I have a photo taken from the bedroom window, which looks down on the houses behind Haven Cottage and the hills which surround the town are visible in the distance. beyond them is Lake Windermere.

 

 

 

On that first evening, we partly unpacked to find clean clothes, then ventured into town, walking beside the river that flows under and around some of the original buildings. Italian was the best choice for dinner, but they had no empty tables so we took a stroll, after asking them to save us a table in about an hour.

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