The Lake District may be England’s best kept secret.
The Lake District, England /
Dungeon Ghyll, Crinkle Crags and Harrison Stickle. No, these aren’t characters from a Harry Potter novel, they are the illustrious names for ravines and peaks in the majestic Lake District of England. Where, if you are American, you won’t see a fellow countryman for days and wonder why this place has seemingly escaped our radar. It is a mere four hour drive from London, which by US standards, is a typical Sunday outing. Some might say, well we have Vermont, or the Finger Lakes, and while those are truly gorgeous lake areas in the US, what we don’t possess are the fairytale hamlets, the tall, spired edifices and the Hobbitt-like thatched rooftop villages that accompany the lakes of Cumbria. Rolling hills, a patched quilt of vivid yellows and lush greens, ancient slate, hand-built stone walls that act as property dividers weaving like a thread throughout the landscape. It is a scene from another era.
Living the fairytale
Our first day in Cumbria started with a leisurely drive to the village of Grasmere, where we lined up for freshly baked squares of gingerbread in the very place that gingerbread was invented back in 1854 by Sarah Nelson. We were far from the only ones waiting patiently at the old stone house where she perfected her recipe (and later kept handwritten in a bank vault) and the spicy sweet combination did not disappoint! The streets we walked were long and winding, the stream banks lined with sheep. We ambled past the eroding tombstone of William Wordsworth and the very daffodil fields that inspired his famous poem.
The remainder of the day was spent driving up and around roads (a generous term!) that are supposed to accommodate two cars but can barely fit one, a virtual game of shark as we held our breath around each curve, praying no one was coming from the other direction. There is no shoulder, no give—in fact only stone walls, so that if you do come face to face with another car, (and you will) someone has to back up indefinitely in order to let the other pass. And here I thought the hiking was going to be the most treacherous part of the trip!
Meandering our way around the snake-like roads that hug the lakes, trying to find the elusive, and unfortunately for us, closed in June, car ferry to take us back to our hotel, we stumbled upon Wray Castle. Best seen from the outside than in, it is a Gothic Revival castle that was built in 1840. The grounds and exterior are beautiful but the inside was never restored to it’s 19c glory and is disappointingly used mainly as an exhibition space and for kid’s events.
The peaks of Cumbria
We were told that there are maybe fifteen days a year of cloudless skies in the Lake District, and we were lucky enough to get them, especially since we had a few days of strenuous hiking ahead. Our past track records for hiking having not been so fortunate, hiking three plus hours to the summit only to see a lovely view of drizzle and fog. My husband told me after our trip that at least three people and a dog were blown to their death off Helvellyn last year due to weather conditions. I’m relieved not to have known that sobering fact earlier. But in our case, the UK weather reported, “another glorious day with spells of unbroken sunshine.” British weather reports are truly inspired.
Orrest Head was a warm-up hike the day before our trek up to Helvellyn, which is the third tallest peak in England. There we saw panoramic views of Windermere Lake and various peaks in the distance. We could just make out a string of sailboats in the distance as we took a seat on a wooden bench and admired the hushed landscape, the immense sky swallowing the sun, the birdsong in the foreground and the baa-ing of sheep in the background. The well-known British fellwalker (well-known mainly in the UK, I’m guessing), Alfred Wainwright, wrote of Orrest Head, ‘…quite suddenly, we emerged from the shadow of the trees and were on a bare headland, and, as though a curtain had dramatically been torn aside, beheld a truly magnificent view…”
Spending time in Crook
We checked into our room at our hotel, The Gilpin, which is located in the fantastically named village of Crook in County Cumbria. The Gilpin is a place of opposites. At first a lovely old historic inn with 26 rooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant, and second, a modern feat of architecture, with separate unique, geometric stand alone rooms made of wood and glass, cedar hot tubs and modern amenities, somehow living together in harmony in this bucolic part of the country. It has been family run for 100 years, and you immediately feel as if you are part of their family.
The communal sitting areas, complete with coffee tables and books, comfy chairs and sofas on which to nap, make you feel as if you are in your own home. There is an inviting and elegant bar, wine room, and a gorgeous garden patio to have pre-dinner drinks and canapés. The owners are always wandering around and happy to chat about your day. The atmosphere is as warm and inviting as you could possibly want.
Our room had a spacious outdoor patio and a two-person round cedar hot tub that was sunken into the deck and somehow always at the perfect temperature. Bamboo and other wildflowers dotted the property, the air was dry and sunny, and it was nearly impossible to drag ourselves to the 60 second walk to dinner that evening.
A star among the lakes
Part of the allure of Gilpin, other than it’s lovely location nestled in the heart of the lakes, was the on-site restaurant HRiSHi, which boasts a Michelin star, among other awards, for it’s executive chef Hrishikesh Desai. Never ones to pass on a chef’s tasting menu (wine-paired!), we put ourselves in the chef’s hands for the night.
As a true nod to the chef’s talent, it was the first time we have ever chosen a vegetarian tasting menu. It was just too good to pass up, even for a carnivore like me. So we split the difference, my husband ordering the Signature Tasting Menu and me ordering the vegetarian option. Highlights were many, too many to count, but if I had to pick, the Lemon Gnocchi with marinated halloumi and wild mushrooms over cépe foam, paired with a delicate Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain was an instant favorite. That, as well as the Wye Valley Asparagus, with pickled mushrooms and saffron aioli, on toasted almond cream, paired with a lovely white from Puglia, Italy. Each course more decadent and artfully designed than the last. Two plus hours later we trekked the 60 second uphill back to our room, wondering how we were going to manage in the morning.
Tackling Helvellyn
The next day started off with a lovely breakfast in a sun-lit room in the main house before we drove to the base of Helvellyn in Ambleside. I overheard a grandmother, who sounded eerily like Maggie Smith, explaining to her granddaughter, the game of cricket, “Nothing much happens. And it takes about three days to do it. “
It was a gorgeous day and once at the top, we were assured we’d be able to see as far as the Irish Sea. We reached the trailhead via Kirkstone Pass, which was a road with one of the most dramatic views of the Lake District. At that time of day, it was just us and the cyclists, which made the drive even more serene, the lakes seemingly frozen in time and the reflections razor sharp. We parked, and then began our trek along the Hobbit-like countryside, passing wildflowers, sheep, lambs, waterfalls and streams, stone walls that curled along the route like a miniature Great Wall of China, watching the villages recede further into the distance as we gained altitude and took in the drama of it all. Two and half hours of uphill later, we found ourselves scrambling over the jagged rocks and tricky knife edge ridge known on the map as Striding Edge, the place where some have met an untimely death. ‘Striding’ seemed a bit too ambitious a term, as I was on all fours, refusing to look any way but dead ahead, and cursing my husband underneath my breath.
Thankfully there was no wind and conditions were in our favor, but admittedly it was the most exhilarating part of the hike, every sense on high alert to make it at last to the summit at 3,120 feet, passing high above the Red Tarn and looking down into the valleys. Truth be told, the views were worth every gray hair I earned that day. The way down, the hike making a natural loop, was a little more leisurely, apart from the scramble along Swirral Edge, and filled with the most verdant of landscapes. Foxgloves popped out like hot purple pokers from in and around the ancient stone walls. The villages materialized, and civilization and a cold beer were in our immediate sights.
world cup: England v. Belgium
The last night of our time in the Lake District was spent at the casual restaurant at Gilpin, The Spice House, watching England lose to Belgium in a group match during the World Cup. I was assured this loss didn’t matter, which was confirmed as no one seemed particularly upset by it. The Indian menu was a nice contrast to our previous meals and the atmosphere relaxed and casual. We ordered a bottle of Grüner Veltliner and settled in for the match. Being as far north as we were, it amazed me to see light still clinging to the sky at nearly 11pm.
The next day was an early rise and on to the next stop of our European journey. In some ways, I felt like the sole American discoverer of the glorious Lake District. I would encourage anyone to add it to their bucket list of travels while in the UK, as it is a fairy-tale inspired moment in time you will not easily forget. As we headed out of town, one last moment of being wonderstruck by the rolling hills, mountains, valleys, hamlets and mirror-calm lakes, I saw a sign for The Sun Inn and smiled. Maybe I was in a Harry Potter novel after all.
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Five Reasons to get lost:
• Spending time pre-dinner on the patio at the Gilpin and watching mama birds feed their babies under the eaves.
• The hair-raising drives around the lakes, wanting to watch the view but needing to watch the roads!
• Making it to the summit of Helvellyn on a rare sunny day and popping open a well-deserved can of Coke.
• Having warm gingerbread at the birthplace of gingerbread, then roaming the very streets that Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter once walked.
• Hearing phrases like ‘dilly-dally’ and ‘higgledy-piggledy’ used in every day conversation.
Where will you find yourself next?
Consider a short flight from London to Milan and head to Lake Como for a few days.
Live in an ancient 15th c. village in Montenegro while overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Take on the Medina, and more, in Marrakech.
Dear Jamie,
Thank you very much for sending us the link to your blog. I read all the comments (good and bad) whenever a guest feedback email pings in my inbox. All the comments help us learn and be better in what we do with a hope that we will create more pleasing memories. Congratulations on your new blog and we hope and wish that you will have all the success. We hope that you will be able to visit us in the future.
HRiSHikesh Desai
Executive Chef, Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Thank you for the note, Mr Desai. We are already hoping to come back in the future with our kids, and will no doubt enjoy another fantastic meal (or two!) at HRiSHi. Sending lots of friends your way. Cheers!
As always, beautifully rendered post, from your engaging prose to your stunning photos! Always look forward to new entries.
Thanks Jamie
Thank you for the kind words, Marilyn! We had a busy summer so I am looking forward to lots of creative writing. Take care!