Photos and the City

Tag: roadtrip

Lowther Castle

It was time to leave the Lake District and England, but before crossing the borders to Scotland I just had to do two more stops. Just a short drive from Pooley Bridge lies the Lowther Castle.

The roots of Lowther Castle go back to the 14th century, when Edward III granted Sir Hugh de Lowther a charter to enclose a 200 acre tract of land for a deer park beside the River Lowther. Sir Hugh built a motte and bailey fortification beside the river, but later in the 14th century this was replaced by a pele tower to better defend against Scottish raides from north of the border. (Britainexpress)

In 1691 the medieval building was torn down and replaced with a Jacobean residence which was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1718 and remained mostly a ruin until 1806 when architect Robert Smirke created an impressive new house in the style of a medieval castle, incorporating the ruined house. Smirke later designed the British Museum in London.

The house was closed in 1936 and became an empty shell when the roof was removed in 1957 and it took about 70 years until a charitable trust started a huge restoration and the castle was opened for the public in 2011.

The castle itself looks like out of a fairytale and it´s a shame that I didn´t have more time to explore the gardens they must be stunning.

02/10/2018
Ullwater Steamers

I continued along the Ullswater until I reached the charming Glenridding and the pier of the Ullswater steamers. Founded in 1855 the oldest one of their five steamboats was launched in 1877. “The Lady of the Lake” is probably the oldest working passenger ferry in the world and I was on it!

From Glenridding, I took the boat back to Pooley Bridge, this time I could enjoy the boat trip without rain and the view just was amazing! The company wasn´t that bad either!

The company originally transported workers, mail and grocery between the Greenside Mine at Glenridding and the village of Pooley Bridge and changed to pleasure rides later on.

From the new pier in Pooley Bridge, it´s just a short walk into the village. Pooley Bridge (like many other cities in Cumbria) was severely damaged by the floods in December 2015 caused by Storm Desmond. The historic stone bridge, which gave the village its name, collapsed on December 6th 2015 and Pooley Bridge was cut off for several months until a replacement bridge was installed in March 2016. A new bridge is still to be built.

Right next to the (temporary) bridge are some cafés, pubs and restaurants and they were definitely busy! I also enjoyed the view (and tea) from Granny Dowbekins Tearooms, they have such a nice garden & terrace looking over the river and bridge

27/09/2018
Ullswater

Another pass – another day of low clouds – the view is supposed to be nice on Kirkstone Pass on the way to Glenridding. I left my lovely cottage in Little Langdale and was on my way to my next stop and base up north – Ullswater.

Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District. My first stop was Glenridding on the south side of the lake to board one of the steam boats.

I took a short route from Glenridding to Howtown Pier and back – I had planned to do a little walk around Howtown but as soon as we were on the boat rain started to pour down. Cats and dogs! So I just took shelter at the pier. The trip was still very lovely – the clouds added some extra drama!

The landscape is quite different from the rest of the Lake District, higher mountains and somehow rougher.

Ullswater itself is of course the main attraction. Surrounded by gently rolling countryside at the northern end around Pooley Bridge, a trip south down the lakeshore gives way to sheer fellsides that drop away into the water below, culminating in the majesty of England’s third highest mountain, Helvellyn. (ullswater.com)

Back in Glenridding, the rain had stopped (at least for the moment – it was quite a wet day) and I made my way around the lake to my hotel in Pooley Bridge to enjoy a little walk along the shore.

And to do a little photo shoot with Emer who didn´t mind the rain at all!

20/09/2018