Loweswater

Ronnie G. Finch, a gentleman I worked with years ago in my cruise ship days, once told me that the Lake District was “God's own country.” I'd seen a tiny bit of it a few years ago when we went to Cartmel for one night. This, however would be my first extended stay in the area. We're staying in a village outside Workington and have plans to do a bit of walking while we're here.  Our first foray into that was at Loweswater, a small lake near us.

Lakes around here aren't called lakes, rather the word “water” or “mere" is tacked on to the end of the location.  This is all down to old naming traditions. “Water" as in Loweswater refers to a large flowing or pooled body of water.  “Mere" as in Windemere indicates a broad relatively shallow sheet of water.  Okay, now that that's cleared up, back to Loweswater.  It was a perfect introduction to walking in the area because it's mostly flat and easy to walk. The scenery is beautiful and Finchy was justified in his description.  Here are some examples.

Back on the road we passed a small stone enclosure called a pinder. The little sign in front, courtesy of the National Trust, described its purpose.

Street signs around the lakes are few and far between so everyone uses GPS, known in the UK at SatNav. Our friends told us that we should take the SatNave directions with a grain of salt. That advice was borne out on this sign.

The walk was about six miles and we had worked up an appetite, so we went to the Kirkstile Inn for a spot of lunch. 

The terrace outside is gorgeous and must be the perfect place to sit on a summer's day.

Because it was a bit too chilly for that when we went, we sat in front of the hearth with its roaring fire.

Can you spot the sheep among the stones?

We had a lovely pub lunch and they made an admirable vegetarian moussaka, too.

Across the street from the pub is the Parish Church of St. Bartholomew of Loweswater. There has been a place of worship here since 1125, though the present day church was consecrated in 1829. Sadly, it wasn't open to visitors on a Monday.

A beautiful walk and a tasty lunch, a great intro to the Lakes.