Lakes...and so much more!

The Lake District is an area of England I didn't get to see in 2008, and since then have been waiting for a chance to go there. And it did not disappoint. What a wonderful scenic area!

With only one full day to spend here, we made the most of it. First stop was Castlerigg Stone Circle—the real thing this time, a Neolithic artifact from 3000 BCE.

Its breathtaking setting alone would make it worth the visit. But of course it offered ample playground-type opportunities for the youngest tourists as well...

yes, chocolate had been consumed

...as well as sheep. So. many. sheep.

After a shopping stop at a very nice grocery in Keswick, we started on Rick Steves' recommended scenic drive, stopping first for a long hike along the shore of Derwent Water, one of the area's most scenic lakes. That's it at the top of this post. Here's another scenic shot of it:

It was a fun hike, with some favorite trailside photo opps, like interlacing tree roots, which I always enjoy:

There was even a beach, with ample rocks for skipping, and we were able to make the trail a loop and saw more wooded areas on the way back to the car. Notice the cliff in the background of this photo:

The ruggedness of the outcropping gives you an idea that this isn't just a landscape of bucolic lakes. There are mountains, too, and dramatic scenery even away from the Lakes themselves. We really came to appreciate that facet of the area during the rest of the day.

With the climbing enthusiasts in the family, a stop at the Bowder Stone, a huge rock that seems to have been plopped onto the trail just for bouldering, was an obvious stop for a picnic lunch, followed by a hike.

Here's what the trail looks like before you come upon the stone:

Here's the stone, with its convenient ladder up the side, for which I was particularly grateful...

...but of course some in our party wouldn't have needed it:

After this invigorating exercise, we continued on our drive. Next lake up was Buttermere. There's a hike Rick recommends here, but we were kind of running out of time, so we could just admire the scenery out the window:

We wanted to have time to do some hard-core hiking—and climbing—at our next stop:

This is Moss Force waterfall, in the spectacular Newlands Valley. Here's a view from the car park:

I made it part-way up to the end of the trail, but of course some of our party went much further...

The trail was a little rugged, but there was even some wildlife to observe. Sorry I don't have anything to show you the scale here, but this guy was probably 3" long; and isn't he pretty?!

This hike was a fantastic way to end up our Lake District touring. 

It was nice that we didn't have far to go to get "home" for a good dinner, as we'd worked up quite an appetite. We had taken Rick's advice (he hardly ever steers you wrong) and opted to stay in the northern, as opposed to the southern, part of the district, and found a wonderful Bed& Breakfast in Braithwaite, a small, quiet town near his recommended Keswick. It was a great find and we recommend this place to any of you thinking about spending some time in the Lakes. Great breakfasts, nice rooms, helpful and friendly hosts (they even saved us a special parking place because they knew we'd be driving a van).

Next up: our last major destination: Wales!