MOT fail / six-pot rant

Some nice roads if you're on the bike. If not, sit in your car in the
queue to a fell and go walking.

 

On Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:55:22 +0000 (UTC), "Krusty"

snip>

I wonder if it's possible to fake a wild boar attack and hasten the
demise if the Forest?

 

Ummmm Keswick itself is nice enough and you can walk down to the lake
and get a cruise around it. I'd avoid Bowness, we drove through it to
get to Keswick and it was absolutely heaving, although it might be a bit
quieter by then. Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway was ok, aquarium at
the lakeside end is worth a look.
[/QUOTE]
Bowness is always heaving, even on a rainy afternoon in November it's
rammed with tourists getting ripped off in the outdoor shops.

You only need to drive 10 miles out of there to find some really nice
places so it's not all bad.

 

snip>

Have you considered the possibility that leaving it until only a
couple of days before your holiday might have been the real reason for
the start of your holiday being fucked up?

 

Lots of walking - Castlehead, Cat Bells and Latrigg are fairly easy.
Skiddaw and the fells in Borrowdale are more of a challenge. Odd as it
seem I have climbed them all.

Spot the Corfield ancestral home - my Dad was from Keswick so we
holidayed there a very great deal when I was young.

Not sure if that collection of cars from films is still at the old
railway station. Oh it is - http://www.carsofthestars.com/

Visit the pencil museum. http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/

Take a cruise on Derwentwater. http://www.keswick-launch.co.uk/

Hire a bike and cycle round Derwentwater. From memory there are some
decent hostelries and it's not too hilly - you may need to be careful as
to the route on the eastern side as this is the main road to Borrowdale.

Go mountain biking. http://www.keswickbikes.co.uk/
http://www.mountain-bike-cumbria.co.uk/

See Castlerigg Stone Circle.

Visit Grasmere, Ambleside and Windermere for your Wordsworth and Beatrix
Potter fix.

Take a ride on the Ravensglass and Eskdale railway.
http://www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk/

Take a drive / ride up and down one of the famous passes like Honister
or similar to visit Buttermere.

Be prepared for it to rain a lot.

Visit some of the other lakes like Coniston or Windermere.

Visit the Keswick Brewery - http://www.keswickbrewery.co.uk/

I'm sure there are some top notch restaurants and pubs dotted about too
but I'm way out of touch these days.

Here is a link to the Cumbria Bus Map - I know you won't go on the buses
(although the 555 from Keswick to Lancaster is one of the most scenic
routes in the country) but it does show a lot of tourist sites /
attractions on it so it might give one or two ideas.

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/544/931/1099/3619/4012112208.pdf

I made a mad day trip to Keswick (from Newcastle) last year as I hadn't
been to the place for decades. The focus, not unsurprisingly, is
strongly towards walking and mountain biking these days. It was the
sheer scale of shops and businesses tilted towards that which was the
surprise for me. Still the scenery was stunning despite being a grey
old day and it was good to see the countryside.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, ogden

Which would take about 30 seconds.

A mildly pissed-off boar is a wonder to behold. But only from a
distance.

No, further than that.

 

Just goes to show that the Forest has become infested with incomers. A few
decades ago the boar would've had the same fate as the bear...

 

Assuming you mean silicone, that's a very bad idea. Very, very bad
indeed. Try adding some silicone (DOT5) brake fluid to your brakes to
see why.

 

Locally to who? My nearest two motor factors sell it.

 

We have several walking books, including a "pub walks" type thing.
Neither of us are really up for anything too strenuous, but we'd like
to come back fitter than we are now!

Any clues? )

That's err...pencilled in. )

Yes, we'll do that plus I'd like to hire a motor boat and a dinghy at
some point (not at the same time of course!)

Again, if it's not too hilly then that's great. P would certainly
struggle on a bike if it's too lumpy.

Oh, deffo - forgot that!

That looks good too.

We are prepared, but it would be nice if it was dry for some of it!

Will do.

Another definite for the list.

My Good Beer Guide will be packed.

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/544/931/1099/3619/4012112208.pdf

Thanks. Buses aren't off limits, although the last time we took a bus
on a holiday (in Cornwall) it was a bit of a tortuous route, doubling
back several times. We still laugh about it now.

That's the main thing. We enjoy holidaying in the UK especially as P
doesn't really like flying[1]. We've done Cornwall and Norfolk in
recent years and enjoyed both. Neither of us have ever spent any
length of time in the Lakes, so we're looking forward to it.

I was hoping that the we wouldn't be too late to spot Ospreys too but I
think they'll probably have left.
http://www.ospreywatch.co.uk/

Thanks for all the info. I might just print your post in its entirety.

[1] She actually fainted 30 minutes into the flight to Kefalonia last
year /

 

I wish V did that. Instead I have to spend the entire duration of the
flight asking her to shut the **** up.

 

*ding*

The few wild boar round here (Limousin for a few more days yet) have
to be pretty canny to avoid the hunters in October.

 

Try booking separate seats, next time? Or separate flights, even.

Having read the list of faults you've presented, in the past, I wonder
why you haven't traded her in long ago.

 

<mode=Tommy Cooper>
So I rang up my local swimming baths - I said 'Is that the local
swimming baths?'

He said 'It depends where you're calling ...'
</mode>

 

I think that's the wrong question and the answers are obvious

 

OK, I've not had any coffee, yet... so... why and why?

 

Duh. Drink coffee

 

I did and a couple of "red bull" things. Questions still stand.

 

There is a clue on line but that's all the hint you're getting.

There is Ashness Bridge too which IIRC can be reached by a pleasant and
reasonably flat walk along the eastern shore of Derwentwater.

It's also a pleasant stroll to Portinscale. IIRC there are some decent
bars and restaurants out that way.

The 78 to Seatoller is sometimes operated by an open top double decker
which I'd guess was a good ride on a fine day. I still have fond
memories of the bus ride from Seatoller after a day of trekking all
through the Borrowdale hills from Keswick.

There is also the 77/A which do a circular round part of Derwentwater
plus Buttermere and Honister Pass.

Seems more people are opting to do the "stopperton" [1] holiday.

I'm debating, given the high risk of impending redundancy, whether to
blow some money on a holiday to Japan or just to pitch a tent in my
back garden and just pretend I've had a holiday. What say ukrm?

Goodness - I've never heard of that happening. I'm one of those nasty
people who can't comprehend being frightened about flying. The first
time I flew I sat beside a young woman who was wearing some sort of
wristband that was supposed to help calm her down. I hadn't given the
flight a second thought - it was just a metal box with an engine taking
be somewhere [2]. I was probably more concerned about getting through
the airport formalities.

{1] "stop at home" just in case no one can work it out.
[2] in the same vein as a car, bus or train doing the same thing.

 

Won't redundancy involve a large cash sum? When I was booted out of Xerox
they gave me around 3x my annual take home pay. I viewed this as at least 3
years that I could do stuff that did not pay wages. Add that to the student
loan I have not paid off & the bursaries I get now, I've maintained a
reasonable standard of living without having paid employment for five of
the last eight years. This has included 4 long trips on the bike and
foreign holidays most years with my lad.

Go to Japan. Have fun and stop stressing over a job you will probably be
glad to see the back of.