Northern Spain

The family had arranged a birthday celebration at Lodore Falls Hotel for Sunday lunch. Time to plan a few days around it. We plumbed for The Swinside Inn, an inn that allows up to 2 campervans providing it is pre booked and one has a meal. Very very good choice. Fantastic views, good beer, good food in a very comfortable and friendly environment. We walked down the valley to Portinscale and back via the lake side, mostly flat about 7 km. Evening meal in the Inn and a very peacefull night. Up in the morning and head to Lodore Falls via an hour wander around Keswick. Lodore Falls did us proud with the Sunday lunch that lasted untill 4 O'Clock, we don't often meet up all together. Most enjoyable. We decided not just to go home but headed further down Borrowdale to Chapel House Farm for a couple of nights.

Only a few minutes drive in the morning from Crook to Staveley. One of the highlights of Staveley is the Hawkeshead brewery, a wide variety of excellent ale and good food in a casual, homely environment, good place to meet. A look round the carpark confirmed or Son was here and out on his bike, so we planned a walk up to Potter Tarn hoping to be back at the brewery to meet up. Good weather and a good walk up to Potter Tarn, but up on top the the wind was very strong, so it was a quick Whatsapp photo to family and friends and head back down. Robert's return message informed us that he was back in it brewery, we were still an hour away! Change of plan, Robert came to pick us up to save time. A couple of pints and a burger back at the  brewery and a very long chat and eventually we headed home. Sometimes the plans made on the fly are the best.

On the morning after the Woolpack wine festival, we wondered way else we could do apart from going home. Jeannette asked if there were any ceilidh around, I get emails from the local ceilidh group, so I recovered the email from the Trash folder and discovered the was one that night at Crook near Kendal. A quick email to the organizer, asking if there were any places and if we could stop overnight in the carpark. The reply was affirmative. Go home and get the dance shoes and some more formal clothes and off to Crook. A Whatsapp to our Son to ask if he was free for a walk around Kendal area only to find out he was mountain biking around Staveley, jobs a good un. Excellent evening at the ceilidh, alway a good laugh either at oneself, each other or whilst not dancing the others who are. Jeannette just has to watch me trying to skip to be paralyzed with laughter. Quite night's sleep an off to Staveley.