Askham, Cumbria: Day 6

Coffee shop

Well, the good weather was too good to last and today we had drizzle.   Just enough to wet the garden, but not enough to stop us going out for the day.   We collected Joe's paper and drove to Carlisle and found parking for the day.  We ambled in the direction of the centre on the lookout for coffee.   We spurned Costas in favour of something more individual and spotted an old fashioned coffee and tea emporium with tables.   It was a delightfully old fashioned place with a long list of different types of coffee served in cafetieres.   We chose a medium roast Colombian.  It was a little weak, but had a good flavour and it washed down a fruit scone (half each) very nicely.   I ventured downstairs to the loo and passed through storage and what looked like a museum below stairs.

Tullie Museum

Refreshed we went to the tourist office and got a street map and then made for the Tullie Museum.  We had been here before but it seemed to have had a make-over.   We started in the old house and saw an exhibition of items from the collection mixed with Japanese prints.  Then upstairs to an exhibition about pre-Raphaelites and into the main part of the museum.   Peter and I lost each other and were finally re-united with the aid of Peter's phone which, amazingly, he had with him.   We had lunch in the elegant museum cafe and then returned to see a film of Carlisle life and rounded off the visit with the exhibition of automata.  They were delightful and funny.  Cleverly the models were interspersed with examples of mechanisms (ratchets, gears, levers, cams etc.) that you could operate.  We had great fun making everything work.

Back at the house we did some packing and sorting as we leave in the morning.  Then we walked down through the village to the Punchbowl Inn, which Joe and Helen had told us wasn't very good in comparison with the Queen's Head.   However, the Punchbowl did hot food in the evening so we chanced it.  The waitress was extremely good and friendly and the food was good pub food.   Peter had fish and chips and I had sausage and mash which was well done.   We had a taster trio of three beers served in small glasses on a wooden holder which we hadn't seen done before.   The pub was hopping with a weird wedding party from Scotland.   Half the men wore kilts and the other half identical suits and the ladies wore an assortment of close fitting garments!   We asked the waitress if the bride had already left and were told that she and the groom broke up between the church and the reception and had gone their separate ways!!!!   Apparently they had both come from New Zealand to get married (and the waitress said the wedding had cost £12,000) and we could only speculate at the story behind this.   A coach finally came and took some of the guests away, but not before an argument had broken out in the bar between a regular and a tipsy Scot over the swearing that was going on.   I thought this was a bit unfair as, although they were downing vast numbers of pints and going in and out to the loo, they were quite quiet and kept themselves to themselves.   Who knows what had been going on!   Anyway, it made for a different and amusing end to our Askham holiday.

Askham, Cumbria: Day 5

Another fine day.  The temperature promised to rise to 17 but it seemed warmer.   We collected Joe's paper from the village store and then drove to Great Strickland across the M6 in the Eden valley.   I had found a figure of 8 walk in two sections which rotated around the pub in the middle of the village.   I had called the day before to ask about food and was disappointed to find that they don't serve food until 5.0pm.   Forewarned, we took a packed lunch and parked in the pub car park as directed by the walk instructions.

This walk was a farmland walk with some forest thrown in....and an awful lot of stiles, wooden and stone.  Each section was 3 miles long.  We took the southern loop first as the route looked more complicated and we thought we'd tackle it when fresh!  We made one mistake and toured round a field to locate the gate but eventually found the way.   Great countryside with herds of sheep, inquisitive heifers and darting hares.   Also a wonderful view of the Pennines across the fields.

We arrived back at the pub salivating over the idea of a pint of beer...only to find that they don't open until 5.0pm, which hadn't been clear from their website or my telephone conversation.  Still the publican was very apologetic and pointed us in the direction of drinking water and allowed us to eat our lunch at his picnic tables.  Eliot phoned just as we arrived at the pub and we talked to him all through lunch!

The second stage of the route was equally varied with some very overgrown paths, some good bridleways and sunken paths.   Towards the half way point we couldn't make sense of the instructions at all and had to resort to my phone satellite image.   We went wrong at some point and reached a road, but it was the road back to Great Strickland so we stuck with it.   On the way into the village we met a woman who had helped us find our path when we were setting off.  She joked that if we'd turned the other way we'd have come to the ice cream farm!   Back at the pub, the publican also mentioned the ice cream farm so it seemed fated that we should pay a visit.   We had a tub each of strawberry and hazelnut (2 separate flavours) and very good it was too.   We felt we needed the reward!  My fit bit tells me that we walked 7.5 miles.

Back in the car we went into Penrith and bought food for supper, which Peter is cooking.  Spag Bol!

Pennines in the distance

Path through the wood

Orchid???

Mmm!   I earned this!

Askham, Cumbria: Day 4

Acorn Bank front

Up at a relaxed hour and after breakfast went to the village shop for milk and some bread for toast tomorrow morning.   Then off to a National Trust property not far away called Acorn Bank.  It was a large sandstone house with a chequered history going right back to the Norman Conquest!  Not the actual house of course, but a dwelling on the site.  We had a cup of coffee and then explored the gardens and the vegetable plots and the orchards and then dived back into the cafe for a quick lunch before the house tour at 2.0pm.

The sunken garden

Border

Sunken garden

The guide at first seemed nervous, but she was very knowledgeable and had us walking round the outside of the house picking out the evidence for the various stages of construction and re-construction in the brickwork and windows.   The house was enlarged at one stage to cater for a family that had 21 children - some of whom survived beyond infancy.   The house is empty, the then director of the National Trust having so seriously annoyed the owner who was trying to gift it to the trust that she emptied it of its contents before moving out.   For many years it was a home run by the Sue Ryder foundation and is now in a curious state...not derelict, but dusty and bare.   It will cost millions to put back into an interesting condition, though the guide made even bare rooms come alive.  

After the tour we walked in the grounds to visit the nature hide and then returned, as if magnetised, to the cafe for tea (and cake - sh!).  

We made supper at home with 6 eggs and all the left over bits and pieces we brought with us - potato, spring onion, one small home grown courgette, half a chorizo, garlic - and two tomatoes found on the kitchen window sill.  They combined into a tasty fritatta. 

Askham, Cumbria: Day 3

Glorious weather for walking.  We set off from the front door and walked up to Askham Fell and then over the top and down to Pooley Bridge.  I was puffed in places on the way up, though the views were stunning and rewarded the effort.  All downhill into Pooley Bridge, the last part on a tarmac road that seemed to go on forever.   I couldn't face the walk back (hip playing up a bit) and after lunch, called a taxi and headed home leaving Peter to walk the 4.5 miles back.   He wondered what I would do with the afternoon, clearly forgetting that Wimbledon is on!

New sign posts - very reassuring

Looking back to Askham

Peter

First glimpse of Ullswater

Peter made good time on the way back, no longer held up by me!  He was pleased with himself.  We spent a leisurely afternoon reading in the sun, knitting etc and tackled the hose again and watered the veg and the pots.   Peter rummaged in the garden shed and found a different hose connector which seemed to click in better so perhaps when we water tomorrow we won't get soaked!

In the evening we drove to the George and Dragon for a meal.  Peter had scallops with 'truffle peas' which were very good.  I had a crab and prawn cocktail which promised to be good but was spoilt by a rather harsh dressing and a lot of cold wet salad underneath.  Peter followed his scallops with rump steak with the usual trimmings and excellent, really hand cut, chips.  I had locally reared pork chop with black pudding mash and green veg.  The flavours were excellent but the whole dish rather heavy.   We finished off with coffee ice cream.  We are creatures of habit.  We read the whole menu and study the specials and then Peter invariably chooses steak and I go for some heavy, meaty dish.  Afterwards,  feeling bloated, I wondered why I almost never choose fish!    Next time we eat out I'll make myself go for the really light dishes and see how it feels!

Askham, Cumbria: Helen's garden

Summer house and veg

I've mentioned the garden several times already.  It is clearly a labour of love.  This is  the back garden.  There is an equally beautiful, though much smaller, front garden.   Helen has a great way of combining plants and shrubs, colours and shapes. 

Looking back to the house

Alongside the wildflower meadow

Wildflower meadow

An example of clever planting

The main lawn

Something to look at at every turn

The side path alive with bees

The lower terrace

Shed and water butt

Looking up the garden from the house

Askham, Cumbria: Day 2

Up early this morning to water the tomatoes in the greenhouse and the pots and the veg in the plot at the top of the garden.   Unfortunately the hose did not like me and kept separating from the hose reel and pouring water everywhere and also over me.  I managed to give the tomatoes water from a can and then retreated, turned the tap off and waited for my trusty assistant to get out of bed!  By the time we had had breakfast and were dressed the sun was up, so we delayed watering until the evening.

Kirkstone Pass

Our destination for our first full day was Brantwood, at one time the home of John Ruskin, overlooking Conniston Water.   We set off from Askham along tiny winding lanes, frequently having to back up for tractors and other farm vehicles.  I was having kitens and making a fuss about the danger of blind corners etc., Peter stoically ignoring me.  We also took the Kirkstone Pass - dramatic and steep!  We arrived in Ambleside in need of a coffee so we parked and wandered, found a coffee shop and unwound for a while with the newspaper.

Then on to Brantwood and, first stop, lunch in the cafe.   Which was good.  We had a view over Conniston Water and the sun was shining. 

Conniston Water

After lunch we went up and bought tickets for the house and watched the introductory film show.  We had heard of John Ruskin and associated him with the pre-Raphaelites, but were a little hazy about his other interests and accomplishments, until the film filled in the gaps.  We approached the house with more understanding.   It was a wonderful museum filled with interest - and also with Japanese pottery and pictures by Turner, two temporary exhibitions.

Brantwood

Brantwood

Inside Brantwood

I was intrigued by the glazing on the side plates in the dining room. (See below)

Interesting glaze pattern

Garden path

Outside and around the house was a large garden and we explored some parts.   Then it was back to Penrith to go to the supermarket to buy some extras for supper and some breakfast cereal etc.

We had a little trouble finding our way on occassions, but arrived at the ferry across Windermere which was a first for us.  Then we missed a turning or two but eventually hit the M6 and hurried up to Penrith, shopped, got back to the house, had a cup of tea, fixed the hose, watered the plants, had a glass of wine, made supper and caught up on Wimbledon!  Well, I watched TV and Peter did the crossword! 

Apart from the roads, which were a little too exciting for me at times, it was a very good day out!   Brantwood was certainly worth the effort. 

Askham, Cumbria: Day 1

We are again swapping houses with our friends Helen and Joe.  This will be our third stay in their whitewashed 'cottage' in Askham, Cumbria and their first visit to our house in Southwold.

We went down to Southwold to get the house ready.  Helen and Joe arrived at about 4.00 and after the obligatory cup of tea, showed them the delights of the high street.   They were very excited by some of the shops, particularly CraftCo, the artist's collective, the cheese shop and the hardware store!   Askham, where they live, has one  village store, so the idea of strolling out of their front door and finding interesting shops at their fingertips seemed great.    We had a meal together at the Crown (a little disappointing as all of us found our main course very salty).

Clumber Park Walled Garden

In the morning we left Southwold early and went  back home to load the car with all the things we had packed and left in the hall.   We set off just after 9.30 am and drove via the A47, the A17, the A1 and the A66 to Askham, just south of Penrith.  We had a great lunch stop at Clumber Park (Helen and Joe's excellent recommendation)  and were sorry that we only had time to eat and make the briefest of visits to the walled garden.

We arrived at Askham and settled in.  Their house is very comfortable, full of books and beautiful pottery and the garden is lovely.  We enjoy coming here. 

Joe and Helen's house in Askham