Given the local’s didn’t really like us (or
liked us too much), we left early from Loch Lubraig headed to the Lake District.
We took the motorway for the better part of
the morning and then headed off on to the smaller A and B roads through the Lake
District. If you ever drive in England, you will always see more of the local
area and natural beauty by getting off the M roads and on this occasion we
certainly did.
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| Mum and I outside the Kirkstone Pass Inn |
We headed through Ullswater towards Lake Windermere
and without knowing, headed up the Kirkstone Pass which is about 1500ft high
and has a pub at the top which goes back to 1496.
 |
| WTF? |
Claire and I had seen the pub on a show a couple of months back as an old English fellow flogged his 1930’s Morgan up the hill (20% grading) to get to it.
For most of my time in England I’ve avoided
tap ales/beer like the plaque as it is generally warm and the mechanism, which
they use to pour, the amber nectar seems somewhat disturbing – i.e. it’s a
dirty old pipe they physically pump to get the beer out.
On this occasion though, I tried a pint of
the local bitter with fish and chips and the combination was magnificent.
After lunch we trundled slowly down the
hill towards Lake Windermere to find The Stags Head, where Mum and Dad had
their honeymoon 44 years ago in August.
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| Claire and I at Kirkstone Pass looking out over the hill we trundled down later. |
We spent the better part of 30 minutes
trying to find the hotel, as it was not in the place Mum remembered it being.
Given 44 years had passed since the last time Mum had been there I suggested
that maybe it had either been pulled down or moved.
After being told to move from a bus stop by
the local parking Gestapo, we managed to find that it was still in the same
spot only that a number of buildings had been put up around it so it was
blocked from view.
Our next stop was Stratford-Upon-Avon,
where we managed to find a good wild camping spot by the canal and only 5
minutes walk into town. We picked up a couple of pizzas from the supermarket
and enjoyed them with a few glasses of red by the water.
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| Dinner on the Avon River - Stratford Upon Avon |
Following dinner we took Mum up the street
to see Shakespears house, however, this didn’t appear as important as getting
Mum to a toilet. As we couldn’t find any public facilities, Mum barged her way
into the local Chinese takeaway to use theirs.
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| Bit of light hearted fun after Mums visit to the local Chinese shop. "Hold the noodles, I just want your loo!" |
To be honest, much of our trip has been
spent taking the Asylum Seeking Sloth from one public facility to the next.
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| Sun setting over the town of Stratford Upon Avon |
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