Cumbrian Conundrums
The Restorative Repercussions of a Rainy Road Trip
Once again I have demonstrated my weakness in the face of marketing by booking a few days away on the basis of being offered free breakfast by Premier Inn. This time I have been drawn to a few days in the Lake District, this being one of the few times of year that accommodation is (a) readily available and (b) reasonably priced in the region.
So, December in the Lake District - clearly a risk of inclement weather, but still plenty to see and do. And of course spectacular scenery is spectacular in any weather - well at least if you can see it through low clouds!
Sadly, in the week leading up to my trip, I am laid low by a punishing man flu. This leads me to consider whether I should cancel the trip. Of course I have booked the cheap option and so it turns out that I cannot get a refund if I cancel, so clearly I will go, figuring that I will just take it easy and not attempt any strenuous walks. I shall plan my itinerary around avoiding triggering hacking, phlegmy coughing fits. Despite my generally fairly random approach, its always good to have a vague theme to structure things! I shall dub this the “Phlegmatic Acceptance Tour".
And so I find myself on a rainy Monday morning heading north and into the worsening weather.
Chris Rhea may have written “Road to Hell” about the M25, but I think that the M6 on a rainy day can give it a run for its money. The M6 is always heavy with trucks but in wet weather this transforms into a wall of spray. I’m a dreamer, and so like to reserve some space on a road trip for my mind to wander. Hence I resent any road which forces me to focus my entire attention on driving. The M6 in the rain is just such a road.
To be fair, its not the worst that I have seen it, but bad enough to be quite a tense journey. The weather is so bad that I don’t even consider stopping anywhere for a wander on the way. As I will arrive before I can check into the hotel, I decide that I will stick with the vehicular spray theme and go to the Campbell Bluebird Exhibition (part of the Lakeland Motor Museum). Malcolm and Donald Campbell were both famous for numerous attempts at land and water speed records - many of the water speed record attempts being on Lakes in the area. It’s a fascinating exhibition with a number of the vehicles present
but I leave without being any the wiser as to why someone would risk their life for such a thing. Although both father and son had a number of accidents, Malcom ( the father) eventually died peacefully whereas Donald died during the course of a water speed record attempt on Coniston Water in 1967.
The main part of the motor museum has some interesting exhibits too. I could have done with this Amphicar whilst aquaplaning on the M6 earlier!
I am also quite taken by some of the toys, some of which I had owned and this triggers a bout of childhood nostalgia.
And there was even an early version of Grand Theft Auto:
Tuesday, and glimmers of sunlight are sneaking through the clouds. The weather forecast suggests that there will be a mixture of sun and showers for most of the day. I will attempt to visit some outdoor sites and just take my chances.
It seems to work out pretty well and I manage to visit a couple of stone circles and a large henge, only being rained on as I head back to the car. Result. Fortune favours the precipitationally indifferent!
There are some magnificent stone circle in Cumbria. The ones today are about 4-5 thousand years old. First stop: Long Meg and Her Daughters, a massive circle of over 60 stones. Folklore suggests that the stones were originally witches and that if anyone is able to count the stones and get the same number counting both clockwise and anticlockwise, the stones will either turn back to witches, or the counter will become another stone. The inability to accurately count stones seems to be a theme at many of these places. I blame overuse of ceremonial substances!
Not far from Long Meg is the Mayburgh Henge. There are a couple of impressive henges in the vicinity and the signage suggests that they were meeting places for local communities.
The next stop is Castlerigg Stone Circle. This looks superb with the mountainous backdrop and is hugely atmospheric with the looming cloud. It is clearly more popular too and the only site where I encountered other visitors.
For the rest of the day, I largely just drive around , soaking up the scenery. The alternating sun and rain give it a dramatic feel. The drive back along the A6 from Keswick to Kendal is stunning. I’m not sure whether it is more impressive driving south, or whether the visibility is just better than it was when I drove north this morning. Regardless, it is a constant trail of astonishing vistas which have a restorative effect on my flu addled mind.
Visiting Long Meg reminded me of the classic British dark comedy “Sightseers" from 2012. There is a scene involving a dog, an angry passer by and said passer by’s head becoming intimately acquainted with stones. This is the point in the film at which things take a distinct turn to the dark side… despite which, it is very funny and well worth a watch.
Anyway, the film also has a scene at the Derwent Pencil Museum and it is to this nexus of adrenaline that I shall travel next.
Interesting in its way, which is in fact quite a dull, understated way, what with the world's biggest pencil and the displays dedicated to the real Q (as depicted in the James Bond films), Charles Fraser-Smith, who invented lots of devices in WWII, included a super secret compass/map pencil, made at Keswick.
Sadly, it is no Idaho Potato Museum, but few centres of learning can maintain that level of excitement!
I take a different route today, skirting around Windermere and Grasmere, so the scenery level is maintained, although I can't quite drum up any enthusiasm for visiting Wordsworth’s cottage.
It's another reminder that, whatever the weather, just driving through spectacular scenery has a positive effect on the psyche. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to get out there!
And having just provided details of my listening habits for the last year, Spotify has kindly provided a soundtrack for my journey home
Although I guess this must be largely what I have been listening to on my travels this year.
Apparently I have a listening age of 28. Whatever that means. I guess it counterbalances my tolerance age of 93. 🤣