Lingholm

It’s June and we’re in the Lake District for a couple of days so of course it’s raining!  More accurately it has been raining on and off as we drove up here this morning but in between it has been sunny but quite windy.

We stopped at Country Harvest for coffee and Ingleborough was quite clear. Onward passing Keswick to go to Lingholm Kitchen for lunch. We’ve stopped here once before when walking along Derwentwater but we didn’t have room for food then after a big hotel breakfast. We timed it well today I think the peak was just over and we got a table without any problem.

We had a look around the walled kitchen garden seen here guarded by Peter Rabbit. A gardener was working on the surrounding terraces and I heard a lady ask, on behalf of her daughter whose 4th birthday it was, if he was Mr McGregor? He played his part well and asked her if she’d seen any rabbits. Also would she like a picture of him, how kind.

The borders had lots of Candelabra Primulas of all different colours - extra. They looked lovely down by the beck we crossed at the entrance too.

We headed into Keswick and parked at the Pencil Museum, we’ve always threatened to take a look. It was most interesting (though Chris couldn’t find all the answers to the quiz!)
The Borrowdale valley is the source of the purest deposit of graphite ever found in the world. It was found accidentally on the fells after a violent storm exposed it around fallen tree roots. It’s value in the 1700’s led to a thriving ‘black market’. The term actually originates from graphite smuggling as it marked the smugglers hands black so everyone knew what they had been up to! It was trafficked over the fells to the coast.
You can buy every imaginable type of pencil here and our entry ticket was also a pencil. 

After a wander around town we are now checked in to our accommodation.

We’ll soon be out again looking for something to eat before heading down to the lake and the Theatre on the Lake where we have tickets to see author Joanne Harris talk about her new book ‘ Vianne’ a prequel to Chocolat. I won’t be buying it as I’ve asked for it for my birthday.