Keswick Part 2

Our second day in Keswick started off with a boat ride across the lake to get to the hiking trails.  The boat took us all around the lake so we were able to check everything out.  It was quite windy and cool but thankfully the rain held off most of the day.

The hike was really steep!  I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but the trail just went straight up.

looking down

looking up

It was ridiculously windy once we got towards the top!  You could lean into the wind and it would hold you up!   It might not look like it here, but we felt like we were about to be blown off the mountain.  

On our way back down we hiked through a beautiful, storybook forest. 

We even came across some giant Sequoias- they were massive!

We ended our hike with a picnic by the lake. 

By this point the rain had set back in and our boat ride back was quite cold.  We found the cutest little cafe in town and warmed up with some cappuccinos and scones.  

After a nap we hopped in the car an headed out for a "car hike" as our Rick Steves guide book called it.    Basically, it was a scenic loop through more of the beautiful lake district.  Turns out, a car hike was the perfect way to spend our evening, as the wind and the rain continued on.  It didn't bother us one bit though!

This drive was amazing! These pictures don't do it justice!  We barely saw another car the whole time, but passed plenty of sheep and farms. 

a waterfall

Here was my view-  Nick on the right, Rick Steves Great Britain 

 

We stopped in the next little town, Buttermere at a pub to have a pint before we headed back.

See the waterfall?

The Lake District was such a beautiful place! We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and highly recommend it!

Keswick,UK

Tuesday morning Nick and I woke up early to beat the London traffic and headed out in our rental car for the Lake District in Northern England.  While Nick was hoping for a sporty hatchback, we instead got this Vauxhall.   

After a quick adjustment to driving in the right side of the car and on the left side of the road, we were off.  Although it was a 5 hour drive, everything about being in another country is an adventure.  Along the motorway are "services" which are all in one stops with anything you could want from gas, all kinds of food, and even Starbucks.  They were quite convenient. 

A funny side story about one of our stops..... 

If you have ever been to England you might have noticed that they have tons of coins for their currency- 8 different ones in fact.   Nick kept ending up with pocketfuls of heavy change.  So, we had ordered coffee and Nick decided to use some of it up.  After fumbling with the coins for awhile and looking like a complete foreigner he looked up to see the coffee guy smirking and me laughing.  After that point he put me in charge of the coins.  

We finally made it to Keswick, where we were staying for two nights.  Our B&B turned out to be wonderful- very clean, charming, and walkable.  

After lunch in the town we spent the afternoon exploring.  The Lake District is an area of mountains (they call them fells) and lakes carved from glaciers.  People come from all over the UK for the hiking.  It seemed like every other shop in town was an outdoor store - we felt right at home!

Derwentwater lake (yes thats the real name!) was just a short walk from our hotel.  We cut right through a field of wooly sheep.  The "fells" on the other side of the lake are known as the Catbells.  You can take the ferry across the lake to get to the hiking trails.   

Catbells and the ferry

We then headed to the other side of town to do the Latrigg hike.  It was a quick hike- only about 15 minutes, but the views were so rewarding! 

Derwentwater

Keswick

Our next stop was the Castlerigg stone circle.   It is one of the many stone circles around Britain and is thought to be over 4,500 years old.  The stones line up with the peaks surrounding them.  We were trying to catch it at sunset, but we were a little early and it was very cloudy.  Still, it was very cool to see.

We ended our day in a cozy pub next to a fire, sharing a beef and ale pie and a couple of pints.  Have I mentioned it was very chilly and rainy our whole trip?  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day!  

I know that was a super long post so thanks if you read the whole thing!  Much more to come!

Camping on the Roanoke River

For the past few weeks, Nick has been craving an adventure.  He started researching new places to camp fairly close to where we live.  Last weekend we decided to try out the Roanoke River and headed to eastern NC.  We went to Halifax Co which was very rural but full of cotton farms and American history.  Turns out, it was the sight of the Halifax Resolves which paved the way for the American Revolution.  It is only about 1.5 hours from Raleigh, so we had plenty of time to explore when we got there.

Nick discovered these platforms along the river.  You can travel down the river by canoe, camping along the way or just drive to one for the night.  We had to drive through this cotton field to get to the spot.  The platform was up on a bluff overlooking the river.

our home for the night

view of the river

steps to the river

When Nick and I go camping, we have a certain routine that we do (which I learned about when we first started camping together).  First you gather all your fire wood and then organize it into piles according to size.  Here is the first pile which I (thought) was organized by size-

A little while later I came back and saw that Nick had reorganized it.  If you know Nick this should make you laugh.

 Anyway, the pile turned into this relaxing fire, where I lounged and read for the afternoon.

Even though it was pretty rainy we had a great time.  The spot is a keeper and I am thankful for an adventurous husband!

Fall Weekend in the NRV

A few weeks ago, Nick and I headed back to VA for a wedding.  Nick's lifetime friend Matt got married in Roanoke, and we decided to make a long weekend out of it.  We stayed in a B&B and enjoyed exploring the mountain town.  On Saturday morning we drove to the top of Mill Mountain, which has a few trails and a great overlook.  It was a perfect fall day and a beautiful view!  The wedding was great and we are so happy for Matt and Allison! (sadly I did not take any pictures at the wedding). 

the Roanoke star on top of Mill Mountain

Saturday night after the wedding we made the drive to Blacksburg for the night.  We couldn't be in VA and not make a stop to see some great friends while we were there.  It was so nice to be back in the quaint college town and even more wonderful to catch up with friends.  Sunday on our way out of town, we stopped for a relaxing lunch at Chateau Morrisette which is a vineyard and restaurant off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it!  The food was amazing and the wine was good too.

We loved spending time with the Boleys and Whiteds who we really miss! We have to make that happen again soon!

the guys

the girls

all of us!

Oriental, NC

A couple of weekends ago, Nick planed a surprise weekend getaway to celebrate my birthday!  The last few months have been so crazy and a night away was just the thing we needed.  Nick was able to keep it a surprise until the day before we left.  He booked a room at a the Cartwright House Bed and Breakfast in Oriental, NC. We had driven through Oriental a few years ago and loved it.  It is a sleepy little harbor town on the coast of North Carolina with about 800 residents.  You can walk or bike everywhere and it is perfectly charming.  

Our B&B was over a hundred years old.  When we got there on Friday night, the owners had drinks ready for happy hour on the porch.  We were able to walk a few short blocks to dinner.  Life is was so much slower there! 

 From our room (on the top floor) you could see the Neuse River and all over town.

The owners recommended that we watch the sunrise over the water in the morning.  I am so glad we got up for it.  We set our alarms and when they went off, Nick looked out the window and saw the faintest little bit of light.  He yelled out "IT'S HAPPENING!" and jumped out of bed!  Haha-  turns out a sunrise happens pretty slowly, so we didn't miss anything! We grabbed some coffee and walked town to the park on the water.  The sunrise was amazingly beautiful.   It was an awesome way to start the day.  

After a delicious breakfast, we took our bikes out to explore around town.  We rode along the harbor, stopped at an art shop and had a mimosa, and dropped in a few antique shops.  It is so much fun to explore a new place.

Although it was just one night away, it felt like we had gone on a long vacation- such a fun weekend!