Why You Need to Stay in Rydal, England

To be quiet honest I didn't know what exactly the Lake District was when I first heard about it. A whole region named after a distinguishing geographic element, all I could imagine was the most picturesque setting of sunsets over glistening bodies of water. After doing some research I discovered that actually the Lake District has only one true lake in it (Bassenthwaite Lake) but is home to plenty of waters, meres, and tarns to deserve its name. The fells and hills created the waters, and human interaction/interference created the modern landscape over the centuries.

Thousands of tourists visit the region each year, climbing the ridges and topping the summits to glimpse the rolling, rocky countryside, dotted with trees, waterways and wildlife.

The Lake District is spectacular and whether you are an expert fellwalker or an amateur hiker, there's a footpath or byway for everyone.

For our trip to the Lake District, we didn't mess about and went straight for the middle to a small village in Cumbria. Rydal is found between Ambleside and Grasmere and made up of a small cluster of houses, a church, and a large hotel. It might not seem like much upon first view, and you might miss it if you aren't careful, but hear out my reasons why you too need to pick Rydal as your Lake District hiking base.

Rydal Hall

This Grade II listed building and spectacularly Grade II listed gardens. It's now a hotel with some beautiful interiors (go in an have a peek). The Old School Room Tea Shop located on the grounds is a great spot to stop after wandering around the formal gardens. The Grot and waterfalls were even the subject of a William Wordsworth poem published in 1793, 'An Evening Walk'.

Coffin Trail

This trail runs from Grasmere to Rydal and is so named because it was the path used to take the dead from Rydal to the consecrated church grounds in Grasmere for burial. The path winds on the high ground, through tress and across fields. From this route you can spy Rydal Water below and the hills above. The Lake District is full of great walks, but really this little route is not one to be missed.

Rydal Caves

Rydal Caves aren't actually caves but rather disused slate quarries from 200 years ago located in Loughrigg Fell. Man made or not, this cave is beautiful. There's a stagnant pool that runs into the shallow depths of the cave walls. Climbing on top of the cave there are views of Rydal Water and the rolling hills around. It's a great spot to stop and have a packed lunch.

Badger Bar

The Badger Bar is a proper oldie worldie pub in the Glen Rothay Hotel. Kind of a funny name for a pub (scratch that, this is England, so actually it's a completely normal name for a pub), but it's really a literal name as come dark you can head out to the back garden as watch real live badgers feed. They also have 4 locally brewed ales, 40 whiskeys, food, board games, welcome dogs and loos built into the rock face. But did you hear me? Badgers! And if you can't get enough of them live you can watch them feeding on the webcam.

Rydal Mount and Rydal Church

Rydal Mount was the home of poet William Wordsworth from 1813 until his death in 1850 and today it's run as a museum and gardens to the poet. It is a beautiful and pleasant setting and even offers an afternoon cream tea in the old saddlery above the coach house.

We visited the gift shop but didn't actually go inside. We did, however, go into its neighbour down the street, Rydal Church, build in 1824 and where Wordsworth worshiped when he lived in the village. Next to the churchyard is Dora's field, originally planted by Wordsworth and his wife with hundreds of Daffodils to memorialize their daughter who had died in 1847. Today the field is still filled with hundreds of Daffodils and we even spotted a deer strolling through.

Rydal Water

It's not a very large lake, but sits in the centre of the Lake District and its glittering shores can be seen from many of the surrounding fells. There's a path that follows around it which passes the caves and the two homes Wordsworth lived in; Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount. But you can only admire these calm waters from the shore as only residences of Rydal Hall are permitted to navigate the lake.

Rydal Lodge 

Rydal is dotted with houses and many of them are actually hotels, bed and breakfasts, and lodges. We stayed at the Rydal Lodge located right on Rydal Road. It was super convenient the bus we took in from Kendal train station stopped right outside the hotel. Rydal Lodge is made up of several constructions some of it even dating back to the 16th century! As you can imagine, wifi was a bit spotty in some of the older bits (#firstworldproblems). The gardens of the lodge are lush and back on to the River Rothay. There are several spots perfect to rest after a hike and enjoy a book.
I love an English breakfast and the one served at Rydal Lodge ticked this box perfectly.

Close to Ambleside

Rydal is conveniently located between Grasmere (if you found a need or want to go to Grasmere) and Ambleside. Taking some of the paths, you can walk to Ambleside in an enjoyable 35 minutes. Once there, you have your pick of restaurants and pubs, and honestly, we didn't have a bad meal while there. Along with food and drink there are a few things to do in Ambleside; visit the Roman ruins, pop into The Bridge House, there's the Armitt Museum and Library, and even a relaxing spa.

The village of Rydal is tiny, but really it's at the centre of it all. To me, it's the perfect spot to start and end a day in the Lake District.

Do you agree? What do you think of Rydal as your Lake District home base?

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Must Do Walks in London

Not a lot of major North American cities can say that, as urban sprawl has spaced us out so much that cars and extensive transportation networks are required to get from one attraction to another.

Not only is London a walkable city, it loves a city walk. This is one of my most favourite things about London and one of the things I miss the most about living in this city. From the Capital Ring walk (bucket list!), or better yet the London LOOP (another bucket list item), to plotting London's green areas with a City of London Tree Trail, and of course a Royal London walk.

I'm a huge proponent of walking a city, especially one you aren't familiar with, as you can see, smell, and experience it so much more on foot engaging your senses, than you can stuck underground or behind an engine.

Here are some of my favourite walks of London, perfect for an afternoon amble with no structure or schedule.

Richmond Park

Located south west of the City in the borough of Richmond upon Thames it was created in the 17th century by King Charles I. Today it is a nature reserve and the largest of the Royal Parks in London. This is a park that you can really experience the wildlife that roam freely within the high walls of the park there are 630 red and fallow deer on 2,360 acres of land. If you want more than just deer to look at, there are also several grade listed buildings within the premises. And not to be missed is King Henry's Mound, the highest point of the park with an unobstructed view of St. Paul's Cathedral 16 km away! Also, when you visit Richmond Park, Hampton Court Palace is near and worthy of a peek.

East End Canals 

I might be biased with this one, as I lived in the east-end of London (no, not the cool bits, I was east of that) but I loved taking every opportunity to head to the canal for a nice walk, for my run, or getting from place to place even if it meant going a little bit out of my way. Much of interest is connected through the canal system; parks, markets, restaurants and pubs. But really being by the calm water, saying hello to the people on houseboats and being away from the London traffic.

Little Venice 

Also a canal walk, but a little more refined feeling than the graffiti lined canals found in East London. I started my walk at Edgeware Road tube station and had I not had plans to meet a friend in town I would have stopped at the adorable Waterside Cafe located right in the triangular basin. There's not much else going on in this neighbourhood, but the colourful moored houseboats, gorgeous buildings, and lovely tall trees make a stroll along this particular part of the canal worthy.

South bank 

The South Bank has always been one of my most loved areas of London to visit. Whenever I was at a loss of something to do (which is hard to happen in London) or had someone visiting, I'd head down to the South Bank for some entertainment. Whether it's people gawking, markets, food or culture, the between Southwark Bridge to Westminster Bridge, South Bank has enough going on any given day to fill your time.

Also, I love being reminded that London has beaches, proper sandy beaches, although you'd rarely see a bikini clad individual here, there are often artists at work making incredible sand sculptures.

Camden Lock and Market

Wandering along Camden High Street, through the lock, and around the market stalls of the Stables Market and Horse Tunnel Market. This area of London is eclectic and busy and a good way to spend weekend day. My preference is to head over early on a warm, sunny day and enjoy some cheap market lunch and a Pimm's.

Riverside pubs

Rounding out my list of must do walks of London is of course a mini pub crawl of sorts. London has a great number of pubs to choose from. I'm a fan of a pub with a story or at the very least interesting decor. I've done this particular pub crawl several times and each time, with each passing drink I dream of being able to afford a flat in this adorably quiet neighbourhood, Wapping. Start your crawl with a tipple at Dickens Inn at St. Katherine's Dock. Be sure to get an outside seat in the summer to be able to appreciate the balcony views. Then head up Wapping High Street to Captain Kidd. This pub was named for the 17th century pirate, William Kidd, who had been hung nearby at the Execution Dock. The interior is to look like a ships hulk and there is a lovely patio facing the River Thames. Finishing at the Prospect of Whitby, which claims to be the oldest riverside tavern, dating 1520. A replica nose and gallows is visible outside the river side window. It was a favourite hanging spot for Judge Jefferys during the 17th century.

Three pubs not quite enough? Extend your tour by starting it at Wilton's Music Hall, located on Graces Alley, not explicitly a riverside pub, but it's super cool nonetheless. Originally built in c. 1743 and most likely served the sea captains that lived on neighbouring streets, it was turned into a music and concert hall in the 1800's. It went through a capital campaign and massive renovation which was completed in 2015.

Want one last drink after the Prospect of Whitby, continue on toward Limehouse at a leisurely rate to The Grapes. Sir Ian McKellen is a Leaseholder of this 500 year old establishment and not the only celebrity connection for this pub.

What are your thoughts on the walkability of a city?

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On the Road Again

For a few upcoming weeks, my company has shut down completely. No one is allowed on the premises, meaning I suddenly have some free time. A co-worker asked me what my plans were for the forced down time and I responded 'Sleep.' After she chastised me for being too young to require that much sleep (love her!) she told me of her plans to travel to Iceland.

And that's all it took.

That tiny suggestion of travel and I couldn't satisfy the itch until I too booked a flight.

Between work and other general life challenges I have barely had time to plan anything, which has stressed me out slightly. Even more so since I'm usually the rock up and travel buddy, jumping on to the hard work of others' planned trips or as a kind friend described me, 'a travel leech'. I haven't prepared myself for all the work that goes behind planning a trip. Ugh! Where am I going to stay and when? How am I getting there? What am I going to do while there? Such an effort! I should just stay home....I kid, I kid. But it seriously is hard. I started out with one itinerary at the beginning of the planning stage and ending with something completely different. Even leaving a part of it completely open for spontaneity. That's just how I roll.

So expect some radio silence on this blog for the next few weeks as I didn't manage to schedule any posts (same reason as above. TLDR: It's hard work!).

I'll be returning in April with more South America posts (it's the trip that keeps on giving), some hometown tourist items from Toronto the Good, and obviously lots more to come of my latest adventure!

I'll be spending some time in Ireland, Scotland, London, the Lake District, and I have a long layover in Amsterdam. If you have any recommendations or travel tips, please do share them with me in the comments or if your interested in meeting up old school and by old school I mean IRL then email me!

I will miss you my lovelies. Catchya on the flip side!

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All the Interesting Characters: Link Up

This is Isaac. Isaac worked in the canteen at International Student House where I lived during my semester abroad in London.  He was at school studying to be a maths teacher. He had a blazing smile, a friendly heart, and always a kind and welcoming greeting. I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this canteen almost every day and Isaac's smiling face and booming "Rrrrich-Aard" greeting warmed me. 

This photo was taken in the last week of my semester abroad. Although we never kept in touch, I will always remember this photo and this young man. 

I think he represents to me, a time in my life when I was discovering things about myself; some of my strengths and weaknesses, my capabilities and areas in myself that I felt I needed to work on. He represents a time when I was meeting a lot of new people, was being pushed out of my comfort zone, and made a lot of life time friends. 

This is part of the monthly travel link up with Emma, Kelly, and Rebecca.  Do check out some of the other posts on the Interesting Character theme, there are some great stories linked up there.

Luggage and a Baby

I've been a bit MIA lately because I've been traveling and visiting friends and living much too much in the real world to bother updating my blog (but it never stopped me from checking it at least once a day.)

When I first got to the air port I soon discovered that I already had a broken wheel on my luggage. And although my bag was very heavy, I managed to stay just under the 51 lbs limit. Just.

Upon landing I stayed with some friends in Glasgow who have an adorable 9 month old baby girl, who graciously let me steal her room for the week. Unfortunately, muffin was sick which meant that I very soon was sick too. It was great to be in a home with home cooked meals and no sightseeing schedule to follow. So I rested and drank lots of fluids as my mother would have told me to. I did some shopping (new luggage!), saw some sites (3 museums in 4 days!) and visited Edinburgh (so damp and windy, but I was told I got the true Edinburgh experience).

On the day that I thought I would be leaving for Cambridge, for the next leg of my journey, there was terrible flooding in the East of England and it had washed out the roads and rail. So back to Glasgow I went for another night. 

I eventually made it to Cambridge, where I currently am staying, I've even paid rent to the end of the month. Good to know the UK has asshole landlords too. Now the hard part begins. Job hunting.

Fun travels!