Tag Archives: Food and drink

Asia day 30. Border crossing….

13 Thursday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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Surprisingly, I had a really good night’s sleep on the train last night. It wasn’t that it was undisturbed as the track quality can make it a bit of a rocky ride sometimes. Plus, early in the morning, a large Chinese family got on somewhere to occupy the berths around me – but when I slept, it was deep. This is a very familiar journey to me in both directions, stretching back to 1998, so I feel very comfortable with it. It’s familiar.

Not long after 6 am, the train reaches Hat Yai, where it’s shunted and split. Our two sleeping cars plus a day coach are chopped off and parked in a platform awaiting a new SRT loco to take us forward (pics later). Meanwhile, morning ablutions take place in the toilets and washroom aboard, and the process of packing away beds begins.

10:50 (Malaysian time).

Well, that was painless! We arrived at the border crossing of Padang Besar on time and detrained straight into the queue for immigration. Both getting out of Thailand and into Malaysia was easy as you go through one set of controls after the other. There’s around 90 minutes to wait for the connection to Butterworth. Plenty of time to sort out an onward ticket. The KTMB office accepts Thai baht and there’s two ticket machines which take foreign credit cards to pay for the 11 ringgitt 40 sen ticket (around £2).

The 10:35 is worked by a 6-car, Chinese built SCS Electric unit so there’s normally no problem getting a seat – especially as most people crowd together at the entrance to the platform. Head to the rear of the incoming train and you’ll probably find it looks like this!

Don’t assume it’ll stay that way though, this is a local stopping train, and at Arau (the 2nd stop out of Padang Besar), it quickly fills up with people.

14:30.

By the time the train had got to Butterworth it was packed – but fine. People are well-behaved here. Well, unless you count mobile phone etiquette but the UK’s just as bad nowadays only with added  levels of stroppy entitlement.

The new passenger ferries have started running since I was last here (2023). I’ll post pictures and an initial verdict later. The bizarre thing is they no longer take cash, but the kiosk at Butterworth accepts Mastercard or Visa. All for a fare of 2 Ringgit (less than 40p).

Thankfully, the buses do still take cash, so my RM1:40 trip to Lebuh Chulia was paid for in ‘slummy’ from my last trip here!

I’m now having a breather before it’s time to check into my hotel in Jalan Muntri. Cheers!

17:20.

Having had a break at the room to download the camera I’m adding a few more pictures from the trip before venturing out now the day is cooling down. It ‘only’ got up to 32 degrees today with Humidity of 64%. I’ll add captions later…

Our train from Bangkok was split at Hat Yai where the last 3 coaches were taken forward to Padang Besar in Malaysia. 5226 backs onto the train to do the honours.
Checking tickets in the 3rd class coach from Hat Yai to Padang Besar.
One of the new ferries that ply between Butterworth on the mainland and Georgetown on Penang. Call me a nostalgic if you will, but I prefer the old ones.

23:20.

Time to wrap things up. Georgetown is one of my happy places in the world, and I can’t believe I’ve been mad enough to only give myself less than 24 hours here. Plus, I was gutted to find that the really good travellers bar is closed for a holiday. When I say bar, it’s really a shop that spills out every evening, taking over the backstreet outside with tables and chairs. I’ve met some really interesting people there in the past.

Instead, today I stopped to buy a beer from a local shop on Lebuh Chulia (and that shop has a history!) where I met a local who was missing the same place. We ended up chatting for ages.

Meet Eric. A local chap born and bred here but with an international interest. One of those really nice people whom you bump into by chance and one of the reasons that I love travelling.
Here’s where we should have been sat outside

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If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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Asia day 22. Thailand day 3…

05 Wednesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Bangkok, Food and drink, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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The Prussian General Helmuth von Moltke has a saying attributed to him, which is that (and it’s paraphrased) ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’. It’s the same with travelling. I’d planned to leave Bangkok on the international train to Padang Besar in Malaysia on the 9th. Only it’s full. The first available berths are on the 12th. Having checked online I’d a sneaky suspicion that I was going to be frustrated, but a trip out to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station (aka Bang Sue Grand Station) to book a ticket confirmed things. As station names go, it hardly trips off the tongue. But getting there was fun. I’ve no guide book for Thailand, I don’t really need one as I’ve been here so many time before, and the advent of the internet has eaten into their market. The fact ‘Lonely Planet’ guides are so crap they’re a waste of money is another issue (I’ll blog about that another time – honest!) There’s lots of ways of getting to Bang Sue (no sniggering at the back!)

The best way is the Chao Praya river taxi from nearby Phra Arthit pier which took me up river and delivered me at Bang Po. From there it’s two stops on the skytrain, but me being me – I decided to walk. That way, you get to explore and peer into Thai life. Like small businesses like this, which I spotted whilst passing. I haven’t got a Scooby Do what it is they’re making, but I find these places fascinating.

Having secured my onward train ticket at Bang Sue (now what did I say about sniggering?) I had a wander and found the new locomotive depot, which was full of old crocks like this.

I then paid the princely sum of 2 baht to catch a local train to the grand old terminal at Hualamphong, which is just as much a museum as a mainline terminal nowadays. All the long-distance trains have disappeared, along with a lot of the life. Instead, the tracks once used by trains to Chiang Mai and Malaysia are full of relics like this.

Still, there were some great pictures to be had – and as trains are now so infrequent I had time to pop over to and old restaurant opposite the station I know of old. I ordered a beer and the Papaya salad (Tom Sum). The cook asked me if I wanted it ‘spicy’ so I told him yes ‘Thai spicy’. ‘Kin hell – I’m very used to spicy food and regularly ladle the local chilli condiment onto my food, but this was weapons-grade! My tongue was on fire for a good half-hour!

Looks innocuous enough, doesn’t it? This Som Tum was nuclear!

My tastebuds re-appeared just before I caught the 16:30 train back to Bang Sue. Initially it seemed a fairly quiet train on departure. I was in for a surprise! One of the reasons Hualamphong was replaced as the main station is the number of level crossings in the way to Bang Sue. Trains stop at them all – and commuters know this, so stand in the tracks waiting for their train! Like this.

Oh, then there’s the poorer Bangkok residents who simply utilise the railway for recreation…

There’s so much that I could blog about today but the evening’s wearing on and I’m moving hotels tomorrow as well as working out a new itinerary. Hopefully, I’m meeting up with an old Thai friend in the evening, but a blog will still be in the offing…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Asia day 21. Thailand day 2…

04 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Photography, Thailand, Travel

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I’ve had an easy day today here in Bangkok. I decided that my first day flying solo would be spent catching up on planning the rest of my trip, picture editing and generally kicking back in the vicinity of my cell, sorry – hotel room!

The temperature here in Bangkok is almost identical to that of Bali and Java, only it’s not the rainy season and we’re seeing more sunshine. Well, when the smog isn’t present. The day before I arrived flights had to be diverted from the airport I flew into due to visibility being crap thanks to pollution. Bangkok’s an amazing city but the air quality’s pretty crap. To be honest, I’ve not noticed it being too bad on this trip, but then I’ve been here less than 24 hours and nowadays the most prevalent smell around Banglamphu (the area I’m staying in) is the sweet smell of cannabis due to the amount of legal ‘medicinal’ shops selling grass and the amount of people smoking it! You can buy grass of various strengths by the gram or even individual rolled joints if you so decide. Of course, if you’re travelling into Malaysia or Indonesia you’d better ensure you have not a trace of it in your luggage or on your person as both country’s have very strict drug laws. In fact, when you fly with any Indonesian airline they point out that there’s the death penalty for drug trafficking, as a few unfortunates (including some Australians) have found out to their cost in the past.

Thailand is rather more relaxed on a lot of fronts, which is why it’s so much fun sitting somewhere people-watching. This place is still an international crossroads, even if the old ‘backpacker trail’ isn’t what is was when I first came here in 1992. But then, neither’s the Khao San Rd. In those days you could be locked out of the place you were staying in of you were out after midnight (as I once found out to my cost). Now, it’s gone from being a backpacker street to more ’24 hour party people’ with loud music blaring out from so many different places and even the arrival of ‘girly bars’. Admittedly, I haven’t stayed on the Khao San for 20 years. It was becoming difficult then because of the building of big, brash new hotels and the influx of Israelis’ (ask any old Asia traveler about Israelis’ and their reputation and they’ll no doubt explain). Now the Israeli’s’ have been supplanted by Russians, who’re also doing their bit to subvert international goodwill. Admittedly, the Russians are somewhat easier to spot. Well, the women are anyway. It’s the combination of endlessly posing for selfies/tiktok videos and the combination of bleached-blond hair and industrial quantities of lip filler that makes them stand out. You see, people-watching is one of the great (cheap) pleasures of being here in such a melting pot. There’s lots of younger travelers, bright-eyed and excited at being in such an exotic place, then there’s the older people (gulp, like me I suppose) who’ve been coming here for decades and who’ve decided to spend much of their retirement in Thailand due to the quality of life and cheaper cost of living. The other demographic that changed is that the tourists are no longer mostly European or North American. there used to be a lot of Yanks and Australians who came back due to serving in Vietnam in the 60’s-70’s as Thailand is where they went for ‘R&R’ (rest and recreation). I remember passing a bar they used to frequent with a sticker in the window about ‘Hanoi Jane‘ (Jane Fonda). Now they’re being supplanted by Chinese and Indian tourists, both countries with a burgeoning monied middle-class. It all makes for a very interesting melting pot.

OK, I’m going to call it a day now as I have a lot of stuff to sort out, so I’ll leave you with a few pictures.

Thailand is one of the best places in the world for street food. He’re a chap looking at buying a drive-by meal. Bugger McDonald’s!
My lunch of squash and egg along with green beans and pork (with rice, obviously) bought from my favorite street stall. They’ve been selling food since 1974 and I’ve been eating here since 1999. This still costs 50 baht (around £1.10), They’ve not put their prices up for years. The condiment is red and green chopped chilis with fish sauce and lemon juice. It’s not for the faint-hearted but I love it.
The view from the floor of my hotel. It looks out over Wat Chana Songkhram Ratchaworamahawihan, an 18th century royal temple.
Khao San Rd in all its glory. It’s been pedestrianised for many years due to encroachment and the sheer weight of people.
It’s rather calmer and more civilised outside the place I’m staying in. Soi Rambutri.

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Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia days 11-14. We’ve been sociable…

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Food and drink, Indonesia, Photography, Travel

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Sorry for the gap in blogging but the two of us have been busy catching up with old friends of mine (and meeting new people too) so there’s been little time for blogging. Plus, we’ve had one day where the weather changed to glorious sunshine so we kicked back and spent most of our time by the hotel pool, making the most of it before the rains returned – which they did – with a vengeance! It’s not that it rains all day, every day, but we’ve had some spectacular thunder and lightning storms with torrential downpours to accompany them. Then, everything dries up and the heat and humidity make a return. Having such variable weather’s actually rather nice. It gives you a break from temperatures that hover around 31-32 degrees and sunshine that’s really intense – especially when you’ve come from the UK where we’ve had such a miserable summer that we’ve not had chance to catch much of a tan.

Here’s a small selection of pictures of life in Ubud.

Not a sign that you’re likely to see in many places, but then – this is Monkey Forest Rd!
Yes guys, that sign means you! These critters have spread beyond the confines of the forest with one troupe taking up residence in a half finished multi-story building, from which they raid the surrounding area.
Needless to say, the monkeys are represented in local art and sculpture like this…
Moneky Forest Rd is one of the main North-South streets in Ubud and it gets incredibly busy at times. Here it is during a quieter moment.
These scooter-based food stalls aren’t as common as they once were in central Ubud (compared to less touristy towns) but they still provide a service of cheap eats to the people who work in shops around town.
The band – again! We went out again on Monday night to catch the guys playing at a place down the road from where we’re staying. Only this time I took the camera…
We passed this gathering of the local men earlier today. I’ve no idea what it was about but it lasted for several hours.
Another old friend I had time to catch up with at his cafe (Maha on Monkey Forest Rd) was Putu Sukalawa. It’s as if I’d never been away…
How’s this for a splash of colour? Some of the guys from the local Vespa scooter club.
Mingling at Mingle cafe on Jalan Dewisita. A great place to sit and have a coffee (or something stronger) and watch the world go by.
Needless to say we’ve not been slow in trying various local Indonesian dishes. Here’s a Nasi Campur, which is different to the standard Nasi Goreng in that it contains sweetcorn and comes with a sliced omlette and chicken satay.

Tomorrow we take a break from Ubud to spend a couple of nights in Padangbai, which is a little town on the coast. It’s the port for ferries between Bali and Lombok, but it also has a couple of really nice little beaches. Oh, and great seafood! Expect updates from there…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 10. It may be raining, but at least it’s warm!…

24 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Food and drink, Indonesia, Photography, Travel

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Today we woke up to the sound of rain bouncing off the swimming pool and roofs outside our room, so it seemed as good a day as any to relax and enjoy a bit of a lie-in. Apparently, Bali has had a very wet wet season so far this January. But, it’s a minor inconvenience compared to back in the UK as – if nothing else – it’s warm rain and it can be quite spectacular, as it was the previous evening.

By mid morning the rain had abated and the sun popped out for a while, drying out most of what was left, so the two of us ventured out to explore different parts of Ubud before ending up at Mingle cafe for brunch and a rendezvous with my old friend Alison. We timed it well as the rain returned whilst we were there, a great excuse to linger and chat for longer whilst also watching the world go by. People watching is a particular pleasure here due to the combination of nationalities, backgrounds (and dress). Plus, the food’s always good. I tried something different, crispy fried tempe and tofu with a home-made sambal sauce.

Finally, the rain called it a day, giving us the opportunity to explore more of the backstreets, nooks and crannies of Ubud before returning home to relax. Here’s a couple of shots from our explorations.

A woman lies out offerings to the Gods on a street corner next to a sigh advertising just how many shops and places to stay there are down that particular street.
There’s nothing like hedging ones bets! A house displays both Hindu and Chinese symbols for prosperity

We tried somewhere different for our evening meal – a cafe just a few doors down the road from where we’re staying. The food was perfectly edible, but nothing to write home about. What was far more enjoyable was our next venue. Alison had told us that Made (another old acquaintance) was playing with a band at Otokafe, on the corner of Monkey Forest Rd and Jalan Pengosekan. I’ve been coming here long enough to remember when the site was rice paddies, but I was impressed by the venue and Made and the band were excellent. They covered a lot of rock and blues classics with real style, so much so that we stayed right to the end of their set. Gosh, a late night in Ubud, whatever next?

The band belting out some classics…

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If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 9. Getting into the swing of life back in Bali…

23 Thursday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Food and drink, Indonesia, Photography, Travel

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The pair of us are beginning to unwind after all our travels. This bit is the real holiday, where there’s no pressure to do much of anything other than enjoy being here. Of course, there’s slightly different perspectives. For Dawn, all this is new, for me, it’s a bit like slipping into an old and familiar routine. Whilst things have undoubtedly changed sine I was last here in 2017 a lot also feels very, very familiar – such as meeting up with Alison.

Alison’s an old friend of 25 plus years. We’ve met in many different countries in that time but for many years after leaving her native Australia she’s been living here and running the ‘Mingle’ cafe here in Ubud. Despite the gap in seeing each other we just took up where we left off, reminiscing about old times whilst at the same time talking about the present and future. It was a lovely interlude.

The weather’s been cool today. Well, cool for Bali. There’s been a fair amount of cloud around too, which meant I rejected the opportunity for a swim in order to catch up with some work and picture editing back at our room. Having edited over a hundred pictures from this trip I managed to upload them onto my Zenfolio website. You can find the travel pictures here and the railway ones here. Oh, there’s a bonus gallery. I took a series of shots of the rag-bag of ferries used on the route between Java and Bali. They’ve been added to the shipping gallery which you can find here.

To be honest, it was a good day to be staying close to home as late this afternoon the heavens opened and we were treated to another torrential downpour. Earlier, Alison told us that Bali’s experienced a very wet rainy season this year, which has caused a number of problems and led to the death of two tourists in the nearby Monkey Forest when a tree whose roots had been eroded eroded fell and crushed them.

Fortunately, by the time we headed out to eat the rain had abated. Tonight we tried a new eatery on Monkey Forest Rd called Tulasi vegetarian which specialises in Balinese food. This was my meal – and it was delicious!

Tomorrow’s plan is to have some pool time – and to get more pictures edited and on my website. After that who knows? Besides, when you can walk straight out of your room (ours is the first on the right) into this, why wouldn’t you want pool time?

See you tomorrow…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

4th January picture(s) of the day…

04 Saturday Jan 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

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Today’s been a hanging around sort of day, but not in a bad way. We were up early as Dee had some shopping to do for her parents before the pair of us headed over the their home in Huddersfield where I whiled away a few hours editing more old pictures whilst Dawn went off too to do ‘girly’ things, like get her nails done. Afterwards, the four of us went out for lunch. We’d originally planned to head over the Pennines to Delph where there’s a lovey pub we frequent, but with the weather forecast warning of the potential for lots of snow arriving we hedged our bets and went somewhere more local. The weather has already been unkind to the area with the trans-pennine railway through the Colne valley closed due to flooding, so the last thing we wanted to do was get stranded.

We’d eaten at the nearby Olive Branch Inn (just outside Slaithwaite, on the Manchester Rd) for the first time just a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the food, so decided a revisit was on the cards. Having booked a table for 14:30 you can imagine our surprise to find we were the only customers in what’s normally a busy place. The young lady serving us said they’d had several cancellations due to people being put off by the threat of snow. Good for us, not so good for the restaurant. So, we had an excellent meal and the kitchen’s undivided attention!

Both Dawn and I opted for the same meal we’d had during our last visit – beef cheeks. It’s not a dish we’d seen before but the Olive Branch does it superbly. The meat is melt-in the mouth delicious! We’d certainly recommend it.

Beef cheek cooked for 4 hours, with button mushrooms, bacon, shallots and red wine sauce, served with creamy mash and brocolli.

Suitably stuffed and with one eye on the weather we dropped John and Norah back at their house before heading home ourselves. Now we’re relaxing in the warm (it’s Baltic outside), waiting to see what the weather may bring. The forecast keeps changing. Snow was meant to arrive around 21:00, now it’s 23:00. Here in the Pennines we’re meant to be getting between 20-40cm of the stuff, which is why we didn’t want to get caught earlier. Some of the cobbled hills around where we live are bad enough in the wet, add snow and ice and they can be lethal.

Still, I’ve had chance to add dozens of pictures to my Zenfolio website, including this one from a private visit to Toton depot in 2012.

In 2012 DB Schenker had started a ‘Super 60’ scheme, which involved rebuilding long-stored Class 60 locomotives, this included engines, traction motors, bogies, control gear, cabs and electrical systems. 60020 was one of the first batch. It’s seen here on the 7th September 2012, sat inside the depot waiting it’s turn for the work to begin.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

3rd November picture of the day…

03 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Picture of the day

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Lazy Sunday? Not a bit of it! We were both up early in order to seize the day. Admittedly, the weather didn’t exactly inspire as it’s been dull, dull, dull. But, as the intent was to work around the house that didn’t really matter. Dawn decided that her office (what many people pre Covid used to call a living room) needed even more of a sort-out then she’d given it yesterday, so the house was full of the smell of polish and the sound of paper being shredded.

In order to allow Dee to do that I’d promised to cook the evening meal. So, after busying myself in the garden I popped up to the local supermarket – taking the long way around in order to get my daily steps in. Walking through the local woods I felt like a kid again as I was ankle-deep in leaves. Remember the fun of walking to/from school, kicking up a storm in dead leaves? That all came back to me today. Shame the weather was so dull as I’d loved to have taken a few pictures of the rustic colours on display around my feet.

Back home after a cheeky pint in our local I knuckled down to cooking a cocq au vin with a medley of veg, which seemed like an ideal meal for the season. It was a recipe I’d never done before so I winged it. (Actually, he used thighs: Ed) but it turned out rather well. Now the pair of us have knocked off for the day, so it’s time for me to sign off. Tomorrow’s another week – which will see me being anything but a home-bird. Tomorrow I’ll be in London for a rather special event.

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, which is part of my cooking preparation. I like to have everything measured and arranged beforehand as it makes life so much easier.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Windermere weekend. Day 2…

27 Sunday Oct 2024

Posted by in Cumbria, Food and drink, Photography, Travel

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What a lovely day! Today’s been my ‘significant’ birthday, although not as significant as it used to be before the rules on when you qualify for the state pension were changed. So, no carriage clock or long-service medal for me then. Those days are way gone – and the fact I’ve been self-employed freelancer for the past 25 years means they’ve not applied to me for a very long time anyway!

Instead, today’s been just another birthday, although I don’t mean to make that sound bad, or ungrateful. Dawn’s done a fantastic job in arranging things which we’ve both enjoyed. The weather here in the Lake District was predicted to be mixed today so we were up bright and early in order to make the most of the conditions. That meant an 08:30 breakfast, after which we headed North through Windermere and Ambleside to Thirlmere. The amount of traffic on the road through Ambleside meant the trip took far longer than it should, but once we were past that bottleneck things eased. Taking the road on the West side of Thirlmere eased us out of more traffic and let us enjoy some lovely lakeside sights like this as the trees shed their multicoloured leaves around streams filling the lake.

Looking South along Thirlmere before we started the climb to Raven Crag.

We’d originally considered climbing Helvellyn but the forecast suggested it’s be an unwise choice. Instead, we opted to ascend one of the smaller Wainwrights in the shape of Raven Crag which sits at the North end of the lake. It’s 450m and quite a fierce climb as it’s steep and unrelenting. That said, the views from the top are well worth it.

The walk down was far easier as we elected to follow a forestry track that was built for off-road vehicles. It certainly saved our knees. The climbing I don’t mind so much, it’s the descending that’s the killer.

Once back at ground level we decided to pay a quick visit to Keswick for a pitstop at a pub as well as check out some of the outdoor shops before braving the traffic on our return. We’d booked in for an evening meal at our hotel. So, after a shower and change of clothes we adjourned to the restaurant for a gorgeous meal of local lamb that was beautifully cooked and tasted delicious!

Now it’s time to call it a day. We head back tomorrow but we’re in no rush – even through the weather forecast is looking less than kind.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Windermere weekend. Day 1…

26 Saturday Oct 2024

Posted by in Cumbria, Food and drink, Photography, Travel

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The pair of us have evacuated Bigland Towers for the weekend and decamped to a lovely place near Windermere as I have what used to be (but isn’t anymore) a significant birthday tomorrow, but that was when the pensionable age wasn’t a moveable feast dependent on what year you were born in.

We’re staying in a place Dawn booked for my birthday last year and that we both rather fell in love with. The Wild Boar at Bowness on Windermere. The drive here from West Yorkshire’s a lovely trip as it takes in some fantastic scenery. Today the weather was ideal, showing off places like the Lune valley to their best.

The hotel has a lot of different attractions. One is the fact they brew their own beer. Like this.

What better place to quaff a pint of real ale than sat in front of this?

We ate in the restaurant which serves a range of food, much of it locally sourced. Admittedly, Dawn’s choice of fish may have come from a few miles away!

We’re here for two nights with the intention to spend tomorrow exploring and doing some walking although it looks like today was the best of the climactic conditions. No matter – we’ll enjoy our time whatever the weather deals us.

See you tomorrow!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312