flybymonkey

A weekend in the Lake District – an emotional farewell.

Preface

This is a trip report of me visiting my best friend and his lovely family in the Lake District back in the autumn prior to the second lockdown. No planes, just trains, automobiles, a bit of hiking and relaxing. Sadly for the last time.

Warning no luxury travel here, all economy, no alcohol, lounges, fancy food or any of that. Due to the last minute scheduling of this trip and importantly highly limited funds.

My train ticket was a standard off peak return which I booked via the Avanti West Coast website and cost £130. I deliberately took this option over an Advance fare just in case I had to cancel the journey and get a refund at the last minute due to the Covid situation.

Day 1 - Outbound

Packed, just the one rugged military bergen.

Due to the long journey that lay ahead of me today, I needed to ensure my body was well prepared. The only real way to start your day, have you had your Weetabix?





I reside in a village on the edge of a small Hampshire town of Fleet (a boring place that never really changes) and just under four miles to the railway station. With my coffee in hand, walking speed, luggage weight calculated, I left home around just before 8:00am along the Basingstoke Canal to avoid the main footpaths as much as possible and engaged listening to some of my favourite podcasts.





Not my crib.










I had to eventually turn off the canal path and through the high street bumping into a friend on route to the gym not before offering me a coffee top-up which I had to sadly decline as I was pressed for time.

Some idiots from the local council thought it would be a genius idea to fully pedestrianised the high street to improve social distancing but caused traffic chaos in the surrounding roads.


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Ten minutes later the station eventually came into view and I made it onto the platform by 09:20.





My train to London Waterloo rolled into platform 1 on time and I made myself comfortable towards the rear of the 12 carriage train which remained empty for the whole journey. The service is operated by South Western Railway and this was a semi-fast service which took approximately 40 minutes. The train appeared clean and neatly appointed as well friendly informative staff who gave out regular messages throughout the journey to health and safety and conducted a ticket inspection. The service offers free onboard Wi-Fi and toilet facilities neither of which I used today.





Waterloo Station







I proceeded down the escalators to the London Underground aka the Tube and took the Northern line to Euston Station.






A quick stop into M&S to pick up some treats for my hosts and then ito Itsu for some lunch to consume enroute.

London Euston station

Whilst the station is currently going undergoing renovation and has a variety of shops and eateries, I personally have and always found it to be totally gruesome place not helped by its brutalist design and some interesting characters hanging around.










Avanti West Coast – Euston to Penrith via Crewe

Euston to Crewe

I received a text at the same time as there was an announcement on the departures board and as always there was a mass exodus rush to the platform. As I approached the platform there were manual ticket checks being conducted so had my ticket and reservation at the ready. To maximise my comfort I opted for a quiet coach which was Coach A at the front of the train.






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I placed my bag on the seat next to me as I knew it would be kept vacant due to Avanti’s socially distanced seating plans. You can find more detail on this on their website. Sadly for this part of my journey, I had a rear facing seat which was not what I hoped as I really wanted a full size table with plug socket as I wished to complete some work on my laptop and watch a movie. So I just resorted to a bit of reading.

The Avanti West Coast mainline services are generally quite good and are not much different to the service once operated by Virgin Trains except for them being a bit more expensive. The train interior has become very dated and disheveled and really needs to be refitted on all their trains but word had it those are all being replaced in due course. Never the less the train is functional, gives free Wi-Fi as, but I didn’t use any of these as well as a food and beverage car with a buy-on-board service where I did buy a cup of tea. The staff were friendly and informative staff and gave out regular messages throughout the journey to health and safety and conducted a ticket inspection. The toilet was clean and functional.


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Crewe to Penrith

I had a thirty minute wait at Crewe Station before my onward journey to Penrith nothing particularly special. I spent much of the time just pacing up and down the platform and took a comfort break. For those of you who are locomotive aficionados, Crewe is home to the Crewe Heritage Centre which is a railway museum. https://www.crewehc.co.uk/


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My train came in on time and once onboard I decided to partake in lunch after finding my seat and making myself comfortable.



A low carb Japanese sushi salad which was tasty, fresh and healthy.

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This train service was the same as my previous journey except for this time around I was fortunate to sit forward facing with a table and plug socket.






Penrith

After arriving into Penrith on time, I had a 30 minute wait for my bus to Cockermouth. At which point I decided it was best to indulge my protein bar which I had packed.





Stagecoach X5 bus – Penrith to Cockermouth via Keswick

Ticket cost £8.20 for a single way journey. The journey time from Penrith to Cockermouth is approximately an hour and a half and includes a 15 minute stop in Keswick. As far as bus journeys go this was uneventful but comfortable. There were no welcome messages, food and beverage service, just one standard class for all passengers and no toilet! So just make sure you go before departure.















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Arrived in Cockermouth and the final walk only 0.3 miles to the house at approximately 5pm which was pretty much bang on time. Then after arriving at my destination and being greeted by my hosts I took a refreshing hot shower and hearty meal before having an early night.




Day 2 - Blake Fell

The following morning we awoke early to prepare for our hike around Blake Fell. We set off after a hearty breakfast of muesli, toast and coffee. Blake Fell is my favourite places to visit in the Lake District. We were fortunate as the day was clear but the ground was very soft to slippery in areas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Fell







Day 3 - Muncaster Castle

After torrential downpour throughout the night and much of the morning, we finally decided to set off to spend some time wandering around the grounds of Muncaster Castle. They even have a hawk and owl sanctuary on site but we didn’t go in.

www.muncaster.co.uk














Picture perfect?







Day 4

This was a day of rest, watching movies and lounging around the house. Do excuse the lack of input here as we really didn’t get up to much except hanging out also the on and off downpour of rain didn’t help.

Day 5 - Home

Today is my return home. Like my trip up, it was the same route but in reverse with a few minor detours than before. With my bag packed, I necked a cup of coffee and my friend who was kind enough to walk me to the bus stop.

Stagecoach X4 bus –Cockermouth to Penrith via Keswick

After an emotional farewell I boarded the 8:07 service from Cockermouth (X4) back to Penrith. Ticket cost £8.20 for a single way journey. The journey time to Penrith is approximately an hour and a half and includes a 15 minute stop in Keswick. As far as bus journeys go this was uneventful, but comfortable. There was no welcome messages, food and beverage service, just one standard class for all passengers and no toilet! So like before just make sure you go before departure.






Breakfast – McDonalds

On arrival back at Penrirth I opted for a MaccyD’s next to the station. I was greeted at the door the maitre’d (seriously) who asked if I wanted to eat in or take away. Due to the hour and half wait for my train I had chosen to eat in. Given a number plate and allocated a table I made my over at the kiosks and made my order before taking my seating and awaiting my order which promptly arrived within 5 mins.of a Sausage and egg McMuffin meal deal, yum!

Penrith Station

Penrith Railway Station was recently been named Medium Station of the Year at the National Rail Awards. “They were recognised by judges for being a particularly customer-friendly location”

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/1...tional-awards/




Coffee (excellent)

















Avanti West Coast – Penrith to London Euston (non stop)

As like my outbound trip I sat in the quiet coach. The train was functional, gives free Wi-Fi, as well as a food and beverage car with a buy on board service, toilet, but I didn’t use any of these. The staff however didn’t come out as friendly and informative staff as my out bound journey.





I indulged in a couple of homemade egg sandwiches with a light dash of hot pepper sauce to give it a bit of zing, a piece of fruit and water.

I STILL felt a little peckish on returning to London so I headed to Drummond St. for a little Indian street food at a favourite hotspot for a samosa chaat (£4).




Returning to the station I followed directions to the Tube and took the Northern line southbound via Charing Cross back to Waterloo station and headed to the main rail concourse.




Fortunately I managed to catch to an earlier train than expected. I boarded from the rear of the train and seated myself in a quiet carriage. Like my outbound journey the train appeared clean and neatly appointed as well friendly informative staff who gave out regular messages throughout the journey to health and safety but this time had no ticket inspection. The service as before offered free onboard Wi-Fi and toilet facilities neither of which I used.

Once the train departed from Waterloo I subtly indulged in my chaat. Whilst it may not look it the portion size was very generous so only had half and ate the rest when I got home for dinner. This was a very wise decision as it was very spicy and I needed some plain yogurt to complement it.












After returning back to Fleet station I opted for a taxi off the rank to get home as there was a long wait for the next bus and I didn’t fancy walking. The cost was just over £15.




Finals

The final return part of my trip was a serious sense of deep mixed of emotion. Whilst I except and his decision which to move back to his homeland and wish them all the best, I have seen him more than a friend but a brother I never had. Whilst where he will be moving is only a short haul flight away, quicker, more convenient and at times cheaper. The fact they are not in the country really hurts and travelling up to the Lake District knowing they will not be there. It was really like my family and second home.

The end…

Dover2Golf

Thanks for posting - something different is always good to read.

SanDiego1K

This was a pleasure to read. I really enjoyed pictures along the footpath and the various castles and fortifications, as well as learning how you structured a trip that included a number of components, even walking.

SeaMeFly

I love your report and pictures. A lot of us can not afford f/c or fancy lounges...SO this is right up our alley. !!! Thank you for posting non-fancy report.

MSPeconomist

Pretty pictures of the English countryside, including your beautiful walk to the first train station. BTW, 3 mph is pretty good with luggage.

Loose Cannon

Thanks for the report. Nice pictures.

BobFF68

Thanks for the nice report and pics. Same as other here for me is much more interesting to me than just another F flight report...

teachertraveler

Thank you for this. The photos were beautiful and yes that one was picture perfect! It's always nice to see the way I usually travel in the UK!
Wishing you the best as you grieve the loss of proximity to a dear friend. It's such a hard process to explain to people who haven't experienced it. After a year with a lot of compounding grief I can imagine it is doubly hard. Take care!

flybymonkey

I do keep fit and my personal coach is well aware of this. My luggage was very light (approx 7kg). As I had access to on-site laundry facilities where I was traveling I didn't need much to carry.

flybymonkey

Thank you for all the kind comments. The pictures were actually taken on my phone. It is nothing fancy just a cheap entry-level Motorola which is over 2 years old now. I had to give the very last picture an adjustment to the brightness as it was very dark.

jysim

Thank you for posting. I had been to the Lake District twice and it will always have a special place in my heart. I really do miss the rolling hills, bodies of water reflecting a sunny sky, and the cottages along the area. I had always wanted to bring my significant other here but the pandemic has put a halt to all our plans for now.
Please do take care and hopefully we all see light at the end of the tunnel soon.

offerendum

That's great, thanks!

xooz

Thanks for sharing! This is what I miss most. Forget the Maldives, it is just this type of trip that I relish. A good walkabout with friends... see a few sites, have a drink in the pub.

gaobest

Beautiful tr - I last was at Euston in October 1997; also the holiday I traveled London/Manchester by rail. Plus I was at Waterloo 1/1/1999 to meet my Belgian friends at 10a, after i myself had been at ally pally for new order / underworld until 3a. Great night & day. I loved uk trains but was only on them in 1995 & 1997, so I know much has changed, just like ace mobile camera technology.

May you continue to keep in touch with your friends. I last saw my Belgians in 2009 - we missed each other when I was in Paris in 2010/2012 and they’ve little incentive to come to San Francisco. FB ftw :-)

brandie

The walk from your village to the train station was amazingly beautiful! Your trip report was very refreshing. I enjoyed seeing all of the modes of travel.