Firstly, we have found that everyone is so friendly, whether it’s our immediate neighbours in the village, when we’re walking, delivery people, and people in other villages and towns. Yesterday, Annabel was concerned about her car tyres and we booked into a tyre place in Penrith. The guy who worked there checked the tread and told us to come back in four months – I suspect there are other premises which are less scrupulous. We’re certainly going back there.
Secondly, the countryside. The rolling landscape is open. Yes, it’s relatively flat but it is bounded by Scotland to the north – Hadrian’s Wall is an easy journey. To the east are the Pennines and the Pennine Way, topped by Cross Fell (893 m or 2930 feet – not quite a real mountain). We are adjacent to two National Parks – the Yorkshire Dales in the south-east and the fells of the Lake District to the west. I’m thinking about how I might complete the Pennine Way in a series of day walks, having walked from Edale at the southern end as far as Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales back in the 1970s with my friend, Eric Cox (we were both teachers in Congleton, Cheshire). Walking opportunities are numerous with pleasant scenery, especially along the banks of the River Eden which flows into the Solway Firth. Otters and deer can be seen. We are eagerly awaiting the Spring when we can start to explore the area further on our bicycles.
Thirdly, the weather has been much better than we expected. Clouds rolling in from the west dump their load on the Lakes which reduces rainfall in the Eden Valley. It becomes wetter the closer you get to the Pennines.
There is a National Trust property, Acorn Bank, almost next door described as ‘delightful garden renowned for its herbs and fruit orchards’. And a little further away is Lowther Castle and gardens. And then there’s the Settle to Carlisle Railway.
In some ways, it’s a little like going back a few years. The other day I realised that I was running short of fuel and managed to stagger into a petrol station in Appleby. It wasn’t self-service, a guy filled the car for me – and at the same price as elsewhere in the area.
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