After many years of speaking about Charlotte Mason and reading her volumes (and other writings), my children are wildly familiar with her. I started a tradition this year of taking our graduating senior on a trip of her choice. My dear daughter decided England would be a good choice. And Ambleside was on our list.
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| Off we go! |
We packed very light. One back pack each. We wanted to be able to move quickly and light was the way to go.
We each purchased heavy duty hiking WATERPROOF boots. I purchased Merrell ventilator womens boots with ankle support and my daughter got Oboz. Our feet were dry and happy!
It's good to also purchase water proof jackets to keep out the rain. I did bring along an umbrella, but a water proof hat would have been fine on it's own. North Face and Columbia are great options.
(Think fishermans hats-Outdoor Research or Under Armour might be good choices) If all else fails, there are MANY hiking clothes shops in Ambleside that are open. It would have been easy to spend lots of money! And then you have a great souvenir with a European brand!
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| My pack with some of our pre-reading materials. |
Getting to England is just one or two plane rides away. We found the best time to visit for us was Spring. We could avoid bringing a warmer jacket and perhaps avoid much of the rainy times.
We chose to fly out of Chicago and right into London. We also had some other sightseeing to do.
Next time we will fly into Manchester which is much closer to the Lake District. Buy your plane ticket about 45 days ahead or set up a reminder to let you know when prices drop.
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| Good bye Chicago |
Traveling was very easy in England. No need to rent a car. Public transportation (although sometimes requires waiting) is very easy to follow and accessible. We rode a bus or walked everywhere. In London buy an Oyster reloadable card to access both the underground trains or the above ground buses. Cards are purchased in the underground terminals. London is broken up into zones and prices are based on how many zones you pass through. Passing 11 miles or so is around $5. Many days we walked more than 8 miles and also rode the bus!
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| Top of a double decker bus |
The fast train from London to the Lake District (Windermere) was less than 3 hours. We were able to leave in the morning and get to the Ambleside around lunch time. Buying your ticket online ahead of time, perhaps two weeks ahead, allows you to get a better price. I downloaded the app for the Virgin Trains and my ticket was completely digital. Easy!
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| Fast train |
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| Giving the information about our travel from the app |
We found people to be VERY kind. When we looked lost, someone offered us help. Other times we asked people as we went along.
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| Outside toilet in Ambleside |
This was one of the public bathrooms. This was about 25 cents and worth about that much. These were most often used by hikers. Simple, but very usable.
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| Adding to my nature journal on the fast train with a scone for energy |
In the Lake District, you can buy a 3 day or a 7 day bus pass. This is extremely helpful. Most towns are close to each other (4 miles or so), but walking is through the country! Roads are so narrow that it's not wise to walk the same roads as the trains and buses. Most roads were built for horse and cart. The bus stops carry the name of the buses that pass through there and where they are going. Usually a meter maid is lingering around selling tickets or you can purchase from the bus driver.
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| calm travel on the fast train |
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Waiting for a train patiently with the one book she brought along, Emma.
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We chose to stay at a Bed and Breakfast very close to the Armit in Ambleside.
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| Looking through the archives at the Armit |
It was literally a block away. Staying at local place allowed us to hear more about the local culture and habits of the people. We got a great hearty breakfast made for us each morning and snacks in our rooms in the afternoon. We were able to choose to eat at the local restaurants or get simple meal items at the local grocery store.
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| View from our room |
The outlets require a three prong. It is very wise to purchase an adapter IF you need them. There are USB ports nearly everywhere which are useful for phone recharging. Everywhere we stayed had a hairdryer so my adapter was only used for phone charging.
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the light switches from our cute little B&B
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The outlets and switches are little different in the U.K. The switches are down for on and up for off. Just exactly the opposite of what we have in the U.S.
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| the view from inside the Bridge House |
One night we at a simple dinner and hiked for two hours until 9pm. It was delightful to have so much fresh air. Most of the walks we were on were very quiet of humans. But noisy of animals! They allow highland cattle and sheep to free range graze in the areas of public pathways.
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| Hiking around Rydal Water |
Hopefully this helps you understand the getting to Ambleside. I hope to share more of what we saw and learned there in the coming months!
