remain resolutely apolitical but was nonetheless pleased to have the day off owing to potential industrial action. this really isn't the forum for whether the junior*doctors should strike and their ongoing battle with the powers-that-be. all too pleased with the day off, decided to swing by the lakes on a whim because, hey, why not? not a huge fan of the lakes. the towns are overly touristy and sell the same things (walking gear, more walking gear) and it's a bit too twee and disconcerting. have a thing about cookie cutter small towns and feel claustrophobic in them (durham, berwick etc) but maybe that's being unfair. sure there's some beauty to be had in each picturesque village if one bothers to look hard enough. that said, glad to have eschewed more commercial towns in the lakes, although i did lament to a friend that the lakes seem to be crawling with sad soggy sorts in waterproofs.
and sod's law, really, because the more disinclined i was to the lakes, the better the weather seemed to get. not that i'm complaining because with this funny country, you take what you get! blue skies and vibrant colours, it was like looking through a lens on vivid mode. the greens more lush and the browns richer than normal. must be all that rain!
the place we stayed was new-ish and set in a slightly spooky forest, not unlike what i'd imagine the blair witch project to be. there were some really nice things about it - like the lovely, friendly hosts with amazing service recovery, beautiful room and walking gear provided. had a small issue with the loo in original room (ceiling dripped) and they very kindly double upgraded to the best suite (!!!). the minus was how it was tacked onto a less luxurious hotel, with shared facilities. so it felt like a downgrade :/ traipsing across the driveway to use the steamroom and sauna. had the option of breakfast in the room (yes please!) and glad to have done that instead of going to the other side for buffet breakfast at what looked like a dim resto. there was a functional reading room with comp food and alcohol through the day but it was an odd long-ish room that felt stuck on and had no natural light despite the gorgeous setting. it was also being re-carpeted on our second day so we didn't get use of it. that said, when requesting late check out it was £20/h (!!!) but they comp-ed an hour because it's not like we could enjoy the hotel before heading off. did end up going for a walk in their waterproofs and walking shoes, so that wasn't too bad. also, the breakfast while beautifully displayed and served in-room wasn't amazing, probably because it came from somewhat lower-standard resto. felt mass produced. have stayed in places that charged less but served in-room brekkie course-by-course.
lovely lazy break, leisurely drive in good weather then were shown to the room. should've ruined appetite with cream tea (yummy scones and clotted cream!), read for leisure, went to steam / sauna before heading to the local for dinner. wonderful local ales then back to the hotel. went on a bit of a fires tarting spree and kept it going till bedtime. slept in, had breakfast in bed as late as possible, got late check out then went walking.
just the right length of time in the lakes before going stir crazy. enjoyable as it was, don't think could've done another night. and suppose that's the point of a mini break :)
No comments:
Post a Comment