Honest to goodness

Just as I was mourning the imminent closure of the coach house gallery (the news of which came hot on the heels of my discovery that the excellent Wedge Hall team rooms and cakery is no more :-(  ) I happened upon the Coniston Honest Shop and was immediately cheered.

Housed in part of the Coniston Institute Building (the Institute was founded sometime in the 1800s to "curb drinking, idle minds and a general hanging about" and also sought to offer "an education in the arts, science and humanities that would lead to productive employment and social reform") the honest shop is a community  run enterprise that gives local craftspeople, bakers, chutney makers and growers an outlet for their work/produce and embodies  and celebrates all that is best about local communities working and growing together. The shop is attractively laid out and unstaffed. Goods (which, when I visited ranged from baked goods and chutneys, home grown veg, knitted goods and cards through to handmade walking sticks, chopping boards, pottery and wall hangings, and in price from c £1 - £50) are all marked with a price and maker’s code – to buy, you simply pop the requisite amount of cash in a cash box, log your purchase in the shop’s register and voila! Purchase complete.

As I came away with my jar of rhubarb and ginger jam I felt curiously reassured that, despite the loss of two much loved small businesses, enterprise and community spirit is alive and well in the South Lakes.

All the leaves are brown

Except they aren’t yet. October – and early to mid-November – is a glorious time to visit the Lake District as the first curls of wood smoke emerge from chimneys and the trees turn through various mouth-watering shades of red, yellow, orange and russet before hibernating for the winter.

And the Lakes can be beautiful in winter, too – bright, crisp, sunny (but cold!) winter days are a delight when walking on the fells. One of the great things about the cottage (apart from being warm and cosy to come back to) is that there are a number of fine low level walks from the door or just a very short drive away. And whilst it can be by no means guaranteed, the roads to and from the village are generally more accessible in snow than many. When I first visited the cottage-in December 2010 – I travelled up on the first weekend of December – snow following me up the motorway. I had a full weekend of house viewing ahead of me. A River Runs by was one of the first I visited. There was snow and ice on the ground and the cottage – and its environs – was still accessible. The same could not be said of several other properties that had been on the list…..

When I returned, on the Sunday, for a second look, I popped across to the mill yard for lunch and was struck by just how many people (walkers, cyclists and drivers) of all ages there were out and enjoying themselves in wonderfully accessible scenery.

I’ll be up there myself in a few weeks – so watch out for some pics. In the meantime, here are some especially for those for who summer’s lease hath all too short a date, from this year’s Staveley Carnival.

 

Whatever the weather

 Earlier this week I was having coffee with a friend and telling her about the great time I’d had at the cottage with my family last week. The weather – in common with the rest of the UK – hadn’t been great, but we’d got out and about sampled various hostelries, teashops and eateries as well as enjoyed the fresh air and blown some mental cobwebs away. She had recently organised a spa holiday for clients in Spain – and wondered how they were getting on: the weather was, apparently, even worse than it’s been in England in recent weeks and most of the treatments were due to take place outside!

And as another cold, wet and possibly windy May Bank Holiday draws near I am reminded how lucky we are – the English Lake District has plenty  for visitors to do, see and enjoy whatever the weather.

So, with that in mind, here are ten top things to do if, as expected, it’s cold and wet in and around Staveley this weekend. Most of them hold good throughout the year, too.

1. Support Live Theatre and be part of the audience at the comedy Wife after Death  at the Staveley Roundhouse.The players last production got great reviews
2. Go for a moody, atmospheric lower walk in the Kentmere Valley
3. Visit a local pub – complete with roaring log fire. Both the Duke William (nearest the cottage) and Eagle & Child have open fires.
4. Take a trip to Arnside. Enjoy the craft shops and galleries. Stop for morning coffee or afternoon tea. Dodge the storm clouds. Dig for gold at the bottom of a rainbow.
5. Visit a waterfall near Skelwith Bridge and then indulge yourself at Chester’s 
6. Wonder at the QuakerTapestry an award winning visitor attraction for all the family with a veggie café on site
7. Blackwell is a fantastic arts and craft house just outside Bowness. It has great views over Windermere, interesting rooms and exhibitions as well as a café and arts crafty gift shop. 
8.  Improve your cooking and have fun at the same time. Book a class at Lucy Cooks cookery school. It’s within walking distance of the cottage.
9. Explore Whitescar Cave. The longest show cave in the country. It has thousands of stalactites and underground waterfalls and streams.
10. Stay in. Stay snug. Enjoy the cottage’s selection of DVDs, books and games. And if you’re lucky enough to be there with your special someone – take time to remind yourselves why you fell in love in the first place.

Enjoy !

Stop and Go

One of the great things about Staveley (apart from its fabulous location in the Lake District National Park) is that it is a real village - with a strong sense of community that seems (and I hope the locals would agree) to have found a happy balance between the needs of residents and holiday makers. Much of what makes for this - and what makes the village a great place to live (whether long term or as a temporary resident) is summed up here.

One thing that isn’t described in that article however is news of the Gowan Stop and Go group.  This group of largely unsung volunteers (some might say heroes) have transformed the bus shelter and toilets and maintain them (very well, I might add) as a community facility. And they’ve gone one-step further – they’ve also raised funds to provide a toilet/proper sanitation facilities in Cambodia under the toilet-twinning scheme.

As a walker I know how hard it can sometimes be to find suitable loo stops – so I am immensely grateful to the Stop and Go group for their work and happy to support them with a regular donation towards their costs.  Donation boxes are also available at the loos themselves – so, if you ‘stop and go’ please stop and donate – I’m sure your donations will be welcome.