Crofton Hall, Carlisle

61.3 Miles. Now at Crofton Hall CL, near Carlisle.

Controlled waterway above Lake Thirlmere.

Stock holding pens in the Lake District.

This morning we were on the road by 8am for two main reasons. Firstly I was awake at 5.30am and secondly Dot was not looking forward to the trip along the narrow road from Coniston to Ambleside. I guessed that if we got away early we could miss a lot of traffic. Well the plan worked a treat as we only met about a dozen vehicles on the move and the drivers were all very courteous negotiating the narrow sections of road.

How's this for a stone wall. He didn't have to go far for the stones.

ET? Who knows? No it's not photographic trickery.

As we had plenty of time to spare we made numerous stops including a long one at Lake Thirlmere where we were able to take lots of photo’s. While there we struck up a conversation with a Danish couple who are over here for 6 weeks. They spotted our New Zealand flags flying on the rear of Gypsy Rover and wanted to catch up with the latest news about Christchurch as this news item has dropped off the news headlines. They have visited NZ 3 times in the past and were interested to see how New Zealander’s were coping since the disaster. Nice to see that somebody cares.

Views around the Lake District.

The elegant archway to the grounds of Crofton Hall.

We arrived at our latest camp site just after lunch to find ourselves in what would have been a walled garden for the stately Crofton Hall. Parts of the estate are still in use but the main building is all closed up with windows boarded over. After lunch we went for a walk as the weather has finally cleared up and the sun is now shining. Pity it couldn’t have been like this 2 days ago.

Crofton Hall. All empty and closed up. Neither clock is operational.

The rear of Crofton Hall. Not as Grand as the front.

Several buildings are in use as a cheese factory which we visited this afternoon. Cheese made from unpasteurised Cow and Goat milk using old fashioned methods with modern equipment. They also sell fruit drinks made from old recipes so I came away with a smoked cheese and a bottle of Ginger Beer with Lemon and Apple juice instead of sugar. Both were tried at afternoon tea and went down a treat. Unfortunately Dot couldn’t find anything to her liking.

Games room at Crofton Hall. Formerly the hidden garden of the Hall.

Gypsy Rover at Crofton Hall near Carlisle.

A total of 2590 miles, since 5 March 2011