Bike Route: Keswick to Castlerigg Stone Circle Day Loop 8mi 800ft of climb
Bike Route: Keswick Derwentwater Day Loop 11mi 900ft of climb
Accommodation: Latrigg View (Apt 1) - Hedgehog Hill (Airbnb); host Christine
Dinner: Old Keswickian Fish & Chips Shop. This was a popular shop: we queued for almost half an hour, and they were sold out of haddock and prawns by the time we got to the counter. We went for cod and plaice (a local fish we had seen everywhere but hadn't yet tried). The cod was good. We won't be ordering plaice again; it tasted a little fishy and oily.
After one full day of rest, we were ready to get back on the bikes, especially without the panniers. I spent some time blogging in the morning, and then we had lunch, so it was about 13:00 when we started out.
First, we rode out an old railroad bed turned into a bike trail, before heading up into the hills toward the Castlerigg Stone Circle. The trail and the historic site were busy with families hiking and biking and sightseeing.
Back in Keswick, we passed Denton House, the hostel where Meghan and I stayed on our trip in 2004. If I remember correctly, it was an old army barracks, with bunkbeds, and Meghan and I had a small bunkroom to ourselves.
Ken and I continued on to our second tour of the afternoon, this one around lake Derwentwater. We started on a busy B highway, with lovely views of the lake but too much traffic. About halfway down the lake, we passed Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa, where Meghan and I had tea and scones on a hike in the rain and mist.
After Ken and I turned around the bottom of the lake, we left the busy highway and climbed up a little to a village with a tea shop and outdoor tables. We stopped and enjoyed fruit scones with clotted cream and jam, coffee, and tea, in the warm sun.
Continuing on up the other side of the lake, we climbed to a trailhead to Catbells Fell, and then left the road entirely and cycled on a multiuse, unpaved trail that connects Catbells to Keswick.
By the time we rolled up to our apartment building, it was after 17:00. We weren't very hungry, thanks to our afternoon tea, but we knew we should eat something, so we put the bikes away and hiked down to the nearest fish & chips shop for a little snack.
As usual, we were in bed early, resting up for the next day's adventures.
 |
| Stone fencing along the road. |
 |
| Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa. Meghan and I had tea and scones inside the dining room at the end of the hotel, looking out over the lake through the mist. As we left, the mist turned to rain, and the hostess suggested we catch a little ferry back to Keswick--which we did. |
 |
| Ken and I opted for tea and scones at a little shop near the bottom of the lake, at a picnic table in the sun. We joined a small crowd of hikers and bikers also enjoying the day. |
 |
| Ken and me near the trailhead to Catbells, looking up the lake toward Keswick. 2023. |
 |
| Meghan and me at the top of Catbells, looking up the lake toward Keswick. 2004. |
