Lake District
“We cannot stay home all our lives; we must present ourselves to the world and we must look upon it as an adventure.”
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Located in the Lake District National Park, the town sits at the head of Windermere, England's largest natural lake.
The Ambleside campus of the University of Cumbria is at the northern end of town.
Here is Ambleside on the map:
Here is video tour of our amazing apartment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsIK4xwwKaQ
Looking north over town
The view west across a wonderful maze of old rooftop pitches, dormers, and chimney stacks—dominated by St Mary’s Parish Church. The entire valley is surrounded by a sea of green in every shade and texture.
We love the church spire—very Hogwarts!
The ideal spot for our morning cuppa.
Our apartments above as seen from the main market street in town.
The Bridge House is a tiny whimsical 17th-century stone house, built upon a bridge over Stock Ghyll stream.
When it was built more than 300 years ago, it was probably intended as a summer house and to store apples for Ambleside Hall.
The house is now owned by the National Trust, which apparently sometimes opens it as a visitor center. It is listed online as closed all throughout our stay.
You can see the lack of rain lately in many of our photos.
The building was depicted by the Victorian landscapist Lewis Einhorn Wood (1848-1918) in his late 19th century work The Cobbler's Shop on the Bridge.
The building is also found on the small poster mounted to the wall right outside our front door.
The Apple Pie Café and Bakery is a local favorite. I grabbed a slice of spiced apple pie and Amanda a double chocolate cookie to take back and enjoy on our balcony with afternoon tea. Yummy!
On Monday (Jun 5) evening (the sun doesn’t set until after 10 pm), I hiked up a peak overlooking the valley in which Ambleside sits. Under a canopy of trees, the path crosses over this beautiful old stone footbridge.
Alright, now what are we looking at here Karina?
Only in England do you walk up giant stone steps projecting from a stone wall to cross over, followed by a wooden bridge with livestock gate to make it over a brook. Magical.
A lonely patch of white flowers.
Purple foxgloves and ferns near the summit; a stone wall in the middle distance, and endless rolling green hills beyond.
WWWW—What Would Wordsworth Write?
Looking over Ambleside.
Our apartment complex in the center.
I called Amanda and she zoomed in from the apartment and took this photo of me waving from up on the hill.
Ambleside and Windermere lake.
I think we picked a great spot to stay! 😊
