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brixtonbroodWell, we're back she said.
One thousand two hundred miles in three weeks probably sounds like not a lot to some of the serious drivers amongst you, but it's a lot for us, and a full week in hotel rooms with the smalls is a bit of a challenge.
However, thanks to the wonders of capitalism, the house is clean and tidy and the cats and plants are alive, and the Inland Revenue want to give me money (if I can find my P45).
Things I have learnt:
The days of innocent daydreaming on trips Up North that "if we sold the house and moved here, we could buy a six bedroom Queen Anne manor house with ten acres of land, telecommute/set up a vegetarian guesthouse/smallholding etc" have officially gone. If we sold our three bedroom terrace in Brixton/Clapham/Stockwell and moved to Keswick we could afford ... a three bedroom terrace house, (except that we couldn't buy it because they've all got restrictive covenants preventing sales to outsiders). I'm not complaining you understand, it's just interesting to note.
Windemere and Bowness are full. I think that's there's plenty of room in the Lakes for actual walkers, especially in the West, but the big tearoom daytripper sites are beyond crowded. This is worth knowing, because once the smalls are able to toddle for longer distances I'd love to go back. Small took one look at the hills and declared "I want to walk to that Mountain". People claim that city children don't know enough about animals, farms etc - Small knows all about that, she goes to the various city farms on a regular basis, and sees stuff on telly and in books all the time - but I don't think she understands about distances and perspective - she hardly ever sees anything that's further away than we could walk.
Actually we spent loads of time planning for what we will do When The Kids Are Older. I really want to revisit the Glasgow Science Centre once they're, say, seven and five which should be the perfect age for it. When they're 15 and 13 (ie when they're old enough and we're young anough to do biggish treks) we'd love to do a serious cross country walking holiday.
England and Southern Scotland are quite outrageously beautiful.
The Sun Inn in Crook does really really good chips.
Moto Service stations are an order of magnitude better than their competitors when it comes to provision for kids - by choice I would always stop with them - but I have no idea what good it does them, as when you're travelling with the under tens your stopping schedule is dictated entirely by their sleep cycles/bladders and bowels - choice doesn't come into it.
One thousand two hundred miles in three weeks probably sounds like not a lot to some of the serious drivers amongst you, but it's a lot for us, and a full week in hotel rooms with the smalls is a bit of a challenge.
However, thanks to the wonders of capitalism, the house is clean and tidy and the cats and plants are alive, and the Inland Revenue want to give me money (if I can find my P45).
Things I have learnt:
The days of innocent daydreaming on trips Up North that "if we sold the house and moved here, we could buy a six bedroom Queen Anne manor house with ten acres of land, telecommute/set up a vegetarian guesthouse/smallholding etc" have officially gone. If we sold our three bedroom terrace in Brixton/Clapham/Stockwell and moved to Keswick we could afford ... a three bedroom terrace house, (except that we couldn't buy it because they've all got restrictive covenants preventing sales to outsiders). I'm not complaining you understand, it's just interesting to note.
Windemere and Bowness are full. I think that's there's plenty of room in the Lakes for actual walkers, especially in the West, but the big tearoom daytripper sites are beyond crowded. This is worth knowing, because once the smalls are able to toddle for longer distances I'd love to go back. Small took one look at the hills and declared "I want to walk to that Mountain". People claim that city children don't know enough about animals, farms etc - Small knows all about that, she goes to the various city farms on a regular basis, and sees stuff on telly and in books all the time - but I don't think she understands about distances and perspective - she hardly ever sees anything that's further away than we could walk.
Actually we spent loads of time planning for what we will do When The Kids Are Older. I really want to revisit the Glasgow Science Centre once they're, say, seven and five which should be the perfect age for it. When they're 15 and 13 (ie when they're old enough and we're young anough to do biggish treks) we'd love to do a serious cross country walking holiday.
England and Southern Scotland are quite outrageously beautiful.
The Sun Inn in Crook does really really good chips.
Moto Service stations are an order of magnitude better than their competitors when it comes to provision for kids - by choice I would always stop with them - but I have no idea what good it does them, as when you're travelling with the under tens your stopping schedule is dictated entirely by their sleep cycles/bladders and bowels - choice doesn't come into it.
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Date: 2005-08-11 11:54 am (UTC)Hmm
Date: 2005-08-11 02:19 pm (UTC)Not quite sure why we didn't overlap, although we did indeed go to several of the same programme items as Matt. We didn't spend any time at all in the bars - perhaps that's it?!
Re: Hmm
Date: 2005-08-11 02:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-11 12:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-11 02:10 pm (UTC)Well, at the moment. Of course, after the "inevitable" house price recorrection, matters will revert to "the natural order of things".
There is masses of amazing countryside outside the really well-known bits like the Lake District. But it's *all* expensive now. I remember 1995 when they were giving away houses in Yeovil. OK, *not* giving, but £30k for a three bedroom semi seemed cheap even to a civil servant on £14.5k.
Ah, the Sun Inn
Date: 2005-08-11 02:31 pm (UTC)The Queen's Head (or is Arms?) in Hawkshead is also very recommendable, as is the Drunken Duck (also near Hawkshead I believe). The latter is expensive and over-full nowadays but still v tasty.