5/16 Ferry Ride & Drive to Ambleside

When I made my plans to visit the Lake District, I envisioned myself taking long drives to the various lakes.  However, the reality is that I chose a relatively isolated place to stay, accessible only by narrow, scary roads.  However, today, I got brave and decided to take the nearby ferry across the lake to the town of Windemere and on to another town called Ambleside.  

As it turned out, the hardest part was driving the two miles to the ferry dock.  People go zipping around corners and up hills without any consideration of someone else being on the road.  When you do encounter another vehicle, even on the wider roads in this area, you have to slow down or actually stop while the other car/truck/bus goes by.  You do not really see full-size trucks or buses around here--they are all small and narrow but still scary to encounter.  

Anyway, it was good to see Windemere Lake and some of the boats on it.  

 

This is a telephoto shot of the ferry on the opposite shore.  They run about every 15 minutes for a five minute ride, and the cost is a whopping £4.40 for just a one-way trip!  A lot of people who want to visit the small town on the other side, park and ride for a much cheaper fee.

Because of a problem with construction, it took me over an hour to drive 12 miles!  This is a small stream that comes out of the mountains in Ambleside.  There are a lot of climbing and biking shops in the area to serve all the people who come here because of the mountains. 

This is the smallest property managed by English Heritage.  It was built on an ancient (maybe as old as 12th Century) bridge over that tiny creek.  It was built as a kind of escape for the owner and even has an upstairs to store his apple crop.

This is the downstairs with a tiny stove to heat the place. 

Just a couple of photos of Ambleside.