After a nice quick visit to London we picked up a rental car and headed for our first of three stops in Cumbria, the north-easternmost county of England. The drive took us through Oxford, so we had to take a lunch stop to look around its cathedral, castle, covered market, river and college. 

Traffic was bad through the big cities of Birmingham and Manchester, so we got into Penrith quite late to start our work and had to put in a long day Friday. Over the rest of the week though, we got to thoroughly explore this cute market town and scratch the surface of the huge Lakes District National Park.

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We stayed about a block away from Penrith Castle, where Richard III briefly lived. It was an important fort against Scottish attacks. Just above town, the Penrith Beacon was used to warn when one was coming.

We could also walk to two neolithic sites in town, though they weren’t much to look at. “King Arthur’s Round Table” is a 90 meter circle fully grown over with grass, and the nearby Mayburgh Henge is a single standing stone. A short drive away, though, Long Meg and Her Daughters is an impressive stone circle with one 12’ stone standing apart and inscribed with rock art.

The real reason we wanted to come to Penrith though was to visit The Lakes, and more specifically, Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England. We already climbed Scotland’s highest a few years ago. I must say this one was easier and a lot more enjoyable, and a big part of that was the absolutely perfect weather. On top of Ben Nevis, we could see about 10 feet in front of us. On top of Scafell, we could see to Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. 

Lunch on Ben Nevis was a sandwich hastily gobbled down while walking so I could put my gloves back on. On Scafell, we had a number of beautiful snack stops by lakes, waterfalls, and of course, the peak.

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While hiking Ben Nevis we were bundled up in every item of clothing we could layer. On Scafell, most of the layers spent most of the day in the pack.

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We took a couple more hikes in the park around the shore of Ullswater Lake and on the fells above it. One of the nicest spots was Aira Force waterfall, on a historic hunting ground.

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Penrith also served up both of the best and worst pub meals I’ve ever had. The former was an incredible rich lamb stew, perfect after a cooler day hiking. It was called “Herdwick Stew” and when I looked for a recipe I learned Herdwick is just the breed of sheep. We saw a lot of 'em. The latter was the kind of burger that gives British food its bad wrap. 

Other local specialties include Cumbrian sausage, which I made at home, and local marmalade, which we tried as part of afternoon tea at the historic UNESCO listed Dalemain Mansion. In case tea and marmalade wasn’t English enough, we got to stroll through their lovely gardens afterward. 

The best part was just enjoying nature and wildlife - such a change after a few visits in the cities.

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The next was just a short drive away: Carlisle.