What better way to spend an autumnal week than in a cosy woodland log cabin, tucked away by a rushing river in rural Cumbria, right up by the Scottish Border? It certainly sounded idyllic, but wasn’t looking too promising as we set out from Yorkshire in torrential rain, along flooded roads and through sodden countryside, the kids arguing and with a nagging doubt that I had the left the all important pork products back in the fridge at home. Then there was the concerning ‘Refill AdBlue or no restart’ warning message flashing ominously on the gangster mobile dashboard. Even a stop at my favourite Tebay Services didn’t lift my spirits. At this stage I am thinking that a week in solitary confinement would be a preferable. It was only the thought of a relaxing soak in a hot tub under the stars that kept me going – and even that turned out to be wildly optimistic.
We were heading to Liddel Water Lodges in Cumbria, on the English side of the River Liddel, which forms the border here between England and Scotland. Despite the literal and metaphorical dark clouds I could tell as soon as we turned off the road and saw the cabin, jutting out over the river, that this was going to be a special place. It was and you can read more about our accommodation here. Besides, the clouds had miraculously lifted and blue sky was now visible.
As it turned out the weather was a dominant theme throughout the week, both sublimely good and at times ridiculously bad, but in the main our trip was blessed with gorgeous autumn weather and was definitely stuffed with a fantastic variety of adventures.
Grey Mare’s Tail
After a home cooked full English breakfast to fuel us (annoyingly the forgotten pork products had been replaced with vastly inferior ones, after a quick visit to M&S food the previous evening) we ventured north into Scotland. To make things more exciting ‘Addy decided to play a fun game of ‘drive into the wilderness with no AdBlue’ roulette. We planned to visit a waterfall and do an exhilarating walk in the glorious sunshine at The Grey Mare’s Tail Nature Reserve, near the town of Moffat. The 10 mile drive along the valley from Moffat is a remote, spectacular and winding affair, there is a well signed car park with an honesty box (£3) when you finally arrive – which, thankfully, we did without incident.
A very short walk from the car park brings you to a viewing area where you can see the waterfall from afar. Above this are the steps that take you up onto the steep path running along the side of the gorge that leads up and past the waterfall, in all its glory, and on to Loch Skeen. Initially the path is strenuous but well worth the effort; as you climb the expansive views open up and the path passes directly by the impressive waterfall. It’s easy to see how Grey Mare’s Tail got its name as you gaze at the long, thin line of white cascading water. At 60m (200ft) it is the fifth highest waterfall in the UK. Once you reach the crest of the waterfall the path levels out somewhat and then follows the stream, until you round the final corner and the desolate shores of the hidden Loch come into full glorious view. It is very atmospheric with the dark water surrounded by brooding peaks. At 500m Loch Skeen is the highest large natural loch in the southern uplands; a very picturesque and tranquil place to take a break, and eat treats, before retracing your steps back down. Or you can continue and climb White Coomb – if time, whinging and energy levels permit!
It is 1.2 miles to reach the loch and took us about an hour. The path is steep, narrow and rough in places, with sheer drops down, so care is required, especially with exuberant kids who think they are mountain goats crossed with Spiderman and don’t really have their listening ears on! It is challenging terrain but a totally doable family hike.
It was a stunning walk, through some most impressive scenery and was made all the more amazing by the perfect autumn weather. And the fact that the gangster mobile did restart on our return, despite the lack of AdBlue.
We rewarded our exertions with a visit to the Cadbury shop at the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village, followed by a visit to Pizza Express, on our way back to the cabin.
A soak in the hot tub on our return to the cabin proved the perfect end to a great day. Well it would have been, minus the splashy, crazy kids gooning around and trying to sit on our heads.
Hadrian’s Wall & Housesteads Roman Fort
Our second day was spent exploring the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall and Housesteads Roman Fort; a bit of ancient border history. AdBlue had been finally and triumphantly added by ‘Addy this morning, making for a more pleasant journey today. We parked at Steel Rigg carpark, signed off the main road by the Once Brewed National Park visitor Center, and walked east along one of the most scenic sections of the wall, past Milecastle 39 and on to Sycamore Gap and Crag Lough. The views from the wall are breathtaking and you really get a sense of how the Romans used the natural landscape when building it, as you see the Wall snaking up and along the crags, with the lake of Crag Lough in the distance.
Standing perfectly in a dramatic dip in the wall, the iconic Sycamore Gap tree is one of most photographed in the country and does look pretty cool. In 2016 it was named English Tree of the Year in the Woodland Trust’s awards, in 2017 finished 5th in the European tree awards and also featured in the 1991 film ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’, starring Kevin Costner. So, a very picturesque and famous tree.
We followed the same route back along the wall, although there is an option for a circular walk back to the starting point, but time, like the kids pretending to be Roman soldiers, was marching on.
Next stop was Housesteads Roman Fort, just a couple of miles down the road. There was great hilarity and interest shown in the replica Roman toilets by the entrance, particularly the sticks with moss for bum wiping. Predictably Roman latrines were probably the boy goon’s favourite bit of the holiday.
There was also much clamouring for plastic swords in the shop. We agreed they could spend their own money, on the condition there was no hitting or chopping of each other with said swords. What could possibly go wrong?
Who were we kidding, more like? It didn’t take long for the chopping to commence, for one of them to nearly loose an eye and for it to all end in tears. Bloody Barbarians!
Appropriately known as Vercovicium, meaning ‘the place of the effective fighters’, Housesteads Roman Fort was built during 122-32 AD and was garrisoned by an 800-strong infantry regiment until the end of the 4th century. At the time it must have proved an imposing and impressive sight, defending the wall in its isolated position on the hillside.
These days it is the most complete example of a Roman Fort in Britain and you can wander through the extensive remains of the barrack blocks, the hospital, Commander’s house and granaries. You can inspect the oldest toilets you’ll ever see, and admire the stunning panoramic views. On a cold October day you really get a sense of how remote and bleak it must have been for the soldiers posted here, to the northern frontier of the Roman empire, but also you cannot help but wonder at the advanced nature of Roman society almost 2,000 years ago.
The small but interactive museum showcases various Roman objects and the mini-cinema presentation takes you on a journey through time to learn about the history of the fort. The boy goon cried at the end when the Romans departed and Housesteads fort was left abandoned, such was the emotional attachment he formed with the place.
We departed as the sun was setting on a special place and a really memorable visit.
A foodie road trip along the Solway Firth
Today, with Halloween looming, I’d booked a treat activity for the kids. We headed west to Dumfries then towards the town of Kircudbright and the Solway Firth where we found the Cocoabean Company. The kids were booked on a Halloween chocolate workshop, followed by pumpkin picking.
The half hour workshop was really great; good instruction, totally age appropriate and achievable for both. They each came away with 3 fab creations – a chocolate coated marshmallow ghost, a moulded chocolate of their choice (they chose a witches hat and a ghost) and a slab type chocolate bar, all in a Halloween theme and presented in cute cellophane wrappers. We were able to watch the whole process through the huge glass viewing window.
There is also a large indoor soft play area and spacious modern cafe, where we ate an acceptable lunch, before heading out to pick a pumpkin. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t an actual pumpkin patch, just a straw area where small pumpkins had been strategically placed, but there were various pumpkin themed activities and the kids enjoyed it.
There was also a fab outdoor adventure playground with a huge castle and pirate ship where the kids made some friends and played happily for ages – always a bonus.
After this we headed further west on a foodie mission to try and find Marrbury Smokehouse. Find it we did, just a few miles along the coast in a picturesque setting in the shadow of tiny Carsluith castle. I’d read that their little onsite shop and “Snack Shack” sold “smushi” (sushi made with smoked fish) and given my kid’s love of sushi thought it would be the prefect option for an easy tea. As it was they had sold out but we tasted, and bought, some of their delicious hot and cold smoked salmon and some smoked cheese.
We also explored the small but perfectly formed castle in the grounds. What could be more Scottish than smoked salmon and a castle?
I just love discovering and seeking out little gems like this.
It looks like a lovely and interesting area, one I’m Sure we’ll plan to come back to.
Back at the cabin we cooked and enjoyed a family favourite – pasta with creme fraiche, hot smoked salmon, peas and dill. Absolutely dill-icious!
A walk up Latrigg from Keswick
We headed south to Keswick today, with a view to crossing off another Wainwright. Given time constraints, due to a slow start and the shortening days, we decided on Latrigg. It is one of the lowest fells in the Lake District (368m/1203 feet), but is a popular climb due to its convenient location overlooking the Lakeland town of Keswick and its reputation as being the Fell having the best views for least effort in the Lakes. It is a great option for a family walk and a good introduction to fell walking for kids. We followed Wainwright’s suggested route (from Book Five: The Northern Fells, but it also features in Family Walks in the Lake District: The northern Fells, which is highly recommend). The circular route was about 4.5 miles in all with good paths throughout and a steadily gentle ascent and descent. For very little effort you get expansive panoramas over Keswick, Derwent water and the Fells beyond. On a clear day the views are breathtaking and there is even a bench just below the summit to sit on and take in the beauty.
The boy didn’t really notice any of this though as he ran most of the way to the top, in an unwavering bid to be first.
The summit itself is somewhat featureless and unremarkable, but it is the views that merit all the attention here anyway. It was cold though so we didn’t hang around for long.
We loved walking through the dense, atmospheric forest, with its springy carpet of pine needles, looking for Gruffalos, as we began to make our way back down to Keswick.
Away from the exposed, blustery summit we found a lovely sheltered spot in the forest for a well earned picnic lunch – Scottish oatcakes, cream cheese and the Marrbury smoked salmon (red Thai salmon gravadlax, in fact). It was definitely not the most practical picnic, but we all agreed that it tasted incredible! The kids enjoyed some of their chocolate Halloween slab for pudding
Once out of the woods the return route was equally scenic, with great vistas at every turn; views across Derwent Water to Catbells, the imposing Skiddaw and some beautiful autumnal colours in the sunshine.
We finished this really enjoyable and classic Lake District fell walk with a mooch around Keswick, followed by a Thai meal at The Star Of Siam, where my girl impressed the staff by scoffing an extremely spicy Thai green curry. My Penang curry was described as “a hot but rather mild curry” so I wasn’t completely sure what to expect… it turned out to be fairly hot, but fragrant and delicious. Afterwards the kids cooled down, outside in the freezing darkness, with gelato from the fantastic Gelateria at Casa Bella, proving that it is never too cold for kids to eat ice cream.
Exploring Carlisle Castle and a fun Halloween
Unfortunately my kids absolutely love Halloween. I do not. However, I felt somewhat guilty knowing that they had looked forward to it for a whole year and this resulted in a day devoted to the celebration of All Hallows’ Eve. A lazy morning was had eating freshly made pastries, carving pumpkins, watching Tim Burton’s enchanting film “Corpse Bride” and getting dressed up for the big event.
I think there is probably a limit to how much longer my boy will choose to dress as a deranged pumpkin, but he was more than happy for now.
We needed to get out and decided that a visit to Carlisle Castle was in order. Holding the title of most besieged fortress in Britain, it is a fun and interesting place to explore, with some engaging historical references and points of interest. The Warden’s Apartment was once the home to King Richard III, in a previous role as Lord Warden of the West March, and there is some interesting 15th century graffiti in the form of stone carvings including images of knights, a mermaid, fish, boar and other animals. Originally thought to have been carved by prisoners, recent theory’s suggests that they are more likely to be the work of bored prison guards. They depict support for the ruling family of the time, the Dacres, and include images of their crests. You can also see Queen Mary’s Tower, the turret in which Mary Queen of Scots was held captive in 1568, by order of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. There is a small exhibition documenting the history of the castle and you can also walk some of the castle walls. We didn’t visit, but the castle is also home to Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life. The kids enjoyed exploring the castle and running round “spooking” people. As we were leaving the friendly staff gave them medals for best Halloween costumes, which really made their day.
The lack of any trick or treating options, because we were staying in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, had bothered me slightly. Luckily the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village came up trumps, advertising an evening of Halloween fun, so we headed there as dusk was falling. The shops were welcoming young trick or treaters inside, handing out sweets, and there were some entertaining street performances by a pop up Circus of the Dead. The kids had a ball and left with big smiles and buckets full of treats, which is of course the marker of a successful Halloween.
As in previous nights, we ended the day in the hot tub. But tonight it had a spooky Halloween theme and we waited until the kids were in bed before we got in ourselves, for a far more relaxing experience. Why hadn’t we thought of this before?
A lovely lunch, Kielder Water & the Observatory
After five days of blue skies and sunshine we ran out of luck and our final day dawned wet and windy. Typical as we had booked tickets to an evening event of astronomy at Kielder Observatory and the sky, which had been bright and clear all week, was now totally obscured by cloud, mist and heavy rain. We wrote off the morning and chilled at the cabin, meanwhile I plotted a nice lunch out. We (I) decided we’d try and find the nearby and highly rated Hidden River Cafe.
Whilst definitely off the beaten track, down narrow country lanes, it actually wasn’t too difficult to find. The cafe shares a site with of a collection of luxury wooden cabins, but is open to non residents too. We received a warm welcome and it was really cosy on a soggy day, with pretty fairy lights and a roaring wood burner. In fact it was a bit too cosy when we ended up sitting right next to it, belting out heat like the sun, especially as the kids were wearing their thermals in preparation for this evening’s activities. Perhaps it was the heat, or maybe the boy was just that way out or my tether shortened, but he was in full on annoying mode and spoilt lunch. Anyway… the kids enjoyed their super stretchy mozzarella dippers and sweet chilli sauce. My chicken pakora, raita & crispy onion starter was delicious, despite the company. Daddy’s calamari with warm panzanella looked and tasted great, but I thought was a bit of a mean portion, even for a starter. The kids enjoyed flatbread pizza and burger and chips as a main, Daddy also opted for the burger which was juicy and tasty with fab chunky chips. My slow cooked belly pork with creamy peas and pancetta was unctuous and tender, served with crispy crackling, roast potatoes, broccoli & sugarsnap peas.
We decided to skip dessert in favour of having a cake stop later, hunkering down in a cafe is always a good option for something to do when it is raining. Plus goon boy needed removing from such a civilised restaurant. To make matters worse he ended up falling full length in the very muddy carpark outside. And so we set off to Kielder. We had intended to spend a full day exploring the lake & forest but the weather had put paid to our plans. Still, we had a couple of hours before we were due at the observatory and had a cuppa and cake at Kielder Castle Cafe, within the Visitor Centre. We then splashed our way through the puddles in the Minotaur maze, one of a succession of installations in the Kielder Art and Architecture series, before getting on our way.
Despite being within the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, with some of the darkest skies in Europe, our chances of seeing any stars seemed as bleak as the weather as we turned up the forest track to the Kielder Observatory. When we pulled into the car park it was so misty we could barely even see the building that housed the giant telescope, never mind the night sky.
We had tickets for the “Introduction to Astronomy – Solar System” family event and although we didn’t get to use the telescope or see any actual stars, due to the cloud cover and mist, it was still a great experience. After an engaging media presentation about the solar system, with loads of questions and interaction with the kids, we learnt about meteors (shooting stars) and got to hold and inspect pieces of moon rock and meteorites, which the kids loved. Then we had a tour of the fascinating telescope building which, on clear nights, completely opens up to the sky, and finally a hands on navigation of the night sky and constellations using software on a tablet. The presentations were led by qualified staff, all of who were experts in their fields, they were young and enthusiastic and really inspiring for the kids, especially given that a couple were women. The whole thing lasted 2 hours and was just perfect for keeping little minds interested. Even the boy exceeded expectations and remained engaged and fairly cooperative throughout.
It was a really great and different experience to end our week.
We had driven past an interesting looking statue every day, in the nearby border village of Rowanburn, so next day before we departed for home, we were intrigued to finally stop and find out more. It turned out the statue was dedicated to one of the infamous Border Reivers who raided and terrorised this lawless and contested Anglo-Scottish border area for hundreds of yers until reiving was stamped out at the beginning of the 17th century.
A giant of a man; Lang (Long) Sandy Armstrong of Rowanburn, ‘The Worst Reiver Ever’
Lang Sandy was eventually captured and hanged in 1606, along with all of his eleven sons, for their part in the murder of a government official. At this point I was wondering why my lawless son, with his tedious behaviour, couldn’t be hanged too.
Final stop was for breakfast at Laings in Harker, again somewhere we had passed several times during the week. The full English was perfect, well cooked with really good quality products, the sausages were particularly great (and believe me I know about quality sausage). The breakfast sandwiches we had were also highly regarded. There was a small play area outside for the kids. We didn’t sample, but there was a large range of lovely looking cakes and some GF options too.
Our time in the borders was over. This area has it all and even with a packed itinerary there was so much more we could have seen and done. We can’t wait to return and explore some of these areas further (on the condition that we have a full tank of AdBlue).
