Day 2, Part 2 – Sunday 12th May 2024
After an eventful morning—attempting (and eventually succeeding!) to climb a local fell, enjoying a fry-up, and taking a boat trip to Ambleside—I had just arrived back in Bowness. It was around 1:30 in the afternoon, and I was wondering how to spend the rest of my day.
I decided on a relaxed afternoon, walking a few miles of the lake path and back, browsing the shops, and, of course, treating myself to an ice-cream and an iced coffee! Around 3 p.m., I decided to head back to the guest house, chill for a little while, and then get ready to go out for an evening meal. After breakfast this morning, I felt confident I could enjoy another meal out by myself. There were so many lovely restaurants in town to choose from, and it would be a lovely way to end the day!
Once back in the room, I relaxed and thought about what I could do tomorrow. I felt like I had seen all there was to see in Windermere and Bowness, and it would be a shame not to explore somewhere different tomorrow.
I zoomed in and out on Google Maps to see what caught my eye. Keswick looked like a lovely place to visit, with the beautiful Derwentwater lake and the ever popular Catbells mountain. I remembered the bus stop at the corner of the road I was staying on, and after a quick search, I discovered there was a bus to Keswick I could catch. It took about an hour, so I figured if I took the 6:55 bus, I could be there by 8 and make the most of my last full day. Perfect!
Having decided how to spend my day tomorrow, I jumped in the shower and put on some clean clothes, ready to head back to the town and treat myself to a meal. I slipped on my little crossbody bag, popped in my headphones to calm my nerves about going out, and left the guest house.
I had decided on Bowness, not Windermere, although both towns are full of lovely restaurants. As I arrived in town, I could see it was buzzing with people in couples and groups. ‘Come on,‘ I thought, ‘You can do this. Just need to find somewhere that doesn’t look packed and ask for a table!’ It sounds simple, and I really wanted to do it. But for some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to. I walked through the town, and every restaurant or pub I passed, I couldn’t get past the mental block that stopped me from going in. I just felt silly on my own. I walked through the town and back twice before deciding on a chippy tea, realising I just couldn’t do it. Breakfast had felt easier—it’s more casual, and the town was quieter early in the morning. For some reason, this didn’t feel the same, and I couldn’t push myself to do it. I ordered a takeaway sausage and chips and sat on a bench by the lake to enjoy them.
I didn’t mind having a takeaway chippy for tea, and eating them by the peaceful lake was a beautiful way to end the day. But I still felt disappointed in myself for not feeling able to eat in a restaurant. It might sound silly to some, but it would have been such an achievement for me. I’m such a foodie, and when I’m alone on a trip, I don’t want to have to rely on being with someone to try some good food somewhere different. I don’t want to miss out, and that’s the whole point of all this, so I don’t have to miss out, and feel able to do anything on my own just for me. There’s always another day, I thought.
As I finished eating, the sky suddenly grew dark and cloudy, as though a storm was on its way. I checked the weather forecast, and sure enough, a thunderstorm was due! I hadn’t brought a coat or umbrella with me. The weather had been so warm and sunny all day, that I had assumed it would stay that way this evening. Silly, of course! The weather is always changing, especially in England!
I decided it was best to head back, so I quickly popped into a supermarket to grab some snacks for the rest of the evening. I was only in the shop for a few minutes, but when I came out, I was greeted by an absolute downpour! The thunderstorm was booming right overhead, and the pavements were already flooded with standing water. To top it off, I was only wearing sandals! A couple of people had crowded under an awning outside a closed restaurant next to the shop, so I joined them, planning to wait out the rain. An elderly lady was waiting for her husband to pick her up, and they kindly offered me a lift back to where I was staying. I felt aware of the risks of getting into a car with strangers while traveling alone, but they were an elderly couple who seemed normal enough, and the weather wasn’t letting up so I took my chances, and I got back in one piece!
Back at the guest house, I quickly changed into my comfy pyjamas, took my snacks out of the bag, and sat by the window to enjoy the rain from the warmth and comfort inside. Lesson learned, I thought—always check the weather and dress accordingly!
Day 3
It was Monday, the 13th of May 2024, my last full day of my first-ever solo trip in the Lake District. I had plans to catch a bus to Keswick this morning, so I was up bright and early, waiting at the bus stop on the corner of the road at 6:50 a.m. The weather was a bit grey, lingering from last night’s thunderstorm. It hadn’t cleared as much as I had hoped, so I wore my raincoat, packed my power banks, and threw an umbrella in my rucksack, feeling prepared for whatever the day would bring.
The bus arrived, and I boarded. The journey was beautiful, taking the A591 all the way from Windermere to Keswick. We passed stunning places like Rydal, Grasmere, Thirlmere, and Castlerigg Stone Circle. I found myself thinking that if I had been driving, I could have stopped at so many of these spots along the way! But never mind—now that I’ve had this experience, I’m sure I’ll come back for another trip in the future. Maybe next time, I’ll drive.
I arrived in Keswick just before 8 a.m. I hadn’t really got a set idea of what I was going to do now that I was here. I checked Google Maps to see which direction I needed to go to reach the town or the lake, and decided to head toward the lake first. It was about a 20-minute walk from where I had left the bus, so I set off, keeping my hands tucked into my pockets since it was cold this morning. It was such a big change in the weather from the last couple of days.
Mountains loomed above the water as I neared Derwentwater, a truly breathtaking sight. Little rowing boats lined the front of the lake, and there was a sign for Keswick Launch, which I assumed was a boat trip/tour service. I walked past this, and a little further on, I saw a signpost for somewhere called ‘Friars Crag,’ so I decided to head in that direction, which seemed to follow the lake path. I kept walking until I arrived. It was a viewpoint looking across Derwentwater to some mountains, which I later learned are referred to as the ‘Jaws of Borrowdale.’ What a beautiful view it was. I had never seen anything like it in my life! I took some pictures and videos, then followed a little path down from Friars Crag to Strandshag Bay, an open gravel shoreline. I spent some time there, just taking it all in. The grey, moody morning made the whole place look even more mystical and beautiful, with the low cloud and dark, misty water. I snapped a picture of a swan gliding down the lake. I didn’t want to leave; I was in awe of the beauty of it.
Eventually, I did leave, walked a little further along the lake path, then headed back to Keswick’s town centre to have a look around. Many of the shops were still closed, even though it was after 9 a.m. I assumed they were probably open mostly on the weekends or later in the week. I found a Costa and went in for a sit-down coffee. While there, I researched a bit to decide where to go next, and decided on a boat trip from Keswick Launch. After finishing my coffee, I went back to the lake and into the little shop which was now open to buy a ticket for the next boat. I waited in the queue and boarded when they were ready, taking a seat at the back. Once the boat was full, it set off across the water. I had booked a ticket to go around the lake and back instead of getting off at one of the stops. In hindsight, I think it would have been nice to get off and explore, but I didn’t feel confident to do much more than just tour the lake and return, there was no town, just mountains and woodland. The boat stopped at various jetties around the lake. Most people got off at the one below Catbells mountain, presumably to climb it. I had considered this briefly before talking myself out of it almost immediately! I didn’t have the gear or the confidence to do that on my own.
When the boat returned around 11:20 a.m., I got off. I felt hungry, so I decided to look for somewhere to have lunch—or brunch, I guess, since it was still mid-morning! I wondered whether to grab something quick like a sandwich or sit down somewhere. After last night, I felt determined to sit down and have something to eat. A sit-down lunch felt a little more casual and do-able, if you know what I mean.
I had noticed a little place called Lakeside Café Restaurant on my way down to the lake this morning. I walked back to check it out, and thought it looked like a nice place to eat. It was fairly busy inside and outside, but I went for it anyway. I walked in, placed my order, and they asked me to find a table. They said they’d come and find me when my food was ready. I decided to sit outside, but when I went out to find a table, there wasn’t a single one free. I felt a bit awkward and didn’t really want to walk back in because I had already told them I’d be outside. I noticed a woman sitting at one of the tables and asked if I could sit at the other end. She nodded and smiled, so I sat down.
Before my food arrived, a family got up and left a table free, so I moved to sit at that one. I felt better once I was by myself. I had ordered halloumi and avocado on toast. It was nice to have something different, instead of just grabbing something from a supermarket. That’s the beauty of feeling confident enough to sit in a restaurant by yourself while on a solo trip—you get to enjoy different places and foods, which is something I love as a ‘foodie.’ I really wanted to break the feeling of awkwardness I had around eating out alone.
After lunch, I wandered around the town some more, then decided to catch a bus back around 1 p.m., arriving back in Windermere about an hour later. I spent some time browsing the shops, picking up a few souvenirs like a keyring and postcards, which I thought would be nice to start collecting if I went anywhere else after this trip. I remembered a YouTube video I had watched back home detailing different walks in the area, and there was a walk to a scenic point called School Knott.
I googled it and quickly found a website with a route to follow that began in Windermere and looked as though it would take a couple of hours altogether there and back. The route was lovely, and although there were no signs to follow, I felt like I had my wits about me a little more now. I managed not to go wrong once. The instructions were easy to follow—or maybe I just found it easier now that I’d been on a couple of walks here and learned from my mistakes; I’m not sure.
The route led me through countryside until I reached School Knott Tarn, a very small body of water. It was then an easy left turn up the hill to the summit of School Knott. From up here, the view was stunning—I could see across both Windermere and Bowness, with the lake stretching out in all its glory. I stayed for a while, taking in the view and snapping pictures before heading back down.
I felt really proud of myself for completing the three hikes I’d done while staying here. If you remember from my first blog post, I mentioned my five-stone weight loss journey this year. At the time of this trip, I had lost about 2.5 stones, but I was still quite unfit. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about all the walking, but I managed just fine, averaging around 20,000 steps a day, which was a lot for me compared to what I was used to! So after walking to School Knott, I felt a real sense of achievement. It was quite a milestone for me. Plus, I was coming to the end of my trip, and I had the realisation that in completing this trip I had actually done something I never would have thought possible. I felt on a high on the way down—a feeling I won’t forget.
Once I was back in town, I felt tired, and my feet ached, so I decided to grab some snacks from a supermarket and head back to the room. I was in need of a nice hot shower and my pyjamas. Back at the guesthouse, I spent the evening relaxing and looking through my pictures from the last few days. I also booked a taxi for the next morning to take me to the train station. While I had walked down when I arrived, the weather was due to be torrential the next day, and I didn’t fancy spending a whole day of traveling soaking wet!
The next morning, I packed up, and my taxi arrived at 9:45. I must admit, traveling home was much easier than the journey to get here. There were no cancellations, just a slight delay with the last train back, but nothing major.
It really highlighted how the first time for anything can be challenging and prone to mistakes, but with each subsequent attempt, it gets a little easier. I felt much more confident traveling home than I had when I first arrived. When Adam came to pick me up from the station, I was exhilarated, excitedly telling him all about the trip and how beautiful the Lake District was. It almost felt unreal, like I hadn’t really done it.
This solo trip to the Lake District has been such a transformative experience for me. I learned so much about myself and what I am capable of. Sure, there were moments of doubt and times when I felt out of my depth, but I pushed through those feelings and gained confidence with each step.
Looking back, I can see how much this trip helped me grow. It wasn’t just about the beautiful places I visited or the hikes I completed; it was about proving to myself that I could do something like this alone and enjoy it. When I got home, I couldn’t wait to plan my next solo adventure. Who knew where it would take me? All I knew is that I’d approach it with the same excitement and determination I found on this trip, carrying the lessons I’ve learned with me.
Thank you so much for reading and for being part of my journey. If you’ve followed my blog posts from the very beginning, your support truly means the world to me—I appreciate it more than I can put into words. As 2024 comes to a close, I have one final blog post planned that I’m really excited to share with you, so stay tuned! As always, my DMs on Instagram are open if you’d like to chat, share your own stories, or ask any questions. I love hearing from you.
