Clean Slate

First up was, of course, exploring Keswick itself.  Sadly the much loved (by me) Derwent Pencil Museum was closed, I think maybe because mid-term holidays in Cumbria only began the following week?, so we explored the shops, the Keswick Museum and nearby Lower Fitz Park instead - you can't go wrong with kids and a park!  There was also the mandatory boat trip on the Derwent Water, but the absolute highlight of the day was the finding of a tenner on the street by Joey.  Think that was the peak of his holiday! Ooooh, think of the Goo Jit Zus he could buy...

The only touristy thing I'd thought of before the holidays and really wanted to do during the week was visit the Honister Slate Mine, the last working slate mine in England.  We'd driven past on one our previous visits but never stopped, and I still remembered it 13 years later.  Quarying for Westmorland green slate has taken place in the area since 1728 but the mine eventually closed in 1989.  In 1997 it was reopened who redeveloped the mining side but also turned it into a tourist attraction.

Attractions around the mine complex include a visitor centre, underground tour of the workings, England's first via ferrata, where participants use a safety harness to scale a cliff path, and a 1km long zip line.  And as much as the kids might have enjoyed some of the other activities, we stuck to the 90 minute tour...

It really was fascinating, though very cold! But after a heart-warming pub lunch, and our first issue with the Rule of 6 (there being 7 of us in our family bubble for the week), we were rejuvenated and ready to tackle a walk around Buttermere Lake, a route the Don has no recollection of but one the group definitely did in 2007 when we visited the area for the Keswick Convention.

The weather is never too bad for a
holiday ice cream!