I am in a bit of a quandary. We are or had planned on being in the lake district for the festive time staying for both Christmas and New Year, at a CL.
We haven't been to lakes in about 7 years now so we where looking forward to it, however the recent large scale weather disruption is long term recovery and disruption..
I'm not sure if we should still go or if the disruption is to vast in checking the websites for closed roads/bridges.
We just aren't sure if it's worth it at this point in time, and if we should look at changing our plans.
Is anyone else heading there, what are your thoughts?
Post last edited on 09/12/2015 00:07:15
Post last edited on 09/12/2015 00:09:06
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We're going to Ravenglass and it hasn't actually occurred to us to cancel. My partner lives near the Cumbrian border and knows the roads well and he's not concerned (at the moment!). It is two weeks away yet anyhow.
Please don't cancel unless the site you are booked with tells you not to come.
During the catstrophic food & mouth outbreak in 2001 the media "told" everyone to stay away from Cumbria and the resulting loss of tourism-related revenue caused as much economic devastation as the disease itself.
PLEASE come to Cumbria.
We are open (well, mostly). The "Taste" food festival is going ahead in Cockermouth this weekend, and weather permitting Keswick will have their annual Victorian Fayre.
Westminster seems to think that we're some 'little corner of the country where people just go for a holiday'. Cumbria is at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to support, infrastructure, health provision and so on. Please don't desert us now.
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
We love the lakes, and used to go each year, but since the staycation became fashionable we found it became a bit crowded so we stopped heading that way for a while in the hope it would pass a bit.
We like the lake district but got the distinct impression we were being ripped off on charges so have not been back. TBH Scotland with all the lochs etc is far more scenic.
We were staying in Coniston the weekend of the floods, not on a campsite though. We knew the roads were flooded on the Saturday but having no tv or mobile reception we were unaware of the extent of the situation until trying to leave the Lake District on Sunday morning.
The A591 had flooded extensively and we had to wait for it to be re-opened.
If the place you are planning to stay was low-lying by a river then I would check with them to make sure they are open. I am certain all areas of the Lakes would really appreciate your custom over Christmas/New Year.
We have spent the last 2 New Years in a cottage in Grasmere and loved it. Walks from the door in every direction, good cosy pubs, busy but not too busy. The Daffodil hotel had great fireworks last year!
It's gorgeous here this morning, the rain has stopped and the wind has dropped. Snow on all the felltops and Bloomin' Cold! Minus 3 overnight according to the greenhouse thermometer.
Cockermouth is open! The 'Taste' food festival is on and we had the children's Candlelight Festival on Friday night. Had to laugh when Jonty, the Chamber of Commerce Chairman was interviewed on TV and he said "I've no idea how many rules and regulations we have broken by running this event but we've done it anyway". He was referring to the Friday night festival so no-one needs to worry about food safety
The Environment Agency have been very quiet and subdued when asked if they should have been doing more to keep rivers dredged (which is a BIG bone of contention here) but so far they don't seem to be stopping farmers just getting on and clearing rocks and rubble, which makes a pleasant change, normally they threaten people with prosecution for acting without a licence.
In a similar display of Cumbrian "getting on with it", on Wednesday night when it was raining hard again (that's the night Glenridding was flooded for the second time), locals with diggers were trying to keep the beck clear in Braithwaite. Police arrived and told them to stop because it was dangerous. It was politely suggested that the police left and went somewhere they could be useful which they did.
You can understand the frustration of farmers whose family might have been on land for many generations when they are told by a newly qualified graduate in a hi-vis jacket that they cannot do something on their own land and that they will be prosecuted if they do so.
This happens all the time up here, but it never makes the news. One of our friends has fields next to the River Derwent. In 2009 he lost acres of land as the river banks were washed away. But he cannot reprofile the remaining land, reinforce the banks and prevent further erosion without the Environment Agency carrying out a Desk-Based analysis and granting him a licence. Which, six years on he was still waiting for. I walked through one of his fields last week and once again, he has lost a strip of land about 2 - 3 metres wide and probably over 100 metres long, just washed away.
Sorry, rant over. It's just that so much of what really affects the Lake District, its people and its wonderful landscape is never talked about.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Storm Desmond and Lake District quandry?
