Monday
The following morning, after the most delicious breakfast (the DIY home-made waffles were everything), we took Oscar up to the Kids’ Zone for a play. He told us that he didn’t want to go, but once he saw that there was a pirate ship and he had pretty much the whole place to himself, and the attention of two nursery nurses, he barely looked back at me as I said “see you in a bit!”.
After we managed to prise Oscar away from his new best friends in the Kids’ Zone, we headed out to Pooley Bridge to catch the steamboat across the lake. Ben was nearly as excited as Oscar about this, who was hopping about with glee for the whole ride. What is it with toddlers and vehicles? Give him a boat, train, or tractor and he will think Christmas has come early.
After getting off at Howtown, we had a dreamy little picnic on a secluded beach on the lake, then loaded the boys up in their carriers to go for a walk. We had planned to follow a lakeside path, but at one point on the route we saw a branch in the path that led steeply up a hill, and we decided to hike top a few paces to get a better view of the lake over the trees. A few paces turned into a few more, and then a few more, as the view just got more spectacular, and 20 minutes later we were at the top of Hallin fell after a dizzy and very sweaty climb with two sleeping boys on our backs!
We headed for an early tea all together in The Living Space, which is a relaxed, open bar area with plenty of comfortable seating and family games dotted around. This area is dog and child-friendly and it was lovely to have an alternative menu to choose from for a change – more bistro style than gourmet dining.