Friday

Charlie and Simon meet at Tim's and set-off in the Tesla. It wasn't long before Charlie was posting in the Walkies group chat ...

We managed to pass the time with a music quiz that Simon had prepped. No need to ask who won!

A late lunch at Lymm McDonald's.

It was a good chance for Tosla Simon to brag about having an electric car - look at those fuel prices!

Kendal Sainsbury's provided the weekend's shopping. Fuel was a very different price to the main highway of earlier!

Upon arrival at the cottage, Pete is already there. We make tea and Tim discusses possible walks with Pete ...

... whilst Simon sets up his electricty theft apparatus. (2 x videos)

Then Simon hung-up his suit, ready for his attendance at a family funeral on Monday.

R.I.P.

Dave & Steve found the cottage and were back together, again.

We managed to get a table at The Elleray pub.

The first order of business was to extract £2 from Pete, because of this note left in the kitty, last time ...

Charlie was prepared for Pete's all-too-obvious excuse of "I don't have any change at the moment" and promptly whisked away Pete's £10 note and gave him his £8 change.

We propose our first toast of the weekend ...

We all enjoy the meals provided.

On the way back, we witness a young girl & her mates doing a U-turn in her little car, wreaking of weed, before being pulled-over by the rozzers.

Saturday

The place.

The accommodation.

The fleet.

Pete & Steve prepared us all a splendid breakfast.

After the breakfast things are cleared away, Charlie re-sets the table for another poker session.

We set off for a walk on the of Lake Windermere but first we had to go and catch the ferry that crosses it.

Along the way we passed the local Saturday morning kids football club.

This babbling brook was likely to be the closest thing to a waterfall that Charlie was going to see all day.

We were sharing the space with 6 birds ... did somebody say, "Nice tits!" ?

These row boats are sunken deliberately, apparently.

From the BBC news site, 12th August 2024.

Cruiser "Swan".

This Jackdaw was strutting around with purpose.

Dirigible boats.

Horray!

If only we'd thought to hide in our oversized pantomime horse, the kitty could have saved £5.50 ...

Here it comes.

And across we go ...

The sunken cable becomes visible as we approach the dock.

We begin the circular part of the day's walk.

Power-nap #1

Thing that looks a bit like Autralia #1

Fallen trees.

Seven spot ladybird

Thing that looks a bit like Autralia #2

Lunch stop

Piercy Pot Noodle Pic

Power-nap #2

A woodlouse. Been on Earth's land for at least 100 million years. Not an insect but a crustacean - the only one to have fully adapted to life on land.

At this point, as has become a common occurrence, we split into Team A, a.k.a. "The Summit Baggers" ...

... and Team B, a.k.a. "The Take it Easy Crew".

On their descent, 2 out of the 3 Team B members had a slip-n-fall. It may forever remain a mystery as to WHICH two it was.

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** EDITOR'S NOTE: There's no mystery.

Waves lapping at the beach ... on a lake!

Coin tree.

Millipede. As a species, they're older than dinosaurs and even trees. Among the very first animals to adapt to breathing atmospheric oxygen and transition from the water to land, around 420 million years ago.

The two teams arrive back at the ferry within a few minutes apart and journey back across the lake.

Charlie is reminded of one of his favourite beers.

We stop for a cheeky pint on the way home, at The Tap Rooms in Bowness.

We get back and freshen-up. As we head out to find a place to eat, Simon gets this bit of bad news ....

We try The Elleray again but are told that unfortunately, they've stopped serving.

We end up at Cafe Italia and have a cracking time.

I N T E R M I S S I O N

Some of the flora & forna seen over the weekend

Hyacinthoides non-scripta    (Common Bluebell)

Cardamine pratensis    (Cuckoo Flower)

Narcissus    (Daffodil)

Hydrangea macrophylla    (Hydrangea)

Prunus laurocerasus    (Cherry Laurel)

Oxalis acetosella    (Wood-sorrel)

Athyrium filix-femina    (Lady Fern)

Salvia Greggii    (Autumn Sage)    [being visited by a Common Carder Bee]

Primula veris    (Cowslip)

Papaver cambricum    (Yellow Poppy)

E N D  O F  I N T E R M I S S I O N

Sunday

Team A                                                                                 Team B

Luckily for us, Saturday was the right day to use the ferry.

Steve had been playing in the dressing-up box! Sadly, we couldn't convince him to wear it all day.

We set-off on a linear walk and were soon looking at properties suitable for Steve to buy.

We start off by climbing the hill that, when he took in the panoramic view from the top (Orrest Head), first got Alfred Wainwright interested in the Lake District peaks.

An old T.C.C. boundary marker stone (Troutbeck Consolidated Chapelry).

At this point, the group makes its usual split.

Dave loving the lickle bah-lambs!

"The Take it Easy Crew" find a perfect stop for lunch, with a bench and a view.

Sheep farmers

Meanwhile, "The Summit Baggers" claim a couple more.

We all meet-up for a well-earned pint.

Simon found an un-eaten snack bar that had seen better days.

We then caught the bus back to Windermere.

We get back in time for the second half of Man City beating Arsenal 2 - 1.

Other scores were pleasing for Charlie, with Celtic scoring 4 goals in extra time ...

... and for Pete & Steve, with Nottingham Forest scoring 4 goals in the 2nd half.

We head out to The Elleray, this time we managed to get a table for a meal. The fish & chips looked good.

Steve's Guinness, instead of a shamrock, had lots of peaks in its head.

Monday

We have our usual "finish-whatever-is-left" breakfast cobs before packing-up and leaving - well, apart from Pete who had, once again, blagged a free extension!

Looks like Pete got his request granted, after all!

Another great weekend.