A theft and a Sale

For our stay in the Lakes, we'd chosen a guest house in Thornthwaite, a small village close to Bassenthwaite Lake, about 4 miles outside of Keswick. The house was set in its own grounds in a quiet location and, as it only had two guest rooms, we had the place to ourselves.

Early indications on the food were very positive, and the couple who own the house were pleasant, both with a sense of humour. So much so, that when the phone rang during breakfast, we didn't take them seriously when they told us it was a neighbour. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent that the caller was Carole's parents' neighbour, ringing to tell us of a break-in in their shed. Could you believe it?

The only damage reported was to the lock, but although arrangements were initially made to get the lock repaired, Kevan was uneasy about leaving things like this and decided to go home to see to things for himself. That left the three of us to head for the hills decidedly downbeat.

We'd planned a walk to the top of Sale Fell, which overlooks the top of Bassenthwaite Lake and is a prominent landmark, particularly when heading from Cockermouth towards Keswick on the main road.

We had our waterproofs with us as the weather forecast was poor, and it wasn't long before the rain arrived. On a nice day, and in better circumstances, it would have been a nice walk, but the conditions turned against us and the breeze was picking up by the time we reached the top - but at least we made it.

The quickest way down was straight on down a steepish slope through ferns, which wasn't ideal, but before long we were back in the car, dry and ready for lunch.

By the time we got back to the B&B, Kevan was already back and able to report no serious damage, although a handful of gardening tools had unfortunately disappeared. Not the sort of day we'd planned but it turned out better than it could have done, and the unusual Dutch apple pudding we enjoyed for dessert helped to improve the spirits.