Kendal: A Brilliant Wetherspoons

Having travelled from Coniston (via Windermere) to Kendal, at a turning just off the High Street, we came across an old chimney and factory:

Which now served as the town's Wetherspoons.

In this place, I enjoyed easily the best vegetarian pizza I've ever had at any Wetherspoons and a wonderful pint of dark mild (4% - just right), while my friend, Dave, gulped his Theakston's Old Peculiar down with glee.

Coniston: Sweet Shop Window etc.

The sweet shop window above, in Coniston, always catches my eye, with the dolly mixtures, fruit salads, rhubarb & custards, and especially the jelly babies taking me back to my childhood (on the corner of Shaw Street/Gladstone Street in Bury, there was a shop selling all such sweets).

Another thing that caught my eye was the free food items offered by St. Andrew's church, for those possibly in need:

And as usual, I spent a little time at John Ruskin's grave:

And caught a quick look of the lake before our almost whistle-stop tour of Coniston was over:

Things didn't exactly go to plan in Coniston as we kind of ended up wild camping there, this time round.

Coniston: Donald Campbell Memorabilia

After a half-an-hour van ride from Ulverston, we arrived in Coniston (where the Donald Campbell memorial above lies in St. Andrew's church). 

A short distance away from the village bus stop, we found Coniston Cemetery (where Campbell is buried):

And another short distance away, we visited St. Andrew's church where Campbell's funeral took place in 2001:

And guessed that this was possibly the position from which Steve Hogarth (Marillion singer) had sung Out of This World at Campbell's funeral:

Out of This World being the song that had inspired a Marillion fan and diver to go looking for Campbell's body in Coniston Water (if I remember correctly). 

Lake Street Dive - Warsaw Palladium (3-10-2026)

 What a brilliant first gig back in Warsaw: Lake Street Dive at the Palladium.

How would I describe Lake Street Dive?

Incredibly soulful pop music with layers of jazz, Americana, Gospel etc., I guess that would be the kind of answer I'd come up with.

A brilliant opening to the gig last night saw the band do the wonderful Bad Self Portraits and Dance with a Stranger, along with an interesting new tune Vegas Mattress.

And this mixture of songs old and new set a great tone for the evening, alongside covers like The Jackson 5's I Want You Back and The Cranberries' Linger.

What was especially noticeable was the way that the band buzz off and appreciate each other on stage, and Rachael Price, what a VOICE!!!

Ulverston: A Pleasant Visit

After the bus from Barrow, passing through Ulverston (on the way to Coniston), we were expecting Laurel and Hardy memorabilia but not much else, being honest. 

But we got much more, beautiful buildings:

And a healthy, still English High Street:

After getting something (inexpensive) to eat and drink, it was a pleasure to sit down and relax in such a clean and civilised place:

 

St. Bees-Barrow Train Ride

 St. Bees train station, with my friend, Dave, in the background, and my rucksack in the foreground:

Signalled the next part of our travelling adventure.

The scenery during the St. Bees-Barrow train ride showed how isolated things can be up on/near the Lake District coastline:

Travelling through small places I've probably never heard of:

Added to the pleasure of the journey.

First Few Miles of the Coast-to-Coast Walk

Another gem from our stay in St. Bees, doing the first 2-3 miles on Wainwright's (St. Bees-Robin Hood's Bay) Coast-to-Coast Walk:

What a great lookout point to the coastline below:

During this start of the Coast-to-Coast Walk, we got many great views of the rugged coastline:

Never going too near the edge of the cliff, of course:

Feeling blessed with a sense of freedom:

But by the time, we reached St. Bees Lighthouse, things were getting a bit murky:

And a warning sign, about the danger of the upcoming cliffs, put us off going any further to see the full beauty of St. Bees Head:

Still, we got a 5-6 mile walk and a decent taste of things high above St. Bees.

St. Bees Priory: Jewel in the Crown

 Of course, the jewel in the crown of our visit to St. Bees was always going to be the Priory:

Having read Wordsworth's St. Bees' Head poem, I knew that St. Bees Priory was founded on a pre-Norman religious site in the early 12th century, through which the Benedictines played a prominent role in actively Christianising the local area and further afield.

Sadly, much of the Priory was destroyed during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries but the main body of the church survived (somewhat like what happened at Bolton Abbey). 

Entering the Priory church:

I saw an ancient (pre-Norman) cross:

Showing that a Christian site existed here long before the Norman Benedictine Priory was set up around 1120.

Of course, the Priory church now has a very much Anglican feel:

And on the Sunday evening, I spent 15-20 minutes at an Anglican evening prayer/hymn service.

After which, I studied the church interior a little more:

Then, observed the Priory from outside again:

Ancient (and remote) places like this remind me that full reality resides in a Christian message now almost forgotten, away from the petty materialism of the contemporary world.

Yeah, St. Bees Priory is my kind of place, a spur to instinctive reflection, this I felt as I left the Priory grounds:

Will I ever visit St. Bees Priory again? 

Who knows?

I'm almost 61-years-old and live thousands of miles away in a foreign land.