After having set up the tent on a kind of Geordie-dominated campsite near Penrith, we rolled into a wet Keswick.
The outdoor market was closing up for the day:
And we took in the following buildings while seeking Greta Hall where Samuel Taylor Coleridge once lived:
And after a small goose chase, we eventually found Greta Hall:
More about that on the next blog.
A shot from our Lake District campsite, up north about five miles from Penrith.
Below, testing out the tent in a friend's back garden, and a service station we visited while approacing the Lakes:
Had to have Kendal mint cake, of course, it's like toothpaste toffee.
The campsite was surrounded by many good views:
And a military plane flew over, not that high above:
The problem was that there were only four toilets and showers for hundreds of campers:
But still, we got the views:
Brief tour of the Cropredy Festival site here starting with the beer tent above and drink prices below:
A bit steep for me, it must be said, but thankfully, you can take your own ale into the festival.
An important piece of equipment, the mixing desk, of course:
And security guards, clad in black, roaming around to make people feel safe:
And away from the stage, a magician did perform:
And some jugglers encouraged people to applaud.
My friend called it a hearty, home counties day out.
A customised tent from the Cropredy 2022 campsite, really well done, I think:
And below, how somebody had kind of extended their tent space:
There was also an interesting-looking coffee/tea place on the campsite, where people could listen to mellow live music over a nice brew:
One of the highlights was going to Cropredy Festival near Banbury in Oxfordshire, where I got to see one of my favourite bands, Clannad:
The Clannad performance at Cropredy was incredibly poignant, as it may be the last time that many of us get to see this truly great band.
As usual, all the Clannad set was highly polished, with Newgrange, in particular, sending a shiver down my spine.
Will really miss Clannad, have seen them seven times over the years, would love to see them again if ever possible.
First encountered Paradise Lost live at Castle Donington in 1995 and thought they were the band of the day, so it was nice to catch up with them in Warsaw Friday night.
Must say that Enchantment works incredibly well as a coming on song.
And doing Draconian Times from start to finish worked well, of course.
Huge queues for getting a beer though, possibly due to the hot and balmy evening:
Nice few shots from an Eastern Polish sundown here, really like how the cabbage column is almost illuminated below:
The tomato tent almost looked illuminated too:
The whole place had a kind of mystical aura about it, as the red sundown transformed the whole environment.
