We have just loved being up here in "the North". Graham was even heard to say that if we lived in the UK he could quite happily settle in this part!!!!! Even if he does refer to The Lake District as the Puddle District!
I have been in my element......taking the family to lots of old haunts I remember from all the holidays we had up here when I was growing up.
Of course our timing is perfect, with the school holidays being over and the weather has been great......1 day with rain in 2 weeks....unheard of!
We took a ride on the very scenic Settle to Carlisle railway which cuts a track over the moors and Dales with the help of viaducts and tunnels. The famous one is the Ribblesdale Viaduct with 24 arches, a masterpiece in engineering. The following day we drove up to have a proper look: very impressive.
Another day I took us to Malham, a Physical Geographers dream! It is Limestone country and within an 8km circular walk you get to see Gordale Scar with its towering sides, then up onto the Limestone Pavement and then down to take in Malham Cove and watch the climbers in action. Unfortunately we missed out on seeing the Peregrin Falcons that are nesting in the cliff, but read all about them in the visiters center.
We all decided we liked the "pavement" best although Sam renamed it "the Devils Cracks"!

We found out that a brand new James Bond Expedition had just opened in Keswick so that became a must see! Very good, with lots of the original vehicles on show. The curator was a very friendly guy who let the boys sit on the Water Bike and put on the blazer and Navy hat that Sean Connery had worn and then they + Graham got to sit in the Aston Martin Vanquish! That was definately the highlight of their day!