In the June heatwave, I was sweating (both literally and metaphorically). Temperatures were soaring and I was feeling very anxious about a trip I’d been looking forward to for weeks: a visit to Braithwaite Village campsite in the Lakes to try out their new dog friendly glamping pods. Thirty degrees would have been far too hot to hike with the dogs! Luckily, we returned to somewhat normal weather just in time. Normal weather for the Lakes in summer is, of course, rain. But, rain in the Lakes can be just as much fun as when the sun is shining… You just need to know where to go.
This post is part of a paid partnership with The Camping and Caravan Club. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own. It includes affiliate links (English Heritage).
Braithwaite Village: Dog Friendly Glamping Pods
Anyone who’s ever braved the A66 on a Friday after work will know just how happy we were to arrive. After a quick stop at Booths (compulsory), we arrived at Braithwaite Village campsite just after 7pm. We received a warm welcome and Reception talked us through the features of our pod – including TV, WiFi, microwave-combo oven and, should the rain abate, outdoor seating. Rain in the Lakes in summer, who’d have thought?
Straight away, the pod really impressed us. We’ve stayed in a few and this was definitely up there with the best of them. Clean, comfortable, and well-equipped with everything we needed, it also didn’t come with the eye-watering price tag many glamping pods seem to come with these days. At around £110 per night on a July weekend (member price), I actually thought this was a bargain rate. Recently I was looking at a similar pod in Northumberland which was coming in at over £600 for a weekend!
Tired from the drive, we happily used the rain as an excuse to stay inside and get a takeaway. Silk Road Chinese takeaway in Keswick delivered right to main reception and I dashed across to pick it up from there. We’ve ordered from here before and the food is always great – I love the Char Sui fried rice. Then, it was a cosy evening listening to the rain pattering on the roof. I was very glad we were in a nice dry pod and not a tent!
Rain in the Lakes
Saturday dawned, if not completely dry, less wet than originally forecast. I’d treated myself to some jus-rol pain au chocolats in Booths the day before (I really know how to push the boat out), and no one was more surprised than me when I managed to successfully bake them in the combo-oven. One of my uni housemates once cooked a whole Christmas dinner for eight people in one, but the most I’ve managed before now was heating up a ready meal. I impressed myself! And, grateful that the instructions were handily kept in the drawer above the oven…
Waterproofs on, we ventured out of our lovely (dry) pod into the drizzle. How bad could it be?
Castlerigg Stone Circle
It was quite bad, at least to start with. We decided to take a ‘mix and match’ approach to the day, with a few different, shorter activities rather than a long walk. Speaking of longer walks, Braithwaite Village campsite is in a cracking spot if you’re bagging Wainwrights. You can tackle the Coledale Horseshoe straight from the door, avoiding its notorious parking issues. Prior to arrival, we’d been eyeing up the remaining North Western Fells we’re yet to bag, planning a route up Grasmoor which starts nearby. Unfortunately, it’s probably best saved for sunnier days.
Rain in the Lakes doesn’t mean you need to stay inside though. There were so many options we didn’t know where to start! Ultimately we settled on Castlerigg Stone Circle as our first stop of the day. This ancient monument is more than 4,000 years old an occupies a ridiculously scenic spot. Certainly the best backdrop of any stone circle we’ve visited!
Parking is free in a couple of lay-bys opposite the field that the circle is in. I was worried everyone would be there dodging the rain, but it was actually pretty quiet. I suppose there’s no need to hang around for more than the fifteen minutes or so we spent poking around, which helps keep spaces free. Entrance is free, but if you’re visiting on a sunny day, there’s usually an ice cream van. So don’t arrive empty handed…
If you want to extend this into a longer walk, you can walk here from Keswick. Dogs are welcome at the circle, but you must keep them on leads. Not only do sheep graze the field, but signs at the entrance also ask owners to keep them on lead. Of course, the only other dog walker we saw was merrily ignoring this rule. At least his dog left us alone.
Whinlatter Forest
Whenever we come up against rain in the Lakes, Whinlatter Forest is our go-to. It has several shorter routes which are perfect for a rainy day. The trees provide some welcome shelter from the worst of the weather, and you might even stay dry if you can catch a weather window. Or, if you can’t get a weather window, at least you’re not out in the elements for too long. Previously, we’ve opted for the Comb Beck Trail and the Heavy Sides Trail in rainy weather. This time, we picked a route we haven’t explored before: the Revelin Moss Trail. Parking is pay on exit at the Revelin Moss car park, ///warriors.talkative.clockwork.
Only one mile long, we whizzed around this walk in about thirty minutes. Thirty minutes of mainly dry weather! Just some atmospheric low cloud drifting across the lower slopes of Grisedale Pike – and that’s perfectly OK with me. This was a very easy walk, almost completely flat and on a well surfaced track. Foxgloves, daisies and woodland orchids were popping up in all directions. Lovely!
Revelin Moss is home to the UK’s hilliest park run. Luckily, there weren’t many cars in the car park and we hardly saw any people! Perhaps because they were all running up the hill while we were walking along it…
Should you fancy a longer walk, Whinlatter has plenty of options. We’re still to tackle the ‘Wow’ Trail (it’s on the list), or you can start several Wainwright routes from here. Whether you do a long or a short walk, it’s perfect for dog owners. Livestock and stile free and often with little streams running along the trail, it’s a doggy paradise.
Brougham Castle
If you usually arrive in the Lakes via the A66, you’ve probably driven past Brougham Castle. Pronounced ‘Broom’ Castle, it’s somewhere we’ve always planned on visiting ‘one day’. Having finished up at Whinlatter a bit too early for lunch, ‘one day’ finally arrived.
I delightedly whipped out our English Heritage cards for free entry – another £20 saved. The castle origianlly stood on the frontlines of the border between England and Scotland and saw its fair share of violence, eventually being sacked by the Scots in 1388. Centuries later the castle was restored, including significant renovations by Lady Anne Clifford (of Lady Anne’s Way fame). Today it’s a ruin, although there’s more to explore than you’d expect at first glance.
English Heritage sites can be hit and miss in terms of interpretation, but Brougham Castle is well furnished with information boards, a museum and a small shop. The shop is so well stocked that I nearly cracked and started my Christmas shopping! I managed to resist though…
We spent nearly an hour exploring the castle. With a reactive dog, sites like this are perfect for us as we know all the other dogs we’ll come across will be on the lead, so it’s a good training opportunity, too. Sam braved the seventy steps to reach the top of the keep – the oldest and highest part of the castle. His highlight was the Roman tombstone which is built into the ceiling here – don’t ask me how it got there! There is actually a Roman fort in the field behind the castle, but all that remains is earthworks.
Lunch: Basecamp North Lakes
Ever since Basecamp opened, we’ve said ‘we should stop here’ every time we’ve driven past. Starving, it was the first place we thought of when we finished at Brougham. I had no idea what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the huge cafe and extensive farm shop attached to it. And busy too! As soon as I saw the plants for sale outside I knew it was going to massively exceed my expectations.
The menu is a choice of daily specials and some standard fare. I opted for soup of the day (butternut squash and red pepper) and Sam chose the loaded fries of the day (topped with chilli con carne). Both came in extremely generous portions and both were absolutely delicious. I picked up the breakfast menu to peruse the options for the next morning before I’d even finished eating!
Dogs are welcome in the conservatory area, however, as it was very busy, ours were happier snoozing in the car in the large car park. Leaving the dogs in the car also meant we could explore the fantastic farm shop – and this time I couldn’t resist temptation. Christmas shopping officially started! We picked up some frozen pizzas to have for tea that evening, some undisclosable Christmas gifts, and some fancy hot chocolate. It may have been July but it was definitely hot chocolate weather!
Hot chocolate in July
The plan was to head back out after lunch, but having sat down in the nice warm mess hall, we decided that could wait until tomorrow. None of our activities had taken us far from Braithwaite at all, and so it was a quick 15 minute drive back to base. Fortunately, the dogs had dried out over lunch, but should you have a mucky pup there’s an onsite dog wash (complete with warm water) you can use to give them a bath.
Sam was more than happy to kick back, relax and watch the World Cup on the TV in the pod, while I used the WiFi to get ahead on writing this blog and sorting through my photos. Not for the whole evening though – I was quite happy to curl up with my fancy hot chocolate and my Kindle. I even treated myself to some squirty cream and marshmallows. Not my typical July treat but it felt nice and cosy!
Aira Force
Rain in the Lakes isn’t like rain in Scotland, which can blow in and out all day with the odd weather window. Rain in the Lakes is often reliably incessant. Sunday proved that point: a constant, steady downpour of light-medium rain which wasn’t going to let up for the whole day. Therefore, we decided to get out early to Aira Force: a waterfall is always the best option on a truly rainy day.
We arrived first thing to beat the crowds. Aira Force is popular and last time we visited we were jostling for space with others on the viewing platform, but at 9.30am on a rainy Sunday, we were practically the only people there. We also cheated a bit and parked in the Park Brow car park to cut out most (not all) of the uphill. When you’ve not had breakfast yet, you need to conserve your energy!
Aira Force is my favourite waterfall in the Lakes (although it only just noses in ahead of Stanley Ghyll). Plummeting 65ft below a picturesque stone bridge, the waterfall is reached via a beautiful woodland with steep paths winding along the gorge. We did a quick out and back this time, but you can park at Gowbarrow Park to start at the bottom and climb all the way up. My main tip is, if you start at Park Brow, after you’ve gone through the first gate turn right down the hill instead of left up it. It feels counter-intuitive to go downhill, but don’t forget you’re starting from high-up! Keep your eyes peeled for red squirrels: there are five breeding pairs in the woods here, and we’ve seen them a few times snacking on the feeders near the main car park.
Aira Force is also part of one of my favourite Wainwright routes. It’s passed on the ascent of Gowbarrow Fell: a small fell which has incredible views over Ullswater. If you don’t want to bag the Wainwrights, that’s fine, but you should still do this walk anyway. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Back to Basecamp
I’m usually a breakfast as soon as I get up type of girl, so by now I was starving. Sam suggested extending the walk up to the High Cascades, but my stomach made it’s feelings on this very clear. We hopped back in the car (the walk back to the car feeling much hillier than the walk to the waterfall) and drove back to Basecamp for a hot breakfast before driving home. The Full Northern was calling my name!
Dog Friendly Rating: Braithwaite Village Glamping Pods
Dog friendly rating: 4/5. These pods really impressed us. They have everything you need, but without becoming cluttered, meaning there was enough space for both us and the dogs. One point down just because I don’t think this is the ideal spot for a reactive dog: you are, after all, in the middle of a campsite (even if it is a lovely quiet campsite). Merry loved barking at passersby through the pod’s glass door – happily, this was easily fixed by rolling down the blind. Phew!
The site has an onsite dog wash with warm water, and the pods have a nice easy to clean laminate floor should you also be faced with rain in the Lakes. The pods are located in the middle of the site, so there is no dedicated enclosed area for each one, although some of the larger lodges do offer enclosed decking if that’s essential for you.
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